A Man After God's Own Heart

Involves within a day turn with if you want to first Samuel chapter 16 will be.

Look at verses one through 13, the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul since I rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with all and go. I will send you to Jesse, the Bethel might drive provided for myself a king among his sons and Samuel said, how can I go if Saul hears it he will kill me. And the Lord said, take, I have are with you and say I've come the sacrifice to the Lord and invite Jesse to the sacrifice.

I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for me him and I declare to you, Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem, the elders, the city came to medium trembling said do you come peaceably and he said peaceably. I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice and he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice when they came.

He looked on ally up and thought surely the Lord's anointed is performing. The Lord said to Samuel do not look on the his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I rejected him for the Lord sees not as a man seized man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Then Jesse calls a been a dab and made him pass before Samuel and he said neither has the Lord chosen this one then JC made Shama passed by, and neither has the Lord chosen this one. Jesse made seven of his sons passed before Samuel.

Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord is not chosen these then Samuel said to Jesse are all your sons here and he said there remains, yet the youngest but the hold is keeping the sheep and Samuel said to Jesse sand and getting, for we will not sit down till he comes here and he sent and brought them in. He was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome and the Lord said, arise anoint him for this is he then Samuel took the horn of all anointed him in the midst of his brothers in the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward and Samuel rose up, and with Rama that with me as we go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly father as we start a series on the life of David today. I pray that you will do for us what you did for David help us to be people after God's own heart. Help us to want God more than stuff, help us to want Jesus more than temporary earthly pleasure.

We also know the danger in making heroes out of mortal men, help us to see what you did in and through David and realize that every good and holy thing was the work of your hands.

Help us to see that when David was submissive.

Do you think you did mighty glorious things to him. But when David got selfish, lazy and un-submissive that he would sin and bring dishonor on himself on his nation and God Lord, there are lots of people the grace who desperately want a heart after God help us develop that heart and bring you glory Lord, keep my lips from error today anoint your precious word.

May this flock be fed.

May Jesus be exalted, for it is the holy and precious name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. You may be seated as you go through the Scriptures you will find that God has personally described many of his people with special designations to give you a few examples.

Abraham is called a friend of God Gideon. It's called the mighty man of valor. Caleb is called of the man who wholly followed the Lord. James and John are called sons of thunder on most know what is called the preacher of righteousness, Elisha is called the man of God. Moses was called was humble man on the face of the earth, but I think of all the designations from particular people in the Scripture.

My favorite one is the one that God gave to David he causing a man after God's own heart. Today were starting a study on the life of David. My purpose in this study is not to get you acquainted with Jewish history so that you be better at Bible Jeopardy.

My purpose is not just to feel your mind with intellectual knowledge about the monarchy of Israel.

My purpose is twofold. First of all, the purpose is not to glorify David, but to glorify Jesus through David and my second purpose is the essence David was a man after God's own heart that help us to study that we might be people after God's own heart and that brings up a question. What is it that's keeping us from million people who after who are after God's own heart is a selfishness and apathy.

Is it laziness is a just sin. Well, whatever it may be it's not worth it for James half-brother Jesus said that our lives are like a vapor like a little puff is staying there here and then just that quick.

They are gone and before we realize it were to be standing for the Lord Jesus Christ in that last day and were to be given account for what we did with the allotted time that he gave us on this earth will Jesus say to us, well done my good and faithful servant in her nail into the joy of the Lord will him my prayers that God will use this series on David to incline our hearts toward Christ and to help us to be field wit with a desire to love Christ more and more each day well. With that said, let's jump right into the text about four points I want to share with you today. Number one is grief can become sin. Look at the first part of verse eight verse one the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul since I rejected him from being king over Israel only go back in time to see you in a little bit of detail you remember how Saul came to be the king of Israel, the people of Israel came to the prophet Samuel. And they said to Samuel, we are tired to be in different we don't like the us. We want to be like other nations so so what we want a king like other nations have a king, the other nations have a human king, but our king is Jehovah God, we will not a king that we can see with our for it with our eyes that we can visibly see, we want a king that we can hear with it with our ears and and and one that will speak to us in audible voice.

We want a king like the other nations have and when Samuel heard that he was mad. He was humiliated he was embarrassed and he had to go back to the Lord with a broken heart and stole the Lord what it happened and what the people said that they wanted. God said to Samuel, Samuel. They have not rejected you, they have rejected me.

Give them what they want books when you take a stand for Jesus and you refuse to compromise truth and you stand boldly against evil and you can rest assured of the us that people gonna turn against you, and they're going to turn own you. It's gonna happen. And when that happens, you must realize this. They are not rejecting you. They are rejecting God now will qualify that if you are sharing truth with somebody or pay a group of people and you have a haughty attitude and a and a proud spirit your speaking to them condescendingly, then they may be rejecting you and your haughty personality. But if you go lovingly and compassionately to those people and tell them the truth and they rejected and they're not rejecting you. They are rejecting God's people of Israel said were not satisfied with God and his truth said give us a king like the other nations brothers and sisters, we need to be very careful what we asked for because we just might get it.

Some hundred and six of verse 15 said it says this and God gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls.

This was a reference to the children of Israel, and in their wandering in the wilderness, and you remember Helga how God sent out 12 spies to go check out the land and the spies came back to give a report to the spies came back with a negative report and they said to the people of Israel is to look, we can't take that land that there are huge giants in that land they have. They have huge wall cities. They have sophisticated weaponry. We can't take that land and the Scripture says that the people's hearts just melted and they begin to grumble and they begin to complain and they said there right and this we can't take that land we would die if we tried to do that, we rather die here in the wilderness than to do what God says and go and try to take the promised land and God said, all right, I'll answer that prayer. And he said for the next 40 years you will be wandering out here in this wilderness until the entire adult generation dies off except for Caleb and Joshua and you will never see the promised land, folks, that's exactly what happened. God granted them their request, but sent leanness into their souls. That's what God did Israel when they pray God give us a king like the other nations. God said okay I'll give you a king like that and he gave them Saul. Saul was head and shoulders taller than anybody else in the in the kingdom. He was a very handsome man and he was a man that started out with great humility. But after a few years, things went pretty good for the first years, but then he began to as the years went by began to get more and more enamored with himself and became more and more disobedient to God until finally God says I'm taken the taken the throne from you Saul. I am going to reject you. I am not only rejecting you. But I'm taken the anointing of God off of your life.

And he did that Saul continued to serve as the king but he had lost his anointing. He had lost his power, he lost his wisdom, and it was very evident. The people looked at him and they saw that he was making wrong decisions that I saw that he was weak and vacillating. He has just become a radical radical failure knows all that in mind's go back to chapter 16 verse one now the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul C and I have rejected him from raining over Israel.

Samuel was brokenhearted over what was going on with Saul. Absolutely brokenhearted usually. Samuel was the one who anointed Saul to begin with. To be the king of Israel.

He was his number one advisor. He was the one who prayed for him all the time. He was the one who gave them guidance and direction. He was the one who would get together with him to to pray with him about decisions that were being made within all of a sudden Saul made a conscious decision that he was going to turn from God and he did that and Samuel looked at him as a man that was field with just pride and ego is a man that would disobey God in a heartbeat. He looked at him. It broke Samuel's heart. It is heart was broken that this man that he cared for that.

He put so much time into had walked away from the Lord like he had done. And now he was losing his throne just about kill Samuel on a share with you what Ralph Davis said about this. I thought this was good. He said yet was there not something proper in Samuel's grief. He was not upset over a lousy bowling score or because someone sideswiped his Chevy or because he had only a three bedroom house. Rather, he was distressed of the spiritual disaster of a promising instrument of God over the welfare of God's people over their condition and security. Do we ever mourn over such matters doing mourner gossip over the sins of others. Do we ever sorrow over the unbelief in the churches among the professional ministry you ever grieve over the biblical and ethical ignorance among professing believers does anything ever move us aside from our own comfort and security. There is something commendable, something very instructive in Samuel's distress and it's in that context that God speaks to Samuel and he speaks a word of rebuke to him. He says Samuel stop breathing. Stop your grieving get over it. Got it. I have rejected him. I have rejected him and if this is part of my sovereign will. God's telling, and it is then you need to get over it and move on. If that sounds harsh to you. You think God's me into telephone. Samuel then you misunderstood what's going on God's is blessing Samuel here he is.

CST is taking the grief out of his heart. He is like he's taken of the of the healing salve and putting on his heart to help me through this grieving process and how was he happening through it. He say listen Samuel that this is all is not lost. This is not the end, God still works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose. Folks, what does this mean to us is grief is that sin on the if you've experienced the death or broken relationship review experienced a tragedy in your life then God's there to help you through it.

God gives us tears, God gives us of emotions that we can express the help. Help us deal with that sorrow. What did Jesus do when he saw the sorrow of Morrison and Mary John chapter 11 Martha and Mary are weeping that their brother Lazarus had died, Jesus goes down to Bethany and meets with them. He sees their grief and help help help horribly. There they are hurting down on the inside and the Scripture says Jesus wept. This is interesting because Jesus knows exactly what is going to do a knows and just if just a few minutes is going to raise Lazarus from the dead and Lazarus is good to be right there with them, he shall be perfectly healthy and everybody's going to be shouting and rejoicing and clapping hands to be a great time, but during this time when he sees the hurt of Mary and Martha to graze along with him brothers and sisters there comes a time when God wants us to lay our grief at his feet, and I'm not trying to put anybody on a guilt trip here is if you're going to a time of grief or a time of deep bereavement over some tragedies taken place in your life that's okay. And God is right they are to be a strong shoulder for you to lean on his right ear to give you tears so those tears will help you get to the sorrow he's there to wipe those tears away, but there comes a time when God wants us to stop breathing just to stop when it's time to just look to him and looked at him alone and trusting friends when when we have grief in our life. It can be good. It can be a wonderful thing, but when God gets you to the point where your to stop breathing to not stop breathing is seen all right, point to from grief to fear to faith. Look at verses one through the first part of verse four the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Feel your horn with all and go. I will send you to Jesse, the Bethel might pride provided for myself a king among his sons and Samuel said, how can I go if Saul hears it he will kill me. And the Lord said, take a heifer with you and say I've come the sacrifice to the Lord and invite Jesse to the sacrifice. I will show you what you shall do and you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you, Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. God, it just rebuked Samuel for his grief and continued grief over Saul and help them out of that grief. What did he do the putting to work they put them to work. God said Samuel feel your horn with all I want you to go to Bethlehem, go to the house of Jesse, and there you will and that anoint one of Jesse sons to be the next king of Israel. As soon as Samuel heard that his heart jumped up in his throat. He said this is not good if I have to do that if I have to anoint someone else to be the next king of Israel, and Saul finds out about it. He will kill me. I me. I'll be toast. It will be. It is Samuel had spent time with Saul and Samuel. The last time they were together. Samuel had told Saul that God rejected him in first Samuel chapter 13 verse 14 it says this but now the kingdom shall not continue.

The Lord has sought him a man after his own heart. And the Lord has commanded him to be captain over his people because there was not That which the Lord commanded the Samuel knew that Saul was an irrational paranoid egomaniac and and Samuel was right. Saul would be furious at Samuel for Noah and somebody else other than than his own family. Even if even if Saul died issued in his own family.

Saul default, he knew that he was upset about knew that such Saul would be terribly upset with him and that he would want to killing the same. You should have remembered that God was bigger than Saul should've acted in faith. Tough to do sometime in many times do we get on her knees were praying about something we get some direction from God preps to the Bible through the word of God. We know this is what what I should do. This is where she got them before we get up off our knees were we doing were trying to figure out how we can work it out how we can take care of all the things that we can pull all the loose strings were trying to do it ourselves unctuous to what Chuck told Swindoll said about this. What Samuel didn't realize what we often don't realize is that behind-the-scenes before he ever flung the stars in the space God had today in mind here this very week in mind.

In fact, he had you in mind and he knew exactly what he was going to do. God is never at a loss to know what is good to do in our situations. He knows perfectly well what is best for you are problem is we don't know and we say them. Lord, if you just tell me that I'll be in great shape, just reveal it to me. Explain your plan to me and I'll count on you, but that's not faith.

Faith is counting on him when we do not know what tomorrow holds. When a man or woman of God fails nothing of God fails when a man or woman of God changes nothing of God changes when someone dies nothing of God dies when our lives are altered by the unexpected, nothing of God's altered or unexpected. It was a prophet Isaiah who wrote before they call I will answer while they are yet speaking, I will hear before you even utter a word. God promises I'm involved in answering. In fact, while you're speaking, I'm involved in bringing the past. Everything I had planned from the get go. God knows exactly what he's going to do and nothing can restrain is bringing it to pass God and argue with Samuel. He done telling that that that Saul will not killing the name say that he just says go and he tell Samuel what to do. He says you go get a heifer bring it down to Bethlehem and then you sacrifice that heifer with Jesse's family and sacrifice it under me and then you will anoint one of Jesse's children as the new king of Israel, folks. You don't have to be smart to be obedient. You'll have to be clever to be obedient, you don't have to know exactly how God's gonna work out all the details to be obedient, you just have to have this attitude. If God says do it, then I'm gonna do it. And that's exactly what Samuel was doing at this point in time they came to this point he realized God is sovereign God knows exactly what he's doing and it is God who is speaking to me and if God's told me this the best things I can do is to just shut up and be obedient. Now what is that brothers and sisters.

That is what faith is shutting up and being obedient .3. Political uneasiness look at the second part of verse four.

They held as the city came to meeting trembling and said do you come peaceably now.

Why were the city officials so so frightened they knew that there were problems in the Oval Office and Israel. They knew that that King Saul was not walking with God like he should be in and because of that is making some bad decisions, he's doing some horrible terrible things and so when I see Samuel coming down and coming into their town. They know Samuel is Saul's top advisor and they think all my goodness Saul is sitting down here to to deal with us. We don't know what we've done but it's gotta be bad because here's Samuel, the top advisor, Saul, and he's right here to get straightened out. So they go to the go to Samuel and the people of Bethlehem say to Samuel, said Samuel, do you come peaceably do you come peaceably at 65 years after this event took place. David's son Solomon wrote a book. We called the book of Proverbs in Proverbs chapter 14 verse 30 for the Scripture says that righteousness exalts a nation righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people in Proverbs chapter 29 verse two.

The Scripture says when the righteous flourish. The people rejoice, but when the wicked rule. The people groan. The people of Israel were groaning.

They were groaning because Saul returned his heart from God.

And when the country's leaders turn their hearts from God that causes great problems, not just for the leaders but for those that are under the leadership of those people.

They turn from God's law. Their decisions are convoluted and perverse and Isaiah explain this phenomenon in Isaiah chapter 5 explain the judgment that comes along with it. He said this one of those who call good evil and evil good who put light for darkness and darkness for light, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter was that sound like boats.

Does that not sound like America today.

Does that not sound like the nation that you and I are living in right now, folks, there is an entire political agenda that is anti-God and pro-evolution is a political platform of promoting abortion of the Holocaust of the unborn of destroying the nuclear family of encouraging homosexuality a legitimate legitimacy, legitimizing transient gender confusion of promoting lawlessness of fostering hatred for our policeman. What is all this they call it freedom. God calls it judgment. Judgment brothers and sisters. It's not just a political problem. I want you to know it's not just a racial problem is a sin problem and there's only one thing, or maybe two things that we can say that will answer that problem.

One of them is a second coming of Jesus Christ. But the second is is this a God sent sin destroyed in revival when the wicked rule, people groan. The people of Bethlehem Saul Samuel coming into their town and they were immediately gripped with fear as what happens when the wicked rule. The people walk on egg shells with deep confusion in their mind, and I don't know the difference between right and wrong. I call good, evil, evil good light for darkness and darkness for light, I've been shocked to see the lawlessness that we have seen going on in our country over these last few weeks throwing bricks at policeman sitting businesses and churches on fire. I have a brother-in-law lives in Charlotte and he was awakened in the middle of the night this past Wednesday by gunfire and he looked out his window and there was a car stop and think were shooting out of the car and they were shooting at his next-door neighbor's house where a security guard.

Leo's trying to take somebody's life because he happened to be a security guard folks are leaders don't have the courage to arrest these people and to stop this kind of lawlessness. The people of Bethlehem were walking on eggshells because their leaders were weak. I verse five verse five says this in any said peaceably. I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate your sales income with me to the sacrifice and he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. Samuel calms their fears and then he gets ready for the most important events that will ever take place in it. Israel's history, the anointing of King David to be the next king of Israel. The first of all, God took the theater out of out of Samuel's heart.

Samuel feared God took the fear out of his heart and then the people Bethlehem feared and God took the fear out of their heart folks we fear too much. We fear too much. We need to quit fearing and start trusting. Did you realize that there are 365 commands we have in the Scripture that say fear not that that's a different command for every single day of the year that we are to fear not, fear not the are not in it. Funny how we think we tremble and shake at the thought of going on to a foreign mission field but brothers and sisters of God's call you that foreign mission field as a safe site is placed on earth. You can be John G.

Patton, the great missionary was speaking to his church as he was getting ready to leave his country and get ready to go to the South Sea Islands to be a missionary.

He was sharing with his church that evening about what he would be doing in the kind of ministry that he would have their is to the end and a elderly man in the church raised his hand and the elderly man said John Patton don't you go to the South Sea Islands. If you go there you get eaten by cannibals. I want you to listen to John Patton's response to said Mr. Dixon. You are advanced in years, and your own body is soon to be late in the grave.

They are to be eaten by worms I confess to you that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus. It will make no difference to me whether I meet by cannibals ringed by worms and in the great day.

My resurrection body will arise just as fair as yours.

In the likeness of our risen Redeemer. What was he saying he was saying the safest place on the face of the earth is for you to be right there in the center of God's will. Will God got Samuel.

They are safely and Samuel told Jesse one of his sons go to be anointed as the next king of Israel at Texas to .4 and that is God's choice wicked verse six through 13 with me when I came he looked on alive and thought surely the Lord's anointed is before before him, but the Lord said to Samuel do not look on the on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. The Lord sees not as man sees man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Then Jesse called a bill a day of invading passed before Samuel said neither has Lord call this one then Jesse made Shama past body said neither is the Lord chosen this one, and Jesse made seven of his sons passed before Samuel and Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord is not chosen these then Samuel said to Jesse or all your sons here and he said there remains, yet the youngest but behold, he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse Sandy getting we will not sit down until he comes here and he sent and he brought a man they was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome and the Lord said, arise anoint him for this is he that Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers in the spirit of the Lord rushed up and David from that day forward and Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Jesse got excited, he said to himself. Surely my firstborn will be the one that that God will choose and he brought a lot of the firstborn up to stand before David Alai have stood there, he was taller than any of the other brothers. He was very handsome to look on and he was the obvious choice. Even Samuel qualities the obvious choice.

But God said no. Why did God say no because God doesn't look at our height. God doesn't look at our outward appearance or outward attractiveness. God looks at the heart. And then of the other brothers begin to go one by one, a been a day of and then Shama, then the next one in the next one to all seven brothers have come in. They stood before Samuel and Samuel said, each one of them know they are not the one note I'm not choosing them, and so finally that Samuel turns around to Jesse and says Jesse are there other anymore.

Chuck Swindoll once again said the following. You see Samuel with God's help, now has the proper perspective.

Nothing would hinder his pursuing the one God's chosen what is it matter what he does.

What is it matter how old he is. You could getting over the ability to see beyond the obvious to see beyond the bad track record to see beyond someone's age of the size of the level of intelligence to see worth and value down deep inside that's the kind of vision that Samuel with God's help. Family demonstrates at this point. So Samuel said to Jesse you go getting they brought David before Samuel.

And they brought David before Samuel, the Lord spoke to Samuel's hearts.

It is someone at that's my choice.

That's the next king of Israel. I want him to be the next king of Israel because he's a shepherd PAs a man who is willing to risk his life fighting a bear, and the risk is like finding a line in order to protect his sheep. He said I won't discount a man to be king. Why did God say that what he God want a shepherd because God is himself a shepherd you see in Psalm 23.

The Scripture says the Lord is my shepherd, who is the Lord is Jehovah, his, Yahweh, God is our shepherd. What did Jesus say Jesus and I lay down my life for the sheep in this man, David had a heart just like that he had a heart just like that and if he cared that much for a little animal for little sheep would he not care so much more for the people of God. So David knelt down. That is probably 16, 17 years old this time he kneels down before Samuel Sable tells them what to do. Then Samuel takes the horn of oil and he pours it over his head. The oil begins to drip down through his hair down his cheeks down to his close down the floor and it just keeps flowing as he keeps pouring and has that all is being poured over his body.

Something even greater happens. For the Scripture says that the Holy Spirit rushed upon David, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon David. What else does it say it was there. From that day forward you study the life of David. Please always remember this passage and keep going back to it as you see the different things happening in David's life but always remember this. David was a man after God's own heart, and David did great and mighty things for the Lord but also remember this, God gets the glory, for who was it that made David a man after God's own heart. It was God who did that my prayers this Lord do to us whatever it takes to help us become people after God's own heart. Help us, that we might not be satisfied with anything less then the fullness of Christ was probably heavenly father, we are your children, you chose to be your servants just like you chose David when David was taken out of the pastor to be anointed by Samuel the prophet. He had no idea what was coming in that same way. We have no idea what callings and opportunities are before us. Lord help us to consecrate our lives to you now that Jesus would be lifted up in all that we do and that we would be prepared for whatever you're calling is were living in strange chaotic times. Evil is rampant, sin is the norm and hopelessness abounds. Help your people to see that this could be our greatest hour. This could be the time that our light could shine the brightest in a time where our world feels unsafe where uncertainty is rampant, may we be there light. May our trust in Jesus, shine forth by the gospel.

Always be on our lips, may we be a people after God's own heart forts in the precious name of Jesus that we pray.

Amen