Sermon Tone Analysis

God Directs, David Submits - 1 Samuel 16

There’s something in God’s word for you today that is nothing less than paradigm-shifting, earth-shattering, turn-your-world-rightside-up truth.

- An amazing and exciting truth hit me this week from this text in ch.

16 of 1 Samuel.

It’s not like it’s secret.

It’s big and it’s blatant, but it had never hit me before with such clarity and force.

So I have one goal this morning: to help you be as joyfully overwhelmed by it as I am.

And this couldn’t be more important, so stay awake and listen!

:-)

Here it is: What made the heart of David special?

Submission.

(Relational nearness to God is a major factor in the life of David… of that their can be no doubt.

But we learn of that in other texts, especially in his psalms.

But here there is another quality that is so important, which becomes our focus today—David’s submissive heart.

By the way, the two are not disconnected.

A submissive child responds to God when he says, “draw near to me and I will draw near to you.”

David’s submission is connected with his relational closeness to God.) - That probably doesn’t sound like much yet, but the evidence and importance of David’s submissive spirit will begin to dawn like the morning sun for the attentive heart.

I aim to present you with the evidence of it in the text so that you’ll see and relish the truth of it, feeling the importance of learning submission in your own heart.

PRAY: God, we plead for your intervention so that we won’t take this lightly.

You know us and you know our frailty.

But God we long to know you and your sufficiency.

Make us humble so that we will see your goodness and submit to your command.

Thank you for Jesus.

We love you.

Amen.

Where are we in the narrative in 1 Samuel?

—> Because of his persistent disobedience, Saul is being deposed as king of Israel.

In fact, God has already chosen his replacement.

The first-time reader doesn’t know who it is yet, and Samuel doesn’t even know, but we’re about to find out.

What we do know is that…

“This one had already been identified as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (13:14) and “one of [Saul’s] neighbors” who was “better than” he (15:28).”

- Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 447).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Israel.

The rejection of Saul did not force the LORD to a new course of action.

Rather, God’s action followed His omniscient plan in such a way as to use Saul’s disobedience as the human occasion for implementing His higher plan.

When we last left our two primary human characters, Samuel had informed Saul that because he continued to faithlessly disobey God, God had rejected him as king.

So Israel’s first king and the prophet who had anointed him formally part ways, further symbolizing the break between God and Saul.

For Samuel, what was initially anger over Saul’s sin has now turned to mourning, as he laments Saul’s failure and its impact on God’s people Israel.

Let’s pick up there in ch.

16.

God resets Samuel’s discouraged heart.

(vv.

1-3)

God is so gracious to reassure us and to give us clear direction.

(A sovereign and sympathetic God directing the ways of men…)

Resetting a Discouraged Heart — What to do when discouraged? - Seek God and wait for his direction.

(wait upon the Lord means to trust in and listen to… waiting expectantly with confident hope… trusting God’s character and goodness) —> a complete dependence on God and a willingness to allow Him to decide the terms, including the timing of His plan...

Samuel’s fear and God’s plan to get him to Bethlehem:

This was a true but incomplete statement of the reasons for Samuel to come to Bethlehem (see v. 1), and yet the Lord told him to say it, so it should not be considered morally wrong.

It seems that telling part of what one knows to be true, in order to conceal other information, is morally right in some situations, particularly adversarial situations such as this one.

Moreover, the Lord had the right to hide his intentions from Saul, who had proved himself faithless.

- Crossway Bibles.

(2008).

The ESV Study Bible (p.

517).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

God did not tell Samuel to be deceptive, but rather to combine the anointing with the business of sacrificing

So God gives Samuel direction and reassurance.

What then does Samuel do?

Why do they fear?

- Samuel is also judge over the people, and no doubt they have heard what happened with Agag.

Or perhaps they know of Samuel’s split from Saul and wonder what Samuel coming to them might mean for them concerning Saul.

But the main thing I want you to see here is that...

Samuel submits to God’s direction.

(vv.

4-5)

It wasn’t as though the danger had gone away (the threat of Saul finding out), even though he now had another reason to be in Bethlehem.

But God’s care and command brought reassurance and confidence in obeying the voice of the Lord.

- What about you?

How do you reset your heart and mind in the midst of discouragement, worry, and fear? - Focus on God’s character and obey God’s commands.

How do you regain courage and get back to the task God has given?

- Focus on God’s character and obey God’s commands.

How do we deal with the fact that we even disappoint (and sometimes hurt) one another in the body of Christ?

(missionaries greatest difficulty is their team) - Focus and God’s character and obey God’s commands.

This is a heart of submission.

Have a heart of submission.

Let’s continue.

The youngest’s name is still not even spoken here!

:-) His name is David.

He tends sheep for his dad.

- Being a shepherd was usually the task of a trustworthy servant.

Perhaps Jesse was not wealthy enough to have any or many servants, so the task fell to the youngest son.

- What does this youngest son seem to do? Joyfully and submissively serve in the role of shepherd for his family.

In contrast to Saul (and Eliab here), David is chosen not for being built like Duane the Rock Johnson but for what’s inside of him—the inner man, which only God sees with accuracy.

So even as the young shepherd’s appearance is given, it is less consequential… that he is "smaller,” perhaps kinda blonde or red-haired (or bronze-skinned) “ruddy,” with attractive eyes and attractive features.

(One might readily surmise that its his disposition which enhances these moderately attractive physical qualities.)

Nonetheless, the point is clear that such an external focus is far from the point.

- This was the one of whom God prophesied earlier in 13:14, “a man after his own heart.”

God selects for service one whose heart is submissive to him.

(vv.

6-12)

(worshipful, willing, dependable, and teachable… even David’s courage comes from a submissive willingness to be used by God)

Let’s be sure not to confuse God’s selection for service as the same thing as God’s choosing for salvation.

- Again, this wasn’t because David was perfect and therefore chosen by God.

No, but David had the central quality needed for useful service to God—a submissive heart.

David trusted God and submitted.

(Again, I believe that we learn too from other texts, particularly David’s psalms, that he had a relational closeness to God, which is central to his trust in God.

But in our text today what is most prominent is his submissive spirit.)

Are you submissive to God and his truth over your own opinions?

Are you submissive to God by being submissive to authority in your life?

Are you submissive to God by pursuing obedience and excellence in whatever tasks he has given you to do… right now?

People look at the pastoral transition here at BBC and go, “wow, guys that’s really neat… wish it could happen more often in more places.”

- Can I tell you the obvious secret that this text shows us?

All it takes is a heart of submission.