LOOKING ON THE HEART. 1st Samuel 16:7. “But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” God, our Creator, knows what He has created intimately and is able to discern our thoughts and purposes before we know them ourselves. He looks beyond appearances to the heart. The heart He saw in David is what He wants to see in us. There will be purposefulness in life, intelligence in mind, and willingness to obey our Lord in life if our hearts are centered on Him and we are loyal to Him.
The man after God’s own heart when He “sought” a man, He “found [in] David” whom He chose to be “His servant” and “appointed him ruler,” and God could then say about David, “I have provided Me a king.”
When God wants a man for His work, He will provide the exercise and the means to bring it to pass. We do not have to manipulate or pressure others to get a place of leadership among the Lord's people. We just have to be faithful in doing what we already have in our hands and be satisfied with the fact that God knows who we are and what He wants from us and can bring it about in His own will and time.
No accidental happening, or merely human choice, leads those who love the Lord to be set apart for Him and by Him. We cannot see behind the scenes all the divine purposes of God, but we can rest in confidence that when we desire to walk in the light with the Lord, He will reveal to us all of His will that we should know. God sets in place who He will and removes who He will by His divine prerogative.
God Himself provided a king to replace the one the people had asked for out of a desire to be like the nations around. Previously, the Lord "sought Him a man," and now He "found David My servant." David had already been set apart, sanctified, and "meet for the Master's use." He had been training in the fields where no one else could see what was happening. He had been in "training for reigning" for quite some time, although he may not have known it himself, and certainly others, even his family, didn't know it.
David had much more to learn from the Lord, who filled him for service and would use him as a tool for the Holy Spirit to "move" and write down psalms and hymns of praise and worship to testify of God's grace and glory. We are blessed today by the training time of that young man who enjoyed God and loved Him. He had already been learning by experience how to handle rejection, reproach, and humiliation before God would call him to lead the nation.
There is always much more to learn from the Lord than we have already experienced. We can be thankful for the ongoing education process in the school of God that lasts for our lifetime. Training in the things of God is not always easy. As a matter of fact, we learn more, and our character is built in times of difficulty and problems rather than when life is easy, and we complacently move quietly through life without any major concerns. Our Lord Jesus was humiliated and rejected when He was on earth, so it should be no surprise to us if we, too, experience the same things when we live as servants of the Lord.
David was identified as God's choice by God's sovereign electing will. Saul's beginning was based on the natural human desire of men, and the end of his life with God was because of the fleshly desire of his fallen nature. David was in fellowship with God long before Samuel came to visit the family of Jesse. Samuel had his horn filled with oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit's power at his disposal in his work for the Lord. The heifer he took with him for sacrifice testified to the subjection of natural power to spiritual power as he walked from Ramah to Bethlehem, leading the animal to a sacrificial death and providing a sacrificial feast. We look on our Lord who was sacrificed for us in all His innocence and perfection, and we keep the feast in fellowship with God and with the One He has anointed, and by whom we are accepted with God.
Jesse's seven sons passed by Samuel, and apparently, each seemed like he could be a king. Yet, despite their outward attraction, God did not choose them. All of the first seven sons were bypassed by God even though Samuel, and perhaps Jesse, favored them. David was forgotten or ignored because he was already serving others by caring for the flock.
Religious movements come and go often because of the person who rises to leadership. When people are gathered to the charismatic personality of a man, they fade away when that man dies, moves away, or falls into disregard. A religious group that starts with natural choices based on natural principles is acceptable to men but not necessarily to God. God only accepts that which is of the Spirit and owns Jesus Christ as Lord. Those God accepts into His kingdom have been "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world." Only the Lord Jesus Christ can satisfy God and those who want to please God.
We are not "chosen for good in me" but by God's sovereign electing grace. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart." God looks to the heart for the qualifications He wants from those involved in divine service. Despite ourselves, we often judge only based on what we see outwardly in a person. To seek satisfaction from the world in the energy of the flesh is a futile search. We cannot change all the things going on around us that we know are wrong. We can find our rest in the will of the Lord being done even in difficult and crisis times.
God took David (beloved) as ruler over "My people, Israel." The humiliating process of those seven men passing before Samuel and being rejected was necessary to clarify to everyone the fact that the fleshly rule of men over God's people was over. It was not acceptable to God. The man God chose was first seen as a shepherd, which characterized him for life. A shepherd loves his helpless sheep and is committed to caring for them and even dying for them if necessary. Saul was introduced as a searcher for lost asses which he never found, and in a sense, his search in life for the gratification of the flesh never ended.
David had already risked his life in a battle against a lion and a bear to rescue one sheep or lamb. Such a pledge to care for sheep that belonged to his father is an example for us to follow as we care for "the sheep" of our Father's flock. If a man is faithful to that extent for the sake of one life saved, God can entrust him with all of His sheep. He looked upon his vocation and calling with devotion and willingness to sacrifice himself. The Lord Jesus is the True Shepherd of the sheep, who "having loved His own, He loved them unto the end. That qualification sets the standard high for those to whom God has given the responsibility to care for His people.
It is significant that "the Spirit of God was upon David from that day forward." God had found His man so Samuel could go home and rest after he anointed him as God's choice. No doubt, he found he could rest in peace since he knew unmistakably that God had chosen His servant, David. Saul was bigger than everyone else outwardly and had become like that in his own eyes, even though he was anointed alone. David was anointed "in the midst of his brethren" and apparently returned to his humble occupation as a shepherd with grace and the inward beauty that had set God's heart upon him. The one who was rejected to lowly servitude was sitting at the feast in the attitude of his graceful spirit as the one God had chosen.
When one is in God's heart, the results of that life will be directed by God to His glory and the blessing of His people. To be selected for divine service is cause for humility and consecration, not pride and self-exaltation.
We don’t have to look shabby, dull, or drab. The whole point of the lesson is this: the outside can easily be changed using what I have to make something look different than what it really is. Opinions of men are often formed by what we see or first impressions. We need to be able to say, “What you are is what you get,” not “What you see is what you get.” What I really am is what God’s holy light exposes when it reveals the intents of my heart.
What men see can quickly change either for bad or for good. Every thought we have is very limited in its scope, to that which our minds can conceive or our eyes can see, far or close to where we stand or our perspective. Only God can see deep into my soul. I wonder, as I sit here, what my family thinks. Do they consider I am putting on a show? Am I truly consistent, or do they share a wink of skepticism over something I don’t know? I really want to show outwardly what I am inside. I want to express God’s grace to me and respond to that grace with gratitude, faithfulness to God, and meaningful service if I am allowed to serve Him in some way. If they believe I am internally real and outwardly don’t hide sin or fake reality, then I will consider my life lived before them a success.
It is often more than depression that brings highs and lows to a person who lives by the sudden impulses of the fleshly nature. Such people may be affected more by the circumstances of life than by the guidance of God through them. If everything is favorable to them, they seem happy and positive. When things are difficult, they have a negative, critical attitude and are angry about the events around them and sometimes toward people with no cause for that anger. Some of the reactions may be similar to that of Saul, who, when he had not been willing to act under divine authority, had removed from him by God the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit. In its place, God allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Like some people today, when he got upset, he started throwing things.
There is judgment for disobedience, and there are consequences for the unwillingness to submit to God or to those who do not even believe God is real. There is a darkness in the spirit of those who are dead in trespasses and sins that is not lifted by psychoanalysis or attempts at rehabilitation by human endeavor. Music's calming influence works temporarily if it is soothing rather than raucous tones that are not much more than organized noise. Noise can agitate and aggravate a dejected person to the place where they have to flee for solitude to try and find peace.
Saul was anxious that a man be provided to bring peace to his troubled soul. Saul found temporary relief when David played skillfully on his harp and probably sang some of the psalms and spiritual songs he wrote. Even in this extremity of frustration, he did not seek the Lord nor call upon His name. The ending of this king's life and reign is an account of the deterioration of his mind, the despair that settled over his soul, and the agitation that came upon his spirit.
The downward course of life is usually impossible to stop unless one honestly faces the problem of guilt and the sin that causes it. Repentance toward God is where one must start if one wants a lasting solution to the problem. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not just wishful thinking but a wholehearted trust in Him alone to meet our needs.
On the bright side of this historical account, David, the man after God's own heart, comes into the picture. Much of what we know of David is very positive. He was a faithful shepherd who could be trusted to care for his father's sheep. Wherever he was, he seemed to be able to make melody in his heart for the Lord. It seemed like in whatever situation David was found, he could write a meaningful poem. Some of the ones he wrote were uplifting, and some were words of despair. He could put into words the thoughts that were in his heart.
Even today, people read his writings to find comfort and understanding in their circumstances. As a mighty warrior, most noted for his defeat of Goliath under the strength of the Lord, he made it plain that he had placed his trust in the Lord alone. After fifteen years of waiting and wandering, he opened up the golden age of Israel's history when he became king of Israel. All of this is found in the biblical account of David's history.
However, David was not a perfect man. The same Holy Spirit who moved the writer's pen to give the positive things about David also moved the pen to write about his failures. He was a betrayer, a liar, an adulterer, and even a murderer. All of these failures, including being that of a father who did not do a good job of parenting, did not change him from one who had an unshakable belief in the faithfulness of God. He knew God to be forgiving and was quick to confess his sins openly to God. We learn from Saul the failure of the flesh. We learn from David the remedy for sin. In David's life, we see the outworking of God's grace. The Holy Spirit left Saul but returned with David.
By nature, we seem to want to avoid the consequences of sin by trying to hide behind dishonesty or, in some other way, excuse ourselves from facing sin rather than confessing our sin to God and experiencing His forgiveness. Wise people learn from their mistakes and failures and the consequences that follow. It is the Spirit of God who makes us conscious of sin. We need to be willing to admit to and confess our sins honestly. Even though forgiveness does not remove the consequences of sin, it brings us back into fellowship with God, whom we trust completely, leading us to worship Him in faith.
A number of people loved David, usually each for different reasons. Saul loved him for what he got from him. Jonathan loved him and would do anything for him but would not commit himself to following David. Michel would risk her life for David but not her pride of place. The only one who loved him for who he was, Mephibosheth. He owed everything to David and was willing to surrender all to him.
One of Saul's servants aptly described David. "Cunning in playing" indicates David was not satisfied with being mediocre about even the small things in life. "A mighty valiant man" reveals the fact that he was known for his bravery. "A man of war" is a person who has been trained well and knows what needs to be done and how to do it. "Perfect in speech" is a testimony to the fact that he was articulate, could speak well, and could say what needed to be said. "A comely person" is one who knows who he is and yet does not take pride in that over which he has no control. Above all of these personal attributes is the fact that it was known to others that "the Lord was with him." These are the finest descriptions of a person for which one could hope.
Saul wanted him to come to be with him, and he was willing to go, but not without gifts. "A man's gift maketh room for him." He had experienced God in his life personally and secretly. Now, he was called upon to go public with all he knew of God and did it in a way that could hardly be refused. He testified in "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." Heavenly music rises well above all the noise and clamor of earth and the storms of life. When we find ourselves in times of tumult and tension, we should "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." To know how to pass on truth effectively and appropriately takes wisdom and discernment on our part. Thinking about the best approach to difficult people and circumstances before we say anything or act hastily is always wise.
What do we need when we are uncertain about our lives now and in the future? What do we need when strife is all around us in the world, nations, churches, and families? What do we need when our burdens are hard to bear and our problems seem unsolvable? What do we need when, in our grief, no one is there to talk to or with whom we can express our deepest thoughts? We need the Man whom God provides.
When things seem to have gone completely out of control and nothing around brings peace to our soul, when we're personally "finished," and yet there's more work to be done, when we call, but no one is willing to come, we need the Man whom God provides. When people seek to change truth into convenient lies, nothing works despite everything they try, and lawlessness seems to be winning over grace daily. Fearfulness invades people everywhere; we need the Man whom God provides.
When our prayers rise heavenward to the grace throne on high, we find that we can rely only on God's promises. When the harvest is ripe, more laborers are needed to gather the precious fruit, and the present seems to stretch out forever and ever; we need the Man whom God provides. How thankful we are for the Mediator between God and men, “The man Christ Jesus.”
"YOUR SERVANT WILL GO." 1st Samuel 17 Whether the events in this book are chronologically in order or not seems to be uncertain. The different events that were written down were guided by the Holy Spirit “for our learning.” Very few specific narratives are given in the scriptures regarding all that was done in the history of the Jews. Still, the ones that have been written are “for our admonition (instruction) upon whom the end of the world (ages) have come,” Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 10. God wants us to know about the Lord Jesus, and He does this through Old Testament events recorded in His word.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, as He talked with two people on the road to Emmaus, began at the writings of Moses and the prophets and expounded to them the things concerning Himself in the scriptures. We can apply many things to ourselves as we read and meditate on the life of David, a man after God’s own heart. He failed in many ways as a man who lived in his body of human flesh. The flesh is always an enemy of a child of God. However, a sanctified soul and spirit can rise above the evil constraints of the flesh and serve God from the heart. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.
Many of the psalms David wrote begin with the struggles, sadness, and sins of the flesh, but by the time the psalm ends, the soul is awakened, and the spirit is uplifted to the place where fellowship with God accompanies the words of his thankful heart. It is important to consider that David’s awareness of God with him began early in his life of faith. Tending and protecting his father’s sheep opened his heart to what life is all about. He was faithful in small, seemingly unimportant, and helpless things before the Spirit of God called him to bring God’s people into their greatest position and condition in their entire existence.
Some enemies we will face are out-and-out opposed to God and His people. We may be afraid of them if we only see them through the eyes of a natural man. It is important for us to look at people and see them through the perspective of our new nature, and then we can see obstacles as the Lord sees them. Goliath's strengths were obvious. He was a huge man, a "giant," covered in armor, and he was arrogant. He was an example of the flesh in its greatest form.
He was nine feet tall, wore armor that weighed 150 pounds, and his spear's head weighed twenty pounds. There were big men in those days; Og, king of Bashan, had a bed thirteen feet long, and Goliath had four other brothers who were big like himself. Saul, king of Israel, would have been the one Israelite closest to his size, and his armor would have been similar in kind, but not size, to that of Goliath.
The challenge of the flesh cannot be ignored. Any way you look at it, it is a reminder that it is one of our mortal and moral enemies. We cannot fight flesh with flesh. The flesh is flesh, no matter what size it is. Faith in God and His power is the only way to deal with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Honor demands that such enemies be faced even though we are no match for them. We are told to “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” We are told to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you; draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” However, the only way to deal with the flesh is to “crucify the flesh and the lusts thereof.” The flesh has to die.
How thankful we are that even when we see giants, there is no difference between large and small with God, nor is there any difference with him, whether there are many or few. It is a wise person who does not deal with the enemy on its own terms but rather faces it on their own terms with God. “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The insight and practices we learn in the difficult experiences of life will develop wisdom and understanding that enable us to live consistently as those who belong to the Lord. We learn what we cannot and can do as God equips and trains us in His school of Holy Wisdom. When we experience God working through us in the past, we know we can trust Him in the present. That takes care of the criticism and doubts others may have and our tendency to put off doing what needs to be done now. By doing what God wants now in His way, the opinions of others really don’t matter.
To get the right perspective of the scene, the Philistines were on one hill and the Israelites on the other opposite, with a ravine in between. The Philistines couldn’t use their chariots in battle in that location because they were only useful on an open field or plain. It was acceptable in those days for a surrogate to take the place of the opposing armies, and the one who defeated the other would represent the defeat of his army. The Philistines would not take a chance of being defeated again, so they resorted to the “stand-in” method of one-on-one combat.
David’s invisible armor was the same as what is at our disposal to "withstand the wiles of the devil" and spiritual wickedness, all associated with the "powers of darkness." We can be assured of God bringing victory when our confidence is in Him. One out of five smooth stones, likely two to five pounds each, in the hand of an anointed servant of God and guided by the hand of God to accomplish His purpose was what was needed. God chooses those things that are helpless in themselves and insignificant to others to confound and defeat the mighty. Dependence on God to guide and give the strength of faith is what brings the desired result.
We have access to the belt of truth to keep us from getting entangled with the world. The breastplate of righteousness testifies to those who know what is important to us. With our feet ready to take us to places where we can declare the Gospel of peace and the shield of faith to keep the devil's attacks from reaching us, we are ready offensively and defensively to maintain our stand for the Lord. The helmet of salvation keeps our minds focused on those things that are meaningful and useful for our testimony to the Lord. The sword of the Spirit is the weapon we have to take the battle for truth to the enemy and keep us aware of our need for God at all times. The communication needed in any warfare is available to us through prayer. In this way, we are conscious of the leading and guiding of God in every situation in which we find ourselves.
Our own personal strength conceals our weakness, but God is not mocked. God can make strength weak and weakness into strength. Goliath wanted the Israelites to give him a man. Saul also wanted a man. But God had already found a "man after His own heart." He could and still can use a man who knows his limitations but has confidence in God. The conflict that was in the valley of Elah is a type of conflict of sin and righteousness that took place at the cross where our Lord Jesus Christ waged the battle against sin, Satan, and death and was victorious.
The property on which the Philistines were camped belonged to Judah but had been taken over by the enemy's powers. No matter what or where the flesh is seen, it has to be defeated, or we will never be able to possess what God has provided for us. Israel was in the place of strength (oaks) but had no strength because they were being led by the guidance of the flesh and had not learned experimentally that in the valley is spiritually the place of power and salvation. There may be enemies around us that seek to claim our position, but "In vain do earth and hell oppose, for God is stronger than His foes."
The flesh centers all its activities and attention on the energy of evil. Goliath is a picture of Satan who seeks to get God's people to act in the weakness of the flesh. At the cross of Calvary, the enemy seemed to be the winner to the onlookers until our Lord defeated sin by bearing it in His own holy body on the tree. The Righteous One defeated Satan, not avoiding the "flames of hell" that got hold of Him and "suffering, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." He also defeated death, which had no claim on His sinless Person, by using His "keys," laying down His life by His own will and taking it again.
Against all the outward show of strength is the trusting man of grace who had "the Lord with him." That was all he wanted and needed. There was no outward show of strength or self-defense. All those who looked at the scene in the valley of Elah could see was a man who trusted in God and came prepared with what seemed useless to them. God's man came from a place unknown to the busy world. Forty days was a long time for the army of the Lord to be waiting. Even though we may be in the right place, when we trust in man and seek to act in the energy of the flesh, we will be powerless and fearful of going forward.
The effect of one person who has faith in God and who has been prepared by God through the times of training is far-reaching. Thousands of people were affected by the actions of David, a young man who trusted in the Lord. Some died, and others were saved by his actions of faith in that one event. We should never underestimate the result of God working through a chosen servant regardless of age. God is not limited by inexperience or old age. We are expected to use what we know and have received from God to fulfill His purposes and go forward in faith that does not hesitate nor waver.
For four hundred dark years, the time between the Old and New Testaments, there had been no word from the Lord. Even from the time of Adam, the fear of death held men powerless to deal with their own sins. "But in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son." David's father called him to go and see how his brothers were doing, and he was eager to do his father's will. Our Lord came to this sinful world sent by His Father to be the Savior - and He came, delighted to do the Father's will. David left the sheep with an under-shepherd so that none would be lost and went to the place where he could fulfill God's purpose.
In those days, armies lived off the land they conquered or depended on supplies other people brought them. That is why, from time to time, David brought provisions to feed his brothers in Saul's army. During the stalemate, a bushel of grain and ten loaves would feed them for a while. When David came to the camp of Israel, there had been a stalemate for forty days, and he offered to fight Goliath there. There would have been no victory if David had met the giant in Saul's armor. David knew the armor of the flesh would only hinder him. His weapons were a sling and a stone, and his trust was in God alone. Others saw an opponent, a giant too big and powerful to defeat. David saw Goliath as a target that was too big to miss. "Making flesh its arm" is a failure just waiting to happen. The only way out of Israel's dilemma was if there was divine intervention, which would not come under the weakness of the flesh.
Our Lord Jesus "came unto His own, and His own received Him not." Eliab said some hard things to David, probably revealing jealousy to cover his own inability or unwillingness to step out in faith and face the giant. The leaders of Israel had a lot of bad things to say to the Lord and about the Lord when He was here. But none of that turned Him aside from His purpose to "finish the work" His Father gave Him.
Saul and David met again, although Saul apparently didn't recognize him as the one who played the harp to calm his frazzled nerves and troubled mind. One was head and shoulders above the other but full of doubts and fears. The other was a shepherd who knew his God and had experienced victory over the lion and bear by the power of God. His confidence was in God, and he knew Goliath would be like them in defeat. Saul's plaintive words, "The Lord be with thee," seem to have come from a man who knew he had failed God. All he had was his own armor, a smaller copy of the one the giant had, and the energy of sinful flesh. Goliath had his own armor and was also coming in the devil's strength. The devil can manipulate the flesh until it is under his control. Both the flesh and the devil seem capable of winning victories.
However, David retains his identity as a shepherd with a staff to symbolize his authority from God, similar to that of Moses. He had five smooth stones, one each for the giant and his four brothers. They remind us that God has "chosen the weak things to confound the mighty." The bag that carried the stones is a testimony to his faith, and the sling reminds us of our dependence on God to guide and direct us to the right place by the strength of faith. There was never a question as to whether David would miss the mark. His confidence was that the Lord he trusted would take that one stone to the place the devil could not cover - the place of the mind.
Though "disdained," "cursed," and "defied," David met the enemy and defeated him. Our Lord Jesus was "despised and rejected of men," but He met Satan and conquered his power as well as the power of death. Our Lord's cross-work was a great victory over all our enemies—"the world, the flesh, and the devil." David "prevailed," and so did our Lord Jesus Christ prevail over all His foes at the cross.
David didn't claim the victory for himself. He took the head of Goliath and brought it to Jerusalem where the foundation of peace was - where God put His name, and where the Anointed One will be seated on the throne of David and will reign in glory as the Prince of Peace when there will be "peace on earth, goodwill to men." The enemy's challenge was met, and he was defeated in David's day in the valley of Elah. At the cross, all the enemies of the Lord were "trodden down," and God's honor up-help. The nation knew that Israel had the One True God with them, and the world would know that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Finally, the people of Israel would know that God was the Savior. Today, all who come to God are "accepted in the Beloved." The newly anointed king of Israel was ready to be revealed at the time of God's choosing. The King of kings is also ready to be revealed to this dark world at the time of God's choosing. Then, He will establish righteousness and deal with evil. Then He will be upon the "throne of David" and reign in glory. Then, there will be a millennium of peace.
The animosity against the Lord seems to be getting worse. The opposition is strong, and the laborers in the field are getting weary. We must turn unto the Lord to find out what is wrong because we must not yield a step to the enemy of human souls. Again and again, we try hard to reach out to those under the dominion of Satan and the flesh, and yet we fail to see effective and lasting results. It seems like these are times when the enemies of God prevail, and our time of bringing in the harvest is past.
Then I read of this scene in the valley of Elah: Fear seemed to reign, and the strongest and most experienced men did halt. But a young man with faith in God knows God is the same now as when David was chosen and called. Whether in the East or West, wherever our lot is cast, I am reminded that the battle is the Lord’s. Even when I feel so inadequate, like my productive days are past, again, I am challenged by the Word of God to step forward in faith and do what I can do and help others to do the same. In the work that lies ahead of us in days to come, we are going forth again to strengthen the hands of those laboring for the Lord. May my mind be filled with truth that each one may gain a further understanding of the value of the truths we uphold when we speak for God in Jesus’ name.