The Story of David

(Sermon series)

 by Rev. Richard Jones

A MATTER OF THE HEART

1 Samuel 15: 7 – 16: 13

BACKGROUND
Exodus 17:8-16 (ESV)
8  Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
9  So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10  So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11  Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12  But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.    13  And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15  And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, 16  saying, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

FAILURE
1 Samuel 15:7-11 (ESV)
7  And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9  But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. 10  The word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11  “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.

EXCUSES
1 Samuel 15:12-21 (ESV)
12  And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13  And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” 14  And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15  Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”  16  Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.” 17  And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18  And the LORD sent you on a mission and said,‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19  Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” 20  And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”

 PRONOUNCEMENT
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV)
22  And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
23  For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”

John 4:23-24 (ESV)
23  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Psalm 51:15-17 (ESV)
15  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

ASSIGNMENT
1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:5(ESV)
34  Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35  And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel 16:1-5 (ESV)
1  The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
2  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 have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3  And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
4  Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
5  And he said, “Peaceably; I have 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.

ANOINTING
1 Samuel 16:6-13 (ESV)
6  When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 7  But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8  Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9  Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10  And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11  Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12  And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV)
12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Psalm 78:70-71 (ESV)
70  He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71  from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.