[0:00] Psalm 119 and verse 33. Psalm 119 and verse 33.
[0:15] Teach me, O Lord, the perfect way of thy precepts divine, and to observe it to the end I shall my heart incline. Give understanding unto me, so keep thy law shall I, yea, even with my whole heart I shall observe it carefully.
[0:35] In thy lost path make me to go, for I delight therein. My heart unto thy testimonies, and not to greed incline. Turn thou away my sight and eyes from viewing vanity, and in thy good and holy way be pleased to quicken me.
[0:54] Confident to me thy gracious word, which I did gladly hear, even to thy servant, Lord, who is devoted to thy fear. Turn thou away my feared reproach, for good thy judgments be.
[1:10] Lo, for thy precepts I have longed, in thy truth quicken me. Let us sing these verses, this section of Psalm 119.
[1:20] Teach me, O Lord, the perfect way of thy precepts divine. Teach me, O Lord, the perfect way of thy precepts divine.
[1:43] And to observe it to the end, I shall my heart incline.
[1:57] give under thus JOHN 119. 부탁 If thy lost path make me to go, for a day I dare hear, my heart unto thy chance, what it shall not to be in my.
[2:55] Dark thou away, my sight of night, from you, my deity.
[3:09] But in thy good, God, holy way, be pleased to quicken me.
[3:25] God turned to me thy gracious word, which I did my dear.
[3:39] If to thy seven brought to this, be more than to thy care.
[3:54] Turned thou away, my dear free prox, for good thy judgments be.
[4:10] O Lord, thy blessings are now locked in thy twilight.
[4:25] Amen. Let us join together in prayer. Let us pray. Gracious God, as we continue in your presence and call upon your name in prayer, we look for your assistance.
[4:42] We call upon you to supply us with grace to help in time of need. And who is in need but the person who comes into the presence of a holy God with empty hands, seeking that you would fill these hands.
[5:07] Our petitions may be wasted in the sense that we might not be desiring or seeking that which is in accordance with your revealed will for us.
[5:22] Nor even in accordance with the deepest need that we have that is hidden from sight. Because sometimes we think that we know what it is that we need.
[5:38] And that if we come to you of God and make our needs known, that you will supply these needs. Because we believe them to be of the utmost urgency.
[5:51] And yet the truth is that in the scheme of things, in the vast array of activities in which we are engaged, along with others as well as individually, we may have a pressing, urgent need that is unbeknown to ourselves in light of the eternity upon which our face is set.
[6:18] And so it is in this world. As we look about us, even as we reflect upon our own experiences, the way in which our walk was set, we had our eyes firmly fixed upon our destination.
[6:36] And we had a picture in our mind of what our future contained. And we were working our way methodically towards it in many respects.
[6:50] And yet we saw how quickly the plans would be turned upside down and how quickly what was urgent before came to be less so.
[7:06] And things that were not even part of our thinking that took on a deep hue of urgent need in the sight of even our eyes that were so blinded to them.
[7:28] Lord, help us to be reconciled to these things that our life has introduced into our experience that we believe that you have providentially and sovereignly brought into our experience.
[7:48] The things that we would not have chosen for ourselves. The events that we would have avoided if we could at all, if possible, have done so.
[7:59] We pray for grace to remind ourselves that you are a God who doeth all things well. And that you are a God whose eye is upon the children of men.
[8:13] And to the nth degree there is nothing going on in any one of our lives that will be known to you. There is nothing hidden from your sight.
[8:24] There is nothing hidden even from the eye of a God who takes in not just time but eternity. And we marvel at that and we wonder at it and we perhaps deny that that could ever be possibly true.
[8:42] Yet, Lord, we pray for that submissive spirit that would be understanding of what your word teaches. that you are indeed a God who is from everlasting to everlasting God.
[8:55] A God who surveys this world and all in it in one scan. And who sees time in the midst of eternity, in the midst of eternal realities.
[9:10] Even before the world was, you were able to contemplate the affairs of man from that height that only God could occupy. Help us then to bring our concerns to you and to pour out our heart and to be fearless in what we would speak from you and to ask of you great things in the name of Christ.
[9:33] And the greatest thing that we could ask for is for the good of our soul to be met by the Christ who is the Christ of the Gospel.
[9:44] That we would be reconciled to your provision for us of him as the one who is the alone saviour of sinners. Do not allow us to embrace any device of our own making that will at the last prove to be detrimental or even to fail us.
[10:03] We pray for those in need today. We remember those who even in the last week have been confronted by events that they had no thought of.
[10:16] We think of the despicable act of life-taking that took place in recent days where a member of parliament was killed by someone who showed no respect for body, for soul.
[10:39] And these things are not rare. They are not events that are anything other than commonplace. And we cannot but think of those who are affected by it.
[10:51] These things are newsworthy in one sense and many other events that are never brought to the focus of attention. What it means for some to be taken from the scene of time by the hands of those who had no thought of what it meant for those who are taken and those who are left behind to mourn their passing.
[11:20] We see that so often and we pray for mercy for those involved in it and we pray for grace and for your own help to all who are in need of it.
[11:34] We pray for our own community here and we remember those who have been visited by death again in these last few days and we pray that you would intrude into their darkness with your light and that you would minister to them that in order that they would look beyond the present realities of what grief brings but look to the one who has entered into this world to bring the gospel of free grace to bear upon the lives of those who are in it and who are without hope in the world except it be from your own hand.
[12:23] So remember us as we mourn as a people we remember those who we mourn with we pray for those in our islands and beyond we hear so often of death making its mark and from our midst you take those who are believing people those who are witnesses and have been witnesses to the truth of God in their lives and in the communities in which they live and when their light goes out in the world we give thanks that our hope for them is a hope that will not be extinguished even though their life has been removed we give thanks for the hope that the gospel holds out to us when we see you're denuding your own vineyard of those who were fruit bearers and we crave your blessing in raising up others who would follow in their footsteps so sanctify such visitations to us we pray continue to bless your word we would look to it to be blessed in our own midst blessing our homes our families our neighborhoods our community blessing your island and all who seek to witness to Christ amongst us bless the pulpits of our communities those who preach the gospel of Christ may their neighbors be fruitful may they see Christ lifted up triumphantly that he may see the fruit of the travel of his soul and be satisfied
[14:03] Lord we pray for such days of quickening days of awakening days of realisation that the darkness that that is so in evidence there is a darkness that can easily be dispelled by your grace may it be so and may those who have gone on for so long into the gospel and yet who have steadfastly resolutely even denied Christ and refused to follow him as he would have them do may you be merciful to them and draw them to yourself that they may surrender to your will for them that they may truly be those who would declare their interest in Christ as saviour we pray Lord that you would bless our nation bless those who govern us remember the nations of the earth and the governments of the earth we know that you are able to raise up kings and to bring kings down you are able to bring nations to greatness just as surely as you are able to bring them to the rubble and the dust of the earth and all we have to do is scan the history of this world and we see names that are still remembered but the kingdoms over which they reigned are no more they may be remembered but their deeds will be a day of reckoning for them if they live their life to the exclusion of the God of heaven we pray
[15:43] Lord that you would bless your word to us as we read it and as we reflect upon and pardoning every sin in Jesus name amen we're going to hear God's word as we have it in the Old Testament scriptures in the first book of Samuel and we're reading from chapter 16 1st Samuel chapter 16 reading from the beginning and we're going to read down to verse verse 13 1st Samuel chapter 16 verses 1 to 13 and the Lord said unto Samuel how long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel fill thine horn with oil and go
[16:49] I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehem knight for I have provided me a king among his sons and Samuel said how can I go if Saul hear it he will kill me and the Lord said take an heathel with thee and say I am come to sacrifice to the Lord and call Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show thee what thou shalt do and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee and Samuel did that which the Lord spake and came to Bethlehem and the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said comest thou peaceably and he said peaceably I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice and he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice and it came to pass when they were come that he looked on
[17:54] Eliab and said surely the Lord's anointed is before him but the Lord said unto Samuel look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him for the Lord seeth not as man seeth for a man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel and he said neither hath the Lord chosen this and Jesse made Shammah to pass by and he said neither hath the Lord chosen this again Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel and Samuel said unto Jesse the Lord hath not chosen these and Samuel said unto Jesse are here all thy children and he said there remaineth yet the youngest and behold he keepeth the sheep and Samuel said unto
[18:55] Jesse send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither and he sent and brought him in now he was ready and with all of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to and the Lord said arise anoint him for this is he then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward so Samuel rose up and went to Ramah amen and may the Lord add his blessing to this reading of his word and to his name be the praise well before we sing our next psalm just a word to the younger ones here today we read in this passage today that
[19:56] God sees in a way that men do not see the Lord we read looks on the heart and we every one of us understands how important our eyes are some people have good eyesight and some people their eyes have something wrong with them perhaps they're short sighted or long sighted and they need the help of glasses and those of us who have difficulty seeing to read or whatever we appreciate the help that we get and we're amazed at how intricate the working of the eye is I remember reading about sheep's eyes sheep's eyes are quite different to our eyes they've got a triangular pupil and it allows them to see peripherally they can see out of the side of their eyes for something like 270 degrees they can see just to their side but they can only see about 20 feet away from them they're very short sighted although they can see all around them very nearly they can't see very far those of you who have seen an owl will know that an owl has got very big eyes and yet the owl can't see very far around it at all it can only see something like 110 degrees which is about half the ability that a sheep has can only see a bit to its side but if you watch an owl an owl can swivel its head 360 degrees it doesn't have to move its body its head goes right round because its eyes are so poor but at the same time an owl can see a mile away and if we were to do a study about eyesight men women's eyesight kind of diseases that affect us short sighted long sighted and all other kinds of diseases
[22:28] I remember when I was in school maybe I mentioned this I've certainly mentioned it because I was so surprised by it when I did a study when I was in school I did a study for statistics measuring colour blindness in a hundred pupils out of the thousand that were in the Nicholson and there was a statistic that tells you how much of the population are colour blind and it actually conformed to that number for the nation in the population of the Nicholson at the time but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw somebody who was totally colour blind I used a borrowed book from the optician which had a circle with coloured dots in it and they couldn't make out numbers I could see the number clearly just as if I had written it myself but they couldn't make it out at all all they saw was a blank so there are many things that go wrong with our eyes sometimes we can't see what we should sometimes we can't see the way we would want to see but what the Bible tells us is that
[23:46] God is not affected like that his eyesight is perfect not only is his eyesight perfect he sees everything he sees all there is to see far more than we could possibly imagine and we are told again and again in the Bible that God sees not just what we see if we are able to see but he sees the heart he sees beyond what we see and that's what's all important for us to remember when we're thinking of the ability that God has to see things not only can he see close up he can see far away so that he takes in everything that's happening in the world at this moment at the same time he can also see what's going on in my heart in my mind he can see deeper to my being people don't believe that people don't want to believe that the
[24:53] Bible tells us that that is what is true and we do well to remember it because what he sees as well as having good eyesight God has a good memory nothing that he sees will ever be forgotten by him and we hope that we'll remember that well we're going to sing now before we think of this verse from the passage that we've read from Psalm 40 we're going to sing from Psalm 40 at verse 6 and we're going to sing to verse 10 no sacrifice nor offering to them at all desire mine ears thou bored sin offering them and birth it's not required and to the Lord these were my words I come behold and see within the volume of the book it written is of me to do thy will I take delight for thou my God that art be that most holy law of thine
[25:56] I have within my heart within the congregation great I righteousness did preach lo thou dost know Lord that I refrain not my speech I never did within my heart conceal thy righteousness by thy salvation have declared and shown my faithfulness thy kindness which most loving is concealed have not I nor from the congregation great have hid thy verity so on these verses psalm 40 no sacrifice nor offering that's though at all desire no sacrifice nor offering love thath트� child
[27:01] The earth is not required. Then to the Lord be there my heart.
[27:15] Thy power behold and see. Within the bottom of the blue.
[27:32] With grace and grace of me. To do thy well, thy day delight.
[27:49] For thou my God adored. Yet thou soly love thine.
[28:05] I have within my heart. Within the congregation.
[28:22] I write a celestial page. Though thou dost know.
[28:36] O Lord. That I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I.
[28:49] I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I.
[29:00] I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I.
[29:11] I. I. I. But show thy hero's hand Thy kindness which holds loving it Consider thou not I Nor all the congregation Have it like many We're going to turn now for a short time to the chapter that we read and the portion that we read together We'll read again at verse 7 1 Samuel chapter 16 at verse 7
[30:18] But the Lord said unto Samuel Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused it For the Lord seeth not as man seeth For man looketh on the outward appearance But the Lord looketh on the heart Man looketh on the outward appearance But the Lord looketh on the outward If we are familiar with our Bibles and I'm sure many of you are you will know and remember the important place that David has He is spoken of as the sweet psalmist of Israel
[31:19] Because many of the compositions that we find within the book of Psalms were written by David Perhaps if not the best loved at least the best known psalm Psalm 23 was written by David But he is also remembered because of the place that he has within the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ The Bible tells us that Jesus was going to be a descendant of King David In the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 11 We are told There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots And in the last book of the Bible the book of the Revelation
[32:19] John writes there I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star There are many such passages within the Bible that speak of David and place him very firmly within the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ And yet despite the place that he has the fame that marks him out his beginning was relatively innocuous and he came from virtually nowhere to appear within the scheme of God's plans and his life as he lived it is a very checkered life
[33:23] There are many good things that can be said about David but there are many things that are less so and yet the Bible tells us even knowing what we know about him through the Bible that he was a man after God's own heart I want us today to focus not on the passion of David really but on the way that the Bible speaks to us about God in the history of David if you like in the pre-history of David and in the development of it even before David had any active part in it I'm going to look at this verse here that speaks about the knowledge of God which is so unlike the knowledge that we have the knowledge of anything and everything and anyone and everybody really draws a lot to what we can see about them externally what we see them do what we hear them say what they've been up to in their lives from beginning to the present sometimes our opinion of somebody will depend even on things that are true of not what so much they are but where they came from who they belong to and so on but there are three things
[35:05] I want us to think of today first of all we are given this this picture of where David comes to the fore and the picture that we are given first of all is of a rejected king a rejected king and then we are given this picture which is equally true and equally genuine of a mourning prophet so we have first of all a rejected king a mourning prophet and then we are brought face to face with a chosen vessel a chosen vessel so these are the three three headings if you like around which we are going to frame our thoughts today we are reminded in the first verse of this chapter of something that is
[36:20] I hope you realise very solemn the lord said unto Samuel how long will you mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel Samuel is reprimanded by God for his grief and his grief has to do with King Saul being rejected and that word rejected is something that you really need to bear in mind we are going to touch on it again and again but over these few chapters the word rejection appears at least six times God speaks of of Saul being rejected by him but he also speaks of
[37:23] God being rejected by Saul and the people of Israel and we're certain of this fact sometimes you know we're not we're maybe left to think out or to look at what's happening and to try and establish for ourselves what's going on here interpreting the events that are before us so that we can conclude by reading how things are working out that that this is what it's speaking about this but this rejection of King Saul is quite specific God leaves us in no doubt through his dealings with Samuel that this is what has happened I have rejected him from reigning over Israel and it is important for us to remember that at the point this is said that it might not have been obvious to anybody who were surveying the events of the nation that this was how things were it may be that you could argue that Saul himself was not aware of the fact that God had rejected him because the knowledge of that rejection would be something that that he would not be happy with or willing to accede to but at any rate
[39:05] Saul is spoken of by God as someone that God has rejected it and when God does something like that it is a mercy if he discloses that fact to us if he makes that something that we become aware of because then at least we have the opportunity to do something about it when we think about Israel at this point go back to the book of Judges and the book of Judges tells us that Israel as a nation were a nation who had departed from God they were idolatrous in their practice and they were spiritually bankrupt the word that most describes them is that we are told that they pretty much did what they wanted we read in those days there was no king in Israel but every man did what was right in his own eyes this is a pretty scathing description
[40:28] I mean the fact that there was no king in Israel might have been important to them and it certainly was by the way that they behaved they thought this was what was that was this was what was important that they didn't have a king and this was the very thing they wanted above all else but more importantly they did what was right in their own eyes not in the eyes of God but in their own eyes and they cried out for a king and God gave them what they wanted and this is the picture that we are given here a picture into which God speaks his word that he had rejected this king over Israel and if you go back into the background of it where the people had sought a king had desired a king and here we have this pronouncement of God upon the king that they had desired you must ask the question or questions must occur to you how could it possibly have been that this was the outcome of what they had desired and yet what we discover is that
[41:50] God gave them what they wanted that had itself as something that people struggle with why would God give them what they wanted if what they wanted was not what he wanted why would he allow them to get what they wanted and God can sometimes do that remember we go back to the book of Judges and we go back to the behaviour of the people and we go back to the way they were with God and God can deal with the people out of a sense of indignation anger or just lead them to their own devices just give them what they want and see where it takes them and people expect God to be generous and merciful and kind at all times and that regardless of the behaviour of men and women but what we find is that that is not how things are it's amazing when you read the
[43:07] Bible how often we come across this that God gives a person or even a nation what they want even when what they want is not what's good for them we always think that if we want something that that's what's important and if we want it and really want it then it's surely incumbent upon God to give us what we want or taking it a step further if we really want it and God gives it to us or we get it then we conclude that God must have given it to us then it must be right that we sort it but how often do we discover as in this case that though the people wanted a king God made plain to them that he was their king and that they should be satisfied with him as their king but they chose to ignore that and persist in seeking a king of their own he gave them what they wanted and what they wanted turned out to be less than they needed and certainly more than they expected it and Samuel is disturbed by what he sees when he hears God speak he says well he's obviously upset but God says to
[44:52] Samuel because like the servant of God he thinks well I'm at fault or it's my fault that things are not the way I would want them to be and God says to Samuel in chapter 8 they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should reign over them Samuel takes it to heart but God sees it differently and he says to Samuel it's not you that they have rejected but me and God as we said at the very earlier when he spoke to the children he sees things differently so the very beginning of Saul's reign speaks of rejection the very beginning of it speaks of rejection God says hear their voice and make them a king they have rejected me but give them what they want and then from chapter 15 and verse 26 we read there again
[46:01] Samuel said unto Saul I will not return with thee for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel it's amazing how important that word is a reign that begins with rejection the people rejecting God for this king that they wanted for themselves and God curtailing the reign of this king by rejecting the king now are we good at interpreting events or not are we good at working things out for ourselves and say well surely this is the way things ought to be because God has given me what I wanted and God has answered my prayers at times I think in the life of Jonah when he was fleeing from the will of
[47:05] God if you remember the story there how he ran away from God and lo and behold there was a boat waiting for him there that he could take and make his way away from where God wanted him to be you could say well God made this provision for him God made things ready for him and you hear people I've heard people say for themselves when things work out for them even when the things that are working out are clearly not the things that they ought to be doing that it must be a sign of God's favour a sign of God's blessing God gave them a king but it was given to them after the or because of the rejection of God and that can never be good that can never be something that will work out in our favour and when you remember if you read closely and
[48:15] I would advise you to read this story it's not a difficult story to read and a difficult account to read but we also read here not only did they reject God rejected his word which means that they knew what his word was they knew what God was saying and they chose to ignore it it wasn't as if God was looking looking down from on high and so distant and so far they moved from them that they didn't know who he was or what he was or what he was saying no he had spoken into their lives they knew who he was they knew what he was about they knew what he wanted them to do but they chose to do otherwise and for a time it would appear they had their own way they had a king they had a king that they chose themselves and they were happy with and the people would probably be so so thankful that they had got their way but what begins with rejection ends with rejection but the rejection is of greater and more dire consequences so that's the first thing that we can look at here that we can remember here which is important because this is the background to the elevation of
[49:46] David to the throne of Israel God's provision of King David comes in the aftermath of a people who rejected him and a king that he rejected and we know how much that cost we know how much that affected those who were God fearing as Samuel is God fearing because we read at the very beginning of the chapter again God saying to Samuel how long are you going to mourn for Saul Samuel is mourning for Saul he is mourning for Saul because God has rejected him which seems unusual seems probably something that sounds a bit confusing this is a servant of
[50:46] God this is somebody who loves God who follows God who does what God says and yet he is mourning for Saul and it's not easy for us to understand how that can be well I think if we really think about it we'll understand the account vector because it reminds us of the genuineness of what God is telling us here he's hiding nothing from us what he is describing to us through his word is the human reaction to God's providence and Samuel is deeply disturbed by the events that unfold even though he understands that this is what God is doing because if you look at it we have to understand that
[51:48] Samuel invested a lot of himself into Saul you know at the very beginning he wasn't enthusiastic about doing this thing but God said well this is what the people want let them have what they want and Samuel did what God told him to do and what he did probably resulted in having a very strong relationship with Saul a relationship that could not have worked if it was called unofficial you know in our parliamentary system we have we've got politicians who are elected to office and they function within that office in a particular role but under guarding their role there are those who support them in that role they are people who are bureaucrats and their office is separate from them but supportive of they are apolitical they are not meant to be supportive of any political party there may be policies that they are required to implement which are the policies of the party that are in power but their role is not to judge whether these policies are good or not now you could say about
[53:14] Samuel this is the kind of relationship you have with Saul God has told you to deal with him in this way God has given you this role but I don't think that's how Samuel functions the prophet is directed by God to seek out Saul the son of Kish and God spoke into his ear we are told now whether you like it or not this this direct relationship with God that he has this intimate relationship that he has that results in Samuel anointing Saul is a relationship that cannot but be a spiritual relationship however we understand it it has got a spiritual dimension it affects Samuel in a very deep way we are told when he anoints him that he kisses him it's not the kiss of a
[54:17] Judas but the kiss of somebody who is anointing the Lord's anointed anointing the one that God has allowed to sit as king over his people so when he is involved at this level in the life of Saul he is someone who is intimately related to him who is an advisor who is God's mouthpiece who tells him what God wants and yet at the same time there is this tension between the role that he has the relationship that is his with the king and what God brings to his attention again and again regarding his king in chapter 12 you read there the king whom you have chosen whom you desired but whom the Lord set over you that is there his sovereign overlordship of the decision making process of the people even though it was a wrong decision even though it was actions that
[55:35] God condemned God was in his sovereign overlordship of that saying to them yes you may do that but you do it because you are permitted to do it and Samuel was diligent to his God calling diligent to his God we read of Samuel God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and right way again how can you think of someone whose relationship with Saul is one that requires him to pray for him without in any way being emotionally involved with him or spiritually involved with him what kind of relationship would that be God gave him this role God brought him into contact with Saul the son of Kish the king of Israel the one who was head and shoulders above all the people
[56:36] God introduced this person to him and brought him into his experience so it's no wonder that when his rejection at the hand of God comes about that he is grieved that he is sorrowful that he is mourning and yet at the same time he is content to do whatever God wants him to do concerning this people we read that he speaks to the end of chapter 15 Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel it's a very complex area no doubt very difficult for us to understand some of what is happening within this the dynamic of this relationship
[57:40] God God God God God doesn't want us to be ignorant of the fact that our actions have got consequences if we do what God doesn't want to do even though he may allow us to do that God I doubt if anyone of you if I told you that your God would forbid you to do anything that you are inclined to do in your life from this moment on if God intruded into your life to the degree where everything that you are inclined to do he forbid he prevented you from doing it what kind of life would you have what kind of living would you have which directions would you take and yet God doesn't function like that God doesn't work like that God doesn't initiate a suppressive spirit in the lives of those who are under this way of his power but that doesn't mean that he couldn't it's just that he tells us clearly what he wants us to do and what he doesn't want us to do well
[59:00] Samuel Saul is rejected Samuel is grieved but God is now going to bring to light one upon whom his favour lies and the Lord said unto Samuel look not on the countenance or the height of his stature because I have refused him for the Lord seeth not as man seeth and how difficult is it for us to learn that lesson that God doesn't see in the same way that we see things or that God sees things differently it's certainly true at the very outset of the experience of the experience of this man David you would think that God had blundered mightily because he chose such a man as this to be king now remember
[60:05] God knows everything there's nothing that God doesn't know he knows what went on before David was born he knew what went on the day David died and every breath he took in between he knew he knows just the same as he knows what's going on in your life and my life and if that is the case then why why was he prepared to allow the choice of David as king not allow it but promote it only he can answer that but it is something that we reconcile to because we we see that with the rejection of Saul comes the election of David and if you ask the question do you think that
[61:06] Israel or even Samuel had learned their lesson and the answer is probably no they haven't when Saul was chosen by Israel you remember how things were they chose this man who was going to be a choice young man a goodly young man there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he from his shoulders and up he was higher than any of the people they looked upon the person outwardly they saw his stature and they were content with it they were pleased with what they saw and here they are again and we're at the point at which they're choosing a king or Samuel is sent not the people Samuel is sent where God sends him he's sent to this family a family who have no reputation as far as providing kings are concerned he goes to this home a lowly home in
[62:13] Bethlehem and he's directed to speak to Jesse about his sons and the first one that comes Samuel says this is him this is him he seems to be good anyway he looked on Eliab and said surely the Lord's anointed us before him you'd think he would have learned this lesson you would think that he would have remembered at that moment oh well remember Saul the one that God has rejected the one that rejected God the one that rejected his word I thought he was just a beast and he's and now I'm left with this but we're the same when it comes to it he really looked the part and here he was sent to seek a replacement on his eyes falls upon
[63:13] Eliab and Samuel was sure but surely wrong now the thing is what criteria was he using for this choice what was he what was the what was he using in the decision making process only he could answer that question when we are making such a choice what criteria do we use again only you can answer what's important to us what answer will he give perhaps Samuel had it without realising when he had to rebuke Saul for his sin in chapter 15 he understands a through read there they have brought them when Saul had been given a task to do and he didn't do it and the outcome was
[64:17] God's displeasure coming down upon his head when you were little in your own sight was thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel and the Lord anointed the king over Israel and the Lord sent thee on a journey and said go and utterly destroy the sinners of the Amalekites fight against them till they be consumed wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord but its fly upon the spoil and its even in the sight of the Lord Saul said to Samuel I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone away which the Lord sent me and have brought Achach the king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites but the people took the spoiled sheep and oxen the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed Samuel said have the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in being the voice of the Lord behold to obeys better than sacrifice to hearken than the fat of rants when we come to the point to consider something like this what are we considering and what are the criteria that we are using to consider it surely obedience is important to
[65:38] God is that not what Samuel comes to believe and if we are honest then how we weigh things up how we analyse things how we come to conclusions is often so different to what God would have us use to come to our conclusions opinions the theologian Don Faulkner suggests some things that are true about what God sees and I don't know at what point he was seeing the heart of David he says he saw a broken and a contrite heart he saw a believing heart a submissive heart a devoted heart this is what he believes God saw Aspergen says about
[66:40] David when God looked upon his heart he saw a heart that was a believing heart a humble heart a holy heart a grateful heart a heart that loved the Lord a heart that was bold for God any one of these things you could think about what did God see but the truth of the matter as far as this passage is concerned and it's what we need to remember the Lord sees not as man sees and if we want to know what God is looking for where are we going to find it if we're not going to find it in his word and if we're not going to find it in his word we'll always come to the wrong conclusions we'll always end up in a position where we may experience the rejection of God you know this passage and a number of commentators and the time has gone have made this reference to the way the scripture here reveals to us the truth concerning certain things that are not they don't hold out the people of God in a good light they don't show the way that the unfolding of God's promise providence would if we were in charge of writing it that we would write it in that way and a couple if not more have referred to the portrait that was a painting that was made by a portrait writer a portrait artist a man called
[68:46] Peter Healy or Peter Lily I think L-E-L-Y and he was charged with painting the portrait of Oliver Cromwell and you've heard the quote or misquote from him warts and all but this is the full quotation I desire that you would use all your skill to paint my picture truly like me and not flatter me at all but remark all these roughnesses pimples warts and everything as you see me otherwise I will never pay a farthing for it paint paint the picture as you see it no flattery and when we look at the unfolding of these events the rejection of Israel
[69:47] Israel's king by Israel's God maybe that's not a story that you would want to tell but it tells us the way things were and why they were the way they were the choice of this year's king who was going to be a forbearer of the king of kings surely God would have chosen better but his choice was David and his choice was one who was going to to to demonstrate a heart that was right with God and yet at the same time he was capable of great wrongs what does that say to us well it speaks as all of this passage speaks to us speaks to about Israel's God Samuel's God David's God and we have to remember that in the accounts that the scripture brings to our attention it says more to us about God than it does about anything else and I hope that is something every one of us will remember let us pray oh Lord we try and bring to the forefront of our mind the outworking of your providence in the great men of the scripture the great events of the scripture and sometimes it is a confusion to us because we do not see things as you see them but we give thanks that your vision is a vision that is perfect there is nothing that you cannot see even the completion of all the events that have yet to unfold in our lives as in the lives of all who are with us grant mention for our lack of vision and lack of clarity in what we see grant to us the sight that is the sight of faith forgive us in jesus name amen our concluding psalm is psalm 139 psalm that speaks to us of the omniscience of god the heaven presence of god and the power of god to bring about all his purposes psalm 139 o lord thou hast me searched and known thou knowest my sitting down and rising up yea all my thoughts afar to thee are known my footsteps and my lying down thou compassest always thou also most entirely are acquainted with all my ways for in my tongue before I speak not any word can be but altogether oh lord it is well known to thee behind before thou hast beset and laid on me thine hand such knowledge is too strange for me too high to understand so on these verses o lord thou hast researched and known thou hast me searched and known thou knowest my sitting down and rising up yea o my cross apart thee are to thee are known my footsteps out my lying down thou found
[73:47] past always the long so most entirely are a great with all my ways for in my tongue before I speak not any word can be but altogether Lord are rich the Lord to thee behind me for thou hast be set and laid on me thy hand such joy is to strange for me to hide to understand let me praise and peace in
[75:10] God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit rest and abide with you all never and always amen