Once again, I’m playing a bit of catch up, reading 1 Samuel 11-20 tonight. Interesting stuff, how God rejects Saul and chooses David to be king of the Israelites.
A couple of passages I find interesting…
1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NIV)
6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
In this passage, we find Samuel believing he’s found Israel’s new king amongst the sons of Jesse. Judging by outward appearances, Eliab seems to fit the bill… but God makes clear this is not His plan.
Isn’t it interesting how some things seem to be so clearly of God sometimes? We look at individuals, and think, “Now THAT’s what a Christian should be.” Or we look at circumstances in our lives that seem to lead us in a certain direction, and think, “this MUST be of God.”
Yet God works in ways that are often totally contrary to how we think He should. Often, it’s the ones we overlook that God wants to use, or in the difficult tasks where nothing seems to be laid out.
Definitely emphasizes the importance of discernment, doesn’t it?
1 Samuel 17:32-37 (NIV)
32David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”33Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”
I know you’re familiar with the account of David and Goliath. I can’t help but be amazed when I read it though… David comes before Saul and tells him with complete confidence that God will provide victory. What faith!
I wonder, when is the last time you heard from God in such a manner that you were completely certain He would do something amazing… maybe even through you? Have you ever experienced this?
I know that God doesn’t present a giant for all of His servants to slay, but I am fairly confident that He expects us to step out in faith and trust Him in big things from time to time. If you can’t recall ever doing that, I wonder, is it because God has never placed the expectation before you, or is it simply that you’ve shunned the opportunity?
Worth thinking about.
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