1 Samuel 16:1-13

 

BIG IDEA: God uses people that the world overlooks to do incredible things. … God can use anyone to carry out His will. Sometimes He uses those who the world would otherwise never know about. 

 

The events of 1 & 2 Samuel take place in the 11th & 10th centuries BC & approximately 1000 years before the birth of Jesus.

 

Characters

  1. Samuel 
    1. Called as Prophet of God in the time of the Judges.
    2. Dedicated into the service of God by his mother Hannah
  2. Saul 
    1. First King of Israel, from the Tribe of Benjamin
    2. Tall, Good-Looking, from a Wealthy Family.
    3. Reigned from approximately 1050 - 1010 BC.
  3. Jesse 
    1. Grandson of Ruth and Boaz
    2. From the Tribe of Judah
    3. Lived in Bethlehem with his 8 sons

 

Message Outline

  1. God Sees Differently (1-7) … Saul looked like a king, but he ended up being a poor king. God decided to select a new king, this time it would be someone the people might not look at and say, “Yes, here is our king!” on first glance, but one that would be a man after His own heart. So, Samuel was sent to Jesse to secretly anoint one of his sons as the next king. Samuel told Jesse why he was there and Jesse lined up his sons oldest to youngest. Samuel saw the oldest, a tall man who looked sturdy and was surely a warrior. He had the look of a king. But God told Samuel he wasn’t the one. God wasn’t looking for outward appearance in a king, but for what is in the heart. 
  2. God Chooses to Use Unlikely People (8-12) … So Samuel looks at the other sons there and Samuel says none of them were chosen by God. Samuel is confused and asks Jesse if he has any other sons. There was one, the youngest, least important son was out tending sheep, the worst job in the family. David is sent for and when he arrives, Samuel makes note that David looks like a boy, not a kingly warrior. But David was the one who God chose. God chose the brother who looked the least like a king to be the king. God wants to use all of us to achieve His purposes. He doesn’t use just the strongest or the smartest or best-looking. Often He uses the weak, the average, the overlooked. 
  3. God Empowers People to Serve (13) … Whatever God calls you to do, He will empower you to do it. Sometimes He calls us to do things we aren’t comfortable doing or have no experience in. God empowers us to do it. 

 

David’s story also points us to another king that came about 1000 years later, another king that would come and be overlooked, born in a manger, chased off to Egypt as a baby, ridiculed and crucified as an adult. Jesus, the Messiah, the Ruler of all creation was born as a humble child in a manger, raised by a carpenter. 

 

For Further Study/Resources the Pastor Used to Prepare This Message

 

  • Great Lives: David: A Man of Passion and Destiny by Chuck Swindoll
  • Preaching the Word Commentary
  • Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary
  • ESV Expository Commentary
  • New American Commentary