Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Listen to sermons from Church of the Incarnation in Atlanta, GA.
Last week: Searching for a king to save us.
This week:
God is searching for a king to save us.
Wow! God joins us in the search. But what kind of king would God choose for us?
-East LA band: Las Cafeteras “If was I president” (fun / but definitely activist)
-what are you looking for in a leader?
-Often, we are focused on agenda and capacity to carry out that agenda (makes sense)
However, in this story, God does not go looking for a king based on who has the right agenda. In fact, he chooses people that aren’t trying to be king in the first place. And capacity to lead is important to the story—but God is looking for something else.
What is God looking for in king?
1. The Kind of King God isn’t looking for: Saul
The lectionary skipped over a few chapters! But a quick back fill.
-God told Samuel to anoint this no-name guy named Saul (wasn’t famous—but was really tall and really handsome (looked like a king) and he could hold his own in battle.
-It began with amazing signs:
God’s spirit came on Saul—he bcame like a new person and he prophesized
Israel’s enemies threated God’s people and Saul led valiantly in battle
-But then it turned out that Saul had issue with complete obedience to the Lord
-there was an oppressive group of people call the Amalekites (and they committed atrocities against God’s people when they were on the margins); God gave what would sound like a harsh decree to us: Saul was supposed to wipe them out completely.
Instead Saul spared the king (a political move that help endear him to other neighboring kings).
He supposed to destroy all the cattle. Instead saves it for sacrifice.
1 Samuel 15
Then the Prophet Samuel shows up and rebukes him:
22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obedience to the voice of the Lord?
Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice
and to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is no less a sin than divination,
and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has also rejected you from being king.”
The Kind of King God isn’t choosing for us: Saul.
He’s a “Christian,” he goes to church on Sunday and worships—
But when there is a very specific word for him from the Lord and He chooses to do it his own way.
Rebellion: doing mostly what God asked you to do, but disobeying part of it because you think your way will work better.
{clarify} – this isn’t like Saul disobeyed because he didn’t understand. This isn’t sin because of ignorance of what God really wanted.
Maybe you prayed about some decisions—thought you heard God’s voice—but you actually missed it. (this happens. Discernment is hard. We miss God sometimes. It’s possible to make a decision prayerfully and still be wrong).
In this case there is radical clarity about what God wants. And Saul decides there is an even better way.
If you’re like me, you might find this story kind of scary. God completely rejects Saul because of disobedience—really?
We are a people of Grace. That means we believe God sent Jesus in the world to call sinners to repentance (really messed up people like you and me, who can’t save ourselves, are loved by God, who sent his son to die for us).
We need to read this story and every story through the lens of the cross and resurrection of Christ---Through the story of Jesus, who restores Peter (after Peter screwed up big time) by giving him a task to “feed his sheep.”
Yes. God is a God of second chances. And he sends failed sinners out on mission.
But God’s grace does not mean that God is permissive.
God’s grace does not mean you can love him and choose your own adventure.
The God of the Bible wants obedience.
{Not a popular word in our culture. I know. }
It’s not just an “Old Testament – Legalistic thing.”
The Apostle Paul—the great champion of Grace said in Romans 1:5 that his gospel aim was “to bring about the obedience of faith”
Then in Romans 15:8, he said, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience — by word and deed.”
Does God love you unconditionally?
Is there Grace for you through the cross of Christ?
Yes. And God’s love and grace are meant to lead us into lives of obedience.
{I’m preaching to myself this morning! I need to slow down. And stop and listen for God’s voice. And stay in his Word (the bible) and let his word check me. This message is for me—but I’m sharing it with you in case maybe you need to hear it too.}
This message applies to all of us, but I want to highlight the obligation to parents in training children in godliness and obedience to the Lord:
In Ephesians 6:1-4, Paul writes:
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Kids:
Let’s be honest kids: obeying your parents can be really hard. My parents sometimes wanted me to do things I didn’t want to do, and sometimes wouldn’t let me do things I wanted to do.
But I wonder if we could think of this commandment from God as invitation:
When you are young—learning to obey your parents is great training for learning to obey God for when you are older.
Your parents have life experience and wisdom and insight that you lack. (Kind of like God, they can see things that you can’t see). And they love you and they truly want you to flourish. And they make hard calls that are hard for you to understand.
When you get older—you will have to trust God in circumstances where you honestly just don’t understand.
And you will have to decide if you are going to be like Saul—and always try to tweak God’s will to fit with your own desires or instead, or will you obey God’s voice when you hear it clearly?
Fathers:
“Do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” 6:4.
What does that part about “not provoking” mean?
Eugene Petersen translated it this way:
“Don’t frustrate your children with no-win scenarios. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.”
{emphasizes the relational, patient parenting.}
The Kind of King God wasn’t looking for was Saul.
He disobeyed God.
He wanted to use God for his purposes instead of allowing God to use him for God’s purposes. {witchcraft}
And 1 Samuel 15:35 tells us:
“And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
2. The Kind of King God was looking for: David
16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? {Why is Saul living rent-free in your head?} I have rejected him from being king over Israel.
Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of 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 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name 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?”
Grief is real. And we need to attend to it. And work through it.
But, I wonder if there is some disappointment or some failed relationship in your life and God is saying: “I have something else for you. That thing you keep looking back to and mulling over—I am done with it. It’s time to move on to the thing I have for you.”
- - - - - -
Another words, go down South (away from the center of power in the North) and go to this no-name town and find this person no one has ever heard of—and it’s one of that guy’s sons that I have chosen to be the next king.
{Probably didn’t sound like exciting news for Samuel!}
5 He said, “Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely his anointed is now before the Lord.”
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 does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Us mortals in the room—people like you and me and Samuel—we’re always looking on the outward appearance:
Hyper focused on resume, work experience, how tall are you? How fine-looking are you? What’s your time in the 40-yard dash? What was your GPA and LSAT score? How many people liked your video on Tiktok?
Us mortals are always looking for someone with rizz.
but the Lord looks on the heart.”
God says, “Yeah all those gifts and talents and accomplishments are cool. (And your height and your fine-looking self) But I am looking at something on the inside—something you can’t see—I’m looking at the heart.
“Heart” in the Ancient Near East was not thought to be the seat of emotion—but the intellect. It’s the mind and the will. It’s where secrets are kept and decisions are made.
Every week in the Creed we confess that Jesus “will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
And when he judges me, it won’t be about my 3.95 GPA or how many sales deals I closed.
“The Lord looks on the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. 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 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.”
The one that was so unimportant to the family that we left him out in the field when during the most important visit the village has ever received in its existence. (He’s the baby. I’m the youngest of four and it is still like this in family! Doesn’t matter what I do. They could elect me mayor of Atlanta and my brothers would just be looking down on me as their little, punk brother.)
He’s the least important member of a family that had no importance in a small village that had no influence.
{ Makes me happy to see God picking someone from no-name town. resonates w/me.
-“from NOLA” But not the part tourist would ever go to.
-no more than 2 or 3 college degrees
-sleep gun shots; Oldsmobile Cutless Supreme missing parts; no one famous is yet to emerge}
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12 [Jesse] sent [for his son] and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome.
Imagine the scene:
Samuel has looked at 7 sons—and each time said nope. It seems to everyone that Samuel cannot be satisfied. They have shown in the best they had to offer. And now Samuel is going to keep everyone waiting—on their feet—until the least important one is retrieved from a field on the edge of town.
I wonder how these elders must have felt as they were trying to figure out what God might be doing through this crazy prophet who showed up in town.
{notice the text tells us that “God isn’t looking on outward appearance” but it also tells us that David had really great tan and had nice eyes and was really hot! “God looks heart—but we ain’t saying he wasn’t fine. Okay. He was a good looking man!”
The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.
Growing up in the charismatic/Pentecostal tradition—many people were skeptical about seminary education—because they had seen so many educated people that did not seem to have the anointing of the Spirit. (Outwardly qualified but lacking the power of the necessary for ministry). We didn’t care where you came from or where you went to school, for us the biggest question for a leader was: is this person filled with the Spirit?
Of course, we are Anglican. And we do value education and training and formation. We want our clergy to know something about biblical languages and church history.
But I think sometimes we get caught up educational achievements and titles—and forget that it is the giving of the Spirit that defines godly leadership.
It’s not an “either-or” thing (as many of the early Pentecostal wanted to make it). It’s a “both-and “thing: We want leaders that are both well-trained and also anointed by the Spirit with power for ministry.
The Kind of King God was looking for: was a man with heart of unwavering devotion.
The Bible tells us that David was “a man after God’s own heart.”
This does not mean that David was perfect! He would sin in some of the worst ways imaginable. But he continually turned his heart back to God, praying “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God! And restore a right spirit within me.”
David had an unwavering devotion to YHWH, the God of Israel.
Unlike so many subsequent kings whose “hearts were turned away YHWH” and served other Gods.
Unlike Saul, David would not choose politics over ideology.
-He demonstrated over and over again obedience even when it appeared incredibly inconvenient and impractical.
Ultimately, King David points us forward to the Son of David, Jesus Christ—the Messiah.
Another nobody, from the same unimportant town: Bethlehem
David, the warrior king, drove off the enemies of Israel and established the Kingdom of Israel.
Jesus, the warrior king, drove out evil spirits everywhere he went and established God’s Kingdom on earth.
And like David, he demonstrated radical obedience (shunning all that was practical and convienent) and he was obedient even to the point of death on the Cross:
Hebrews 5:8-9 says:
8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
Friends, we were Saul, the people chosen by God—but who chose our own way instead. And God rejected us, and sent us into exile. And it was over. We were dead in our sin and without hope.
But in Christ—God chose for us a new future—life from death—the resurrection power of Christ, that reconciles us lost sons and daughters to the Father.
Pray:
God forgive us of our sins and arrogance.
Give us soft hearts. Turn us back to you.
Teach us obedience through suffering.
All for the sake of your Son, the obedient One,
Who suffered that we might be reconciled to you.
Amen.