Don’t Judge A Book ByIt’s Cover
1 Samuel 16
1Title Slide
2The Darling Fortune
10:10 – 12:04
Men and women are obsessed with appearance. There is nothing wrong with grooming and personal hygiene, but it is undeniably true that many people are only concerned with their exterior beauty.
3I wonder how many of us have ever stood before a mirror & wished that we had a different face or a different body?
But if you can honestly say that you have never wished for a different face or body, you are among the minority, because most of us, at one time or another, have wished that we looked differently than we do.
4There is such a tremendous emphasis in our country on appearance that it affects almost everybody. Just turn on your TV any morning and you’ll see all kinds of exercise programs, advertisements for the latest miracle diets, for health spas, plastic surgery, and for low calorie or fat free foods.
So many people strive and strain to improve their physical appearance.
5Lip Stretching
The Mursi tribe in Africa practice lip stretching. According to the tradition, lip stretching takes place before a Mursi woman gets married, but only according to her will.The wider the lip gets stretched, the more the Mursi men find it attractive, and the higher the chance of the woman to be offered marriage.
6Nose Plugs
The beautiful women of the Apatani tribe in India traditionally wore nose plugs to make themselves look undesirable. It was an effective way of protecting themselves from being kidnaped or attacked by men from other tribes.
7Scarification
Facial scarification is practiced throughout Sudan among the Dinka and the Sepik River tribes in Papua, New Guinea. The girls are marked across their faces with knife, and the patterns will resemble beauty. The boys are marked with three parallel lines across the forehead resembling manhood.
8Neck Stretching
The women of KayanLahwi tribe of Northern Thailand are known for their beautifully elongated necks decorated with coils.
As practiced by the tradition, the girls start wearing coils weighing about four and a half pounds at the age of five.
9Teeth Sharpening
Chiseled, pointy-sharp teeth is a thing of beauty among some Indonesian tribes. Pilongi, after getting her teeth sharpened said, “Now that my teeth are sharp, I look more beautiful for my husband.”
10Ear Stretching
In some cultures, ear stretching is a way of warding off evil, a rite of passage and a sign of beauty. The Masai tribe in Kenya and the Huaorani tribe in the Amazon still practice ear stretching today.
11Body Piercing and Tattoos
Then there are body piercing and tattoos.
But really, "Beauty is only skin deep," isn’t it? And at times we are reminded that “Beauty is also in the eye of the beholder."But it is not always clear what is beautiful and what is not, because the definition of “what is beautiful?” shifts as society’s values change.
12Looks can also be deceiving
13The front page of a Texas newspaper a few years ago carried the picture of a young and beautiful African American mother born without arms and legs! The State Department of Public Welfare had charged in court that she was incapable of taking care of her five-month-old daughter. During the court hearing the mother surprised everyone by proving she was competent to take care of her baby. There…before their eyes…she undressed and then dressed the baby again by using only her lips and tongue.
The judge was so impressed that he not only awarded custody of the baby to her, but said, “I have to commend you very much for your courage, spirit and ingenuity…
…you have proven that physical endowments are only a part of the spectrum of resources that human beings possess.” Sadly, all to often, we humans only look at the “outward appearance” of others.
That is not a new problem. It was also a problem during Biblical times. Let’s look at 1 Samuel 16.
141 Samuel 16:1
Samuel had indulged himself in too much personal grief over Saul’s failure. The same can happen to us in our Christian walk. We can get stuck in the past and long for “the good old days.”
15Also, when prominent officials have lapsed into immoral conduct, their loyal followers have sometimes said in a dismissive way, “We all make mistakes; God has forgiven him.” But quite apart from the question of forgiveness, the basic issue remains, “Is he still suited for a special place of leadership?” Forgiveness does not always repair the damage to one’s ability to be an effective leader. God had rejected Saul, it was over and done with, and Samuel needed to move on.
16Philippians 3:13-14
17Are you living in the past? Is there something holding you back and preventing you from doing what God has called you to do?
181 Samuel 16:2-3
19Samuel was worried about Saul’s reaction – in fact, he was concerned that Saul would kill him. God had that covered, too. He was to say that he had come to sacrifice to the Lord and in the process, he was to anoint the one whom the Lord would show him. Question: Was God asking Samuel to lie? No, there would be a sacrifice, but Saul was not to be told of the anointing of David for three reasons: (1) To protect David and his family from Saul. (2) To give David time to mature and (3) To protect Samuel from Saul. Eugene Merrill states, “God did not tell Samuel to be deceptive, but rather to combine the anointing with the business of sacrificing.”
201 Samuel 16:4-5
211 Samuel 16:6-7
The first son of Jesse, who Samuel sees is Eliab, and he jumps to the conclusion that this must be the Lord’s choice for king. The Lord’s instruction in verse 7 tells us that, once again, Samuel made the same mistake that he and the Israelites had made with Saul: looking at outward appearances only.
221 Samuel 9:2
23So if we were to describe Saul in modern day terms, he would be… the captain of the football team, the king of the prom, and the heart throb of every girl at school.
He was a success in everything he tried to do. Then he was chosen to become the first King of Israel, ruler over a whole nation. And everybody praised him!
241 Samuel 15:22-23
25Psalm 44:20-21, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 16:2
26What does your heart look like? Should you be praying? Psalm 57:10
Given the mess we are in if left to ourselves and our sinful nature, it is amazing that God would love us enough to reach down and offer us a new heart, and a new mind, and new motives. But that is exactly what He does. He not only washes away the sins of those who come to the Father through the Son, but He also begins to fill our soul with His living water. That refreshing experience leads to a new life.
27God sent Samuel to anoint the person who would replace Saul. Samuel knew from God he was to go to the house of Jesse and anoint his son to be the next King of Israel. Apparently, not knowing which son, Samuel had some preconceived ideas of what the King would look like. However, his ideas were not God’s ideas. Samuel was looking at the outward appearance while God was concerned with the inner man.
281 Samuel 16:8-12
Jesse apparently didn’t think Samuel would have any interest in David. Have you ever noticed how God often fashions His greatest servants from the least likely material?
29God deliberately chooses people we may overlook:
Moses stuttered.
Jacob lied.
Timothy had ulcers.
Abraham was too old.
Naomi was a widow.
John was self-righteous.
Peter was a braggart
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a bigot and a gossip.
Thomas doubted.
Martha was a worrywart.
The key is the heart.
301 Samuel 16:13
31Even though David was anointed by Samuel and the Holy Spirit came upon im mightily, he did not officially and publically become king. Saul was still king, and David went back to shepherding. God had his heart; he was God’s man, but he still needed to mature and develop. It would all happen in God’s perfect timing. Waiting is one of God’s ways to grow our faith, to nurture us and to mature us. Keep on trusting and obeying Him – the results in your life just might shock you!
Note that 16:13 explains why God can use humble people in a powerful way through the Holy Spirit. David was not given the Spirit to squander on himself; the Spirit came upon him to equip him for the demands of kingship.
The Spirit is God’s gift to all Christians; but, this gift is intended to empower us for service.
32Acts 1:8
33It may interest you to know that David is mentioned in the Bible more than any other person. His name occurs three times more often than either Abraham or Moses. He is mentioned more even than the Lord Jesus Christ. Over 1100 times his name is mentioned in the Bible, including 58 times in the New Testament. Four books (and 61 chapters) of the Old Testament tell his life story. He wrote at least 73 psalms. In the 30 centuries since his death, he has been painted, sculpted, idealized and immortalized. To this day parents name their children after him.
His resume was very full: Jesse’s youngest son. Teenaged shepherd. Saul’s court musician. The giant-slayer. A fugitive on the run. Jonathan’s closest friend. A hero to thousands. A man of blood. Israel’s greatest king. A poet of exceptional skill. A gifted architect. Handsome. Powerful. Charismatic. Loved by multitudes. Adulterer. Murderer. Father to a son who turned against him. He rose from obscurity to lead his nation. Through his own foolish choices, he destroyed his family and ended his reign amid trouble and intrigue. A glorious triumph and a very human tragedy. Called and gifted, human to the core. A paradox. Strong in battle, weak at home. He danced before the Lord, he had trouble with his kids. He wept, laughed, cried, and poured out his heart in worship before the Lord. He is not like Michelangelo’s polished marble statue in Florence, Italy. He is one of us, entirely human, made of flesh and blood.
What did God think of this man? God said of him—and of no one else—"I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will carry out all My will" (Acts 13:22). David allowed God to mold and fashion his heart into that which would be pleasing to him. God focused on his character more than physical stature. He concentrated on his integrity and not just outward looks.
34Are you more concerned with outward appearance or inner character in your own life?
What about in the people that you choose to follow and learn from?
In this political season, are you swept away by charming personality or are you edified by those with humble character?
35References