If you're turning your Bibles to 1 Samuel 16 this night, we'll be looking at the first half of the chapter through verse 13. 1 Samuel 16, verses one through 13. There we read, the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king amongst his sons. And Samuel said, how can I go? Saul hears it, you'll kill me. And the Lord said, take a heifer with you and say, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I'll show you what to do. And you shall anoint for me him who I declare to you. Samuel did what the Lord commanded, came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling. He said, do you come peacefully? And he said, peacefully. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, surely the Lord's anointed is before me. 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 sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Then Jesse made Shammah pass by, and he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Then Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, are all your sons here? And he said, there remains yet the youngest. But behold, he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, send him, get him, for we will not sit till he comes here. And he sent him and brought him. Now he was ruddy and beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is he. Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Thus far, the reading of God's word, he may be seated. In 1984, Greg, a recent graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, had been diligently studying for his bar exam and he needed a break. And so he went out for a run. And while on this run, a large branch from an oak tree that he was running underneath, broke and fell upon him, crushing him underneath. He was rushed to the hospital, and the end result was that they were able to save his life, but Greg would never walk again. His spinal cord was severely severed, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Everyone, that is his friends and family, thought this tragedy, and that's what they deemed it, was a tragedy, would squelch his plans to be a successful lawyer and even the possibility of him being in politics. They literally thought that this was going to cripple any chances he had. So what is Greg doing now, you ask? Well, he's only the governor of Texas. Because the Greg that I'm talking about is Greg Abbott, the current governor of Texas. And he says very clearly that his paralysis, his inability to ever walk, was the very thing that was needed to spur him on, to persevere amidst the challenges. because as he says, quote, we are not defined by our challenges. Instead, we are defined by how we respond to those challenges. As we return this night to 1 Samuel 16, Israel was amidst a challenge, a fork in the road situation, you might say, a crisis of leadership. Saul was king, but as we know, God had removed him as king. He was tearing the kingdom away from Saul and from his family, from his line, and giving it to another that would be, quote unquote, better than you, Samuel tells him. So what was going to happen in the aftermath of this? What was it going to be like to have a lame king over Israel? No doubt it was seen as a challenge, a crisis, one that Samuel was rightfully disturbed over and grieved about. But the Lord never thwarts his plans, even though there may be great challenges and even a crisis. His ways, his plans are and always will be established from the very beginning. And therefore he tells Samuel to go and anoint a new king. And yet this new king will be different than the last, because he'll be chosen for a different reason. not externally based, but rather internally based. One that may not look like your stereotypical leader, much like Governor Abbott would not be seen as your stereotypical leader. But this king chosen by God would bring about the restoration of the kingdom, the restoration of Israel. And as a result, it would flourish in ways that it had never flourished before. And in so doing, this King would point indeed to the greater King, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we'll see that tonight in two points, hope rather than sorrow, heart rather than sight. First, hope rather than sorrow. As you see back in chapter 15, we read that Samuel departs from Saul never to see him again until the day of his death. Though Samuel ultimately did go with Saul to this sacrifice that Saul begged him to go with, that was the last time that Saul and Samuel would be together. He went with Saul probably as a last act of showing respect to the Lord's anointed. but it says that he went back to his home in Ramah. And there in Ramah, he grieved. Now you might ask, why was it that Samuel was grieving? Well, he was grieving probably for several reasons. First, he was grieving over Saul himself. As we said two weeks ago, the righteous always grieve over sin, sin in themselves and even sin in others. Though Saul seemed to be ambivalent towards his own sin and the consequences of it, Samuel was not. And Samuel rightfully, no doubt, had a love for Saul, almost like that of a son. To see a son-like figure fall was grievous for Samuel. as it would be for anyone that has mentored someone underneath them, and that is exactly what had taken place with the relationship with Samuel and Saul. And so, as a result, Samuel grieved over the fact that this one that was underneath him, this son-like figure, had fallen so greatly, so much so that the Lord must discipline him take the kingdom away. It was right for Samuel to grieve. Second, Samuel was no doubt grieving over the state of Israel and the people within it. You remember as we went through the book of Judges, we mentioned that most likely Samuel was the one that wrote the book of Judges. And so he knew the dark history of Israel's past. And no doubt he believed or thought that with the kingship, this was the beginning of a new day. This was a new glimmer of hope for Israel. But from the looks of it, with the first king, that of being Saul, we could say that second verse seem the same as the first. Or to quote the great theologically astute rock band, The Who, meet the new boss the same as the old boss. And so what would happen to Israel? No doubt Samuel was grieving over that. He was embittered of what had taken place and what was taking place. And no doubt there was a mourning process Was the kings, were they going to be the same as the judges? Was it going to be another dark period in Israel's history? Well, the third reason I think Samuel also had grief was that his grief might've had some self-pity to it. We know that Samuel's biological sons were rebellious. They were not faithful. And the people had seemingly seen this and as a result, they had rejected Samuel and they wanted a king. And even though the Lord said to Samuel, they're not rejecting you, but me, nevertheless, that was a sting to Samuel, to his leadership. And yet the kingship was a way to hand off the mantle to another. And he as the priest and the last of the judges would no doubt spiritually guide and direct the king. Yes, no longer would he perhaps be the head and the leader of Israel, but no doubt he would still kind of be the neck that would direct here or there. And yet all of that now seemingly was just a dream. It was not reality. And the reality did not look good. His years of work and ministry really seemed to be for naught. And so what legacy was Samuel leaving? Was Saul going to be his lasting legacy? If so, that's not much of a legacy, is it? And so seemingly all that Samuel had labored for, all that he had served the Lord for, seemed to be crashing in here at the end of his life. And it says that Samuel was filled with grief. And we might even say rightfully so. It might have been because he was bitter. He was a bit frustrated. Maybe even somewhat depressed about Saul, about the situation, even about the Lord himself. Not in a sinful way, but that questioning of why, Lord? Has it come to this? How have you allowed it to be this way? Is this how it's going to end? And it makes you wonder as Samuel was back in his home in Ramah, you wonder if Samuel was resolved to kind of hang it up. That he believed that the ship had run its course. That he was kind of being put out to pasture. He was no longer needed. His ministry was over. It was time to ride off into the sunset, as they say. But it is seemingly just then. When Samuel perhaps thought he was done, his days were over, the Lord comes to him with a word. And not only a word, but a call to action. And the Lord, in chapter 16, verse 1, begins with a question. Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul? We don't know how long Samuel was in that state of grieving. Was it days? Was it weeks? Was it months? Was it longer than that? We're not sure. But the Lord calls him out, doesn't he? maybe even as a bit of a rebuke. Again, it wasn't wrong that Samuel was grieving, that he was lamenting. That is a right and good and even godly emotion. We saw two weeks ago that the Lord grieved. And so it's surely right for Samuel to grieve, but not to remain grieving. And there is a difference, isn't there? that there is a time for grief. We know from Ecclesiastes chapter three, it says that there's a time to weep and there's a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. For everything there is a season. But it's just that, isn't it? It is a season. Now I'm not going to try to tell you or define for you how long is a season or how long a season should be in your life. But when that season begins to taint everything else, I would say that's when it goes outside of its designed borders. And that's what seemingly was happening here with Samuel's grief, that his grief was tainting the entirety of his perspective, tainting even perhaps his calling, the calling that the Lord had placed upon his life. And so the Lord rightfully asks, how long are you going to grieve? How long are you going to continue to not do what I have called you to do? How long are you going to just kind of hole up in your house and not go forward with your duties that I have called you to? In other words, seeing me, I still have a work for you to do. Go forth and do it. And I love what he goes on to say. He says, I have rejected Saul from being king over Israel, but now fill your horn with oil and go." Fill your horn with oil and go. That horn was an instrument that was used by the priest to anoint and therefore it needed to be filled with oil and Samuel had one of these horns as a part of his priestly duty. We know that he used that horn to anoint Saul in 1 Samuel chapter 10. And the Lord says, go get that horn and let's go do it again. Again, this is only, speculation, take it as such, but I wonder if Samuel had kind of hung it up, so to speak, that he had put that horn on the shelf and thought, well, I'm not going to need this again because the one that I did use it on, well, that didn't work out so well, did it? But the Lord says, take that horn, that horn that again, perhaps you thought that you would no longer need and go fill it. I have a work for you to do. But I love how the Lord phrases that. Fill your horn with oil and go. It possibly has a double meaning to it. Yes, physically go, fill your horn up, but also Samuel, have your heart be filled up as well. In other words, cheer up my friend. My plans have not failed. My plans have not faltered, nor is my work done or complete for you. You remember that oil was symbolic for the Spirit of God, and we see at the end of this chapter as the Lord anoints David that the Spirit of God rushes upon him. But that Spirit of God is also the presence of God, isn't it? And we see this from the very beginning of Genesis all the way to the very end, God always gives his presence to his people. He never leaves them or forsakes them. In fact, that is the very promise of the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he says, I will never leave you or forsake you. Lo, I am with you always. We read in John 16, 33, I have said these things to you that in me you have peace. And goes on to say, in the world you have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Does that not sound the same as what is being said to Samuel here? Take heart, Samuel. I have a work for you to do. You have not been overcome. The plans of the Lord have not been overcome. No, I have overcome the world. Fill your horn with oil and go. Or what it says in Psalm 30 verse five, weeping may last for nights, but joy comes with the morning. Indeed, this was to be a joyous occasion. And so he tells him to go, and he goes specifically to Jesse, to the one that lives in Bethlehem, the Bethlehemite, as he calls him. Why? Because I have provided for myself a king amongst his sons. I have another king. My plans are not done. They are not complete. and therefore go. I have a king amongst one of his sons." Samuel then goes on to ask a very legitimate question. How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. This is a suicide mission, Lord. This will be seen as rebellion against the king. It'll even be seen as a coup. And indeed, it would have been such if the Lord had not removed Saul as king. But notice that this question I said is a legitimate question because I don't think it was a smoke screen question. Samuel's not asking why should I do this or how come or calling the commands of the Lord into question. No, this is a legitimate question. It's much like when The angel came to Mary and Mary asked, how can this be since I am a virgin? That was a very good question that needed to be asked. In the same way, Samuel's asking a similar good question. How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And I think it's a good reminder that the Lord never minds legitimate questions. That obedience does not mean blind obedience. We ought to ask valid and appropriate and practical questions. How? How is this going to work? How is this going to take place? The Lord never asks us in following him for us to check our brains at the door or to use sanctified reason or to get the counsel, wise counsel of others. Ultimately, we're to ask the counsel of the Lord himself. And the Lord, again, seemingly does not mind this question. He gives a very practical solution. He says, take a heifer with you and say, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. In other words, essentially Saul does not need to know what you're going to Bethlehem to do, go to make a sacrifice. This will be a legitimate cover. Samuel was a priest, making a sacrifice would have been main part of his vocation, a part of his calling. Therefore, no one will think twice. And anointing a king, that was also a part of Samuel's calling, but this is not something that all need to know, including Saul. Therefore, go, sacrifice, and also go to anoint. And so Samuel goes off to Bethlehem on a mission. He has work to do. And yet, somewhat humorous, the elders of Bethlehem, you notice, were a bit concerned when they heard that Samuel was coming. Samuel probably hadn't been seen or heard from for a while, and now there's a report that he's coming, and he's coming specifically to Bethlehem. And so the elders are wondering, why is he coming here? Remember, Bethlehem, even in Jesus' day was a small town. That hymn that we sing at Christmas time, O Little Town of Bethlehem, is not incorrect. It was a little town. And so why was the priest, the prophet of God, coming here to this small town? Plus it was perhaps not a secret anymore that Samuel and Saul were on the outs with one another. And they're probably thinking, we don't want to get involved. We don't want to be seen on one side or the other. We don't want the king to be mad with us that Samuel's coming here. And so it says that they came out trembling and they asked, have you come peacefully? And much to their relief, he says in verse five, peacefully, I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. As Dale Ralph Davis puts it, What relief, a heifer never looked so good. And so they go and they worshiped and they sacrificed. Just a side note, but when your heart is sorrowful and full of grief, there's no greater balm for the soul than worship. And no doubt that was good for Samuel to put away his grieving and to come and worship God there in Bethlehem. Well, we see second in heart rather than sight. As he is there, Samuel does the second part of his mission, his duty. And that is to anoint one of the sons of Jesse. And notice in the command of the Lord, it was not given what specific son was to be anointed. Rather, just one of the sons There's a king amongst his sons. Now, you remember the lineage of Jesse. Jesse was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz. And you remember that wonderful story of grace and of redemption, of Ruth being grafted in, though she be a Moabite, into this line, the line that would ultimately produce David and then, many years later, Christ. And Bethlehem would have this rich heritage of the Lord's covenant, as the Lord would preserve His own so as to bring about His very own Son. Well, there in Bethlehem lived Jesse. And Jesse had his seven sons line up, seemingly oldest to youngest. No doubt he had them all washed up and scrubbed up put on their Sunday best, as it were. And first was Eliab, probably the oldest, perhaps the tallest. Notice what Samuel thought in verse 6. Surely the Lord's anointed is before me. In other words, Eliab looked like a king. And Samuel says, here he is. This is the one. As is the one, surely, that I am to anoint. Again, to quote Dale Ralph Davis, as only Dale Ralph Davis can put it, Eliab was doubtless an impressive hunk of manhood. Around six foot two, perhaps 225 pounds, he met people well. He had all the social graces. He had an excellent taste in aftershave lotion. Perhaps he was the star wide receiver for Bethlehem High School football. Probably made the Judean all-star team. Maybe many would have thought that future was Eliab's middle name. In other words, we know the type, don't we? The Danny Myers type, who you probably don't know this about our own Pastor Myers, but he was selected as the big man on campus of Wheeler High School as a freshman. But none of you are surprised by that, are you? Because that's the likes. of our Pastor Myers. But the Lord is not as easily impressed with the things that we are impressed with. We look at a leader and say power, authority, confidence, charisma, that's a leader. The Lord looks for humility and care. and compassion and mercy, one that will be a servant rather than a king or a dictate, for it's in weakness, not in strength, but weakness, that the Lord's grace is sufficient. And the Lord reminds Samuel of this, doesn't He? In verse 7, in those very famous words, Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. This must have come as a sting to Samuel. The Lord is saying to Samuel, Eliab is Saul 2.0. The height of the man, the impressiveness of the man does not make the man. No, the heart of the man makes the man. The character of the man makes the man. The love of the man makes the man. The love of the Lord makes the man. It's not the fruit, but the root. The true root will bring forth ripe fruit, namely the fruit of the Spirit. Samuel, don't look at what is visible, but look at what is invisible. Look at how God looks at. Again, if it was based on outward appearances, Saul had all the external features of being a king, didn't he? We're told that he was a head taller, that he was handsome. But what was the fault of Saul? Even though he looked like a king, he did not have the heart of a king. At least the heart that the Lord was looking for. For the heart of a true king is the heart for the Lord himself. And the results were evident and ultimately devastating. And the same was true of all seven of Jesse's sons. Now we shouldn't equate the reality that good looks or appearances are of the world. That ugliness is the sign of a divine calling. It is not. So sorry for any ugly ducklings. It doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be God's golden swan. For we read even with David that it says in verse 12, he was ruddy and he was beautiful, had beautiful eyes and was Handsome, and so we see that David was not an unimpressive figure. It's not that he didn't have any outward appearance or any beauty or any attractiveness to him. No, David was in many ways a handsome man, as it says here. But that is the point, isn't it? It's not the matter of appearances or not having appearances. Appearances do not qualify, nor do they disqualify. That is more than having or not having, but it is the heart that is what matters. And I think this is important, especially when we think of the office of pastor or the office of elder or deacon or even Sunday school teachers or Bible study leaders. We're not to think, oh, who is it that's going to wow the masses? Rather, who is faithful before the Lord? It's not who's going to be the most dynamic leader. Rather, who is the one that is on their knees in desperate need? It's not who looks like a pastor, or who looks like an elder, or a deacon, or a Sunday school teacher. No, we are to look at the qualifications, look at the heart, and that's why we always have to look at the Word of God itself, don't we? As we even think of the office of elder and deacon, 1 Timothy 3, Titus chapter 1, it doesn't ask for accomplishments or a strong resume. But rather what? Fruits of the Spirit, deeds of love and service to one's family, to one's church, to one's community. We must not look at the outward appearances, but look towards the heart. And isn't it ironic that the one that was chosen, that is David, was not even thought of by his own father. When thinking of who would be The king, David, wasn't even in the consideration. He was left out in the sheep pens, wasn't he? As it says in verse 11, are all your sons here? And Jesse goes, oh, that's right. No, not all my sons are here. The youngest is out in the fields. He's keeping watch over the sheep. And Samuel has to say to Jesse, send him and get him. until He comes. But isn't it just like the Lord, that the least and the most unlikely, they are the ones that are used by Him. Isn't that what Paul says to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1, God has chosen what is foolish, what is weak, what is low, what is despised, the things that are not. to bring to nothing the things that are all. And Paul had to say that to the Corinthians, right? To, in a way, put them in their place. They had begun to get a little high on the horse, as it were. They began to think a little bit high of themselves. And Paul needs to be reminded or remind them of who they are. And indeed, oftentimes we need to be reminded of who we all are. And why is that? Why does the Lord choose the least and the most unlikely. Well, Paul tells us, so that no human being might boast in the presence of the Lord. Rather, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. And indeed, I think that was David's heart, wasn't it? That he had been forgotten. He had been left out in the sheep pens, the least likely to be the king of Israel, overlooked by Samuel, forgotten by his father, yet chosen by God. foolish, weak, low, despised, so that God would gain all the glory. And so there's little David, trotting in from the sheep fields, probably not smelling too good. And what does it say? The Lord says, this is the one, arise, anoint him. And isn't it a beautiful scene? Now we go from the beginning of this passage of Samuel grieving to now Samuel anointing the new king. It's just a reminder that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The Lord has not forgotten his promises. He has not stopped being faithful to those that are faithful and even to those like us that oftentimes are unfaithful. The Lord is constantly good to his people, though we deserve it not. And I imagine, as it says at the very end of this section, that Samuel rose up and went to Ramah, that he went back to his home with a little pep in his step, as they say. He went back like Simeon and Luke was able to say when he was able to lay his eyes on the Lord Simeon says, your servant can depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your anointed. Indeed, Samuel was able to see not the anointed, but the one that pointed to the anointed and was even able to anoint this king, this one that would be a man after God's own heart. And speaking of seeing, throughout this passage, Word is repeated again and again and again. It's used seven times in our section tonight. It's used nine times in this chapter. The root word for see or seen. We first see it in verse 1, when the Lord comes to Samuel and says, for I've provided for myself a king among his sons. It says, I see for myself. a king amongst his sons. And therefore he sends Samuel out. And then we have that famous verse in verse seven where this root word for see or seen is used five times. And you can read it this way. Samuel, do not see on what is seen, on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees, Man looks on the outward seeing, but the Lord sees on the heart. In other words, our eyes deceive us, don't they? They can't always be trusted. That's why I entitled this sermon, The Lying Eyes. That was the case for Samuel. Don't trust what you see. Don't trust what your eyes can see. And that is indeed perhaps part of Samuel's problem, part of why he was grieving, wasn't it? Was that as Samuel looked out, his perspective was that of only gloominess, of despair, of darkness. But Samuel needed to have his perspective changed. He needed his sight, his seeing changed by God's perspective, by God's sight, by God's seeing. And therefore God says, fill your horn with oil and go, go see what I see. And even there, as he goes, he has to have his sight and his perspective changed, not to look on outward appearances, but look upon the heart. And how much better was the Lord's choosing than what Samuel would have chosen by sight. And it's just a reminder, it's why it's our memory verse for this month, that passage from 2 Corinthians 5, 7, that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. And we're to walk that way in all things. And we are to not look out and see what we see, see the world from our perspective, but rather, see from God's perspective, to be reminded that He is seated, that He is high and lifted up, that He is still on the throne, that He indeed is the King of kings. And that's why we need to always look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. That's why we always need to set our mind on things above and not on earthly things. We need to remember His promises and have His perspective. We're not to be rather dictated by our own perspective or even the perspective of this world of the news. Rather, we're to always continually walk by faith, walk in obedience, remembering His work that He has called us to do. In other words, fill your horn with oil and go, I have a work for you to do. And that is true for each and every one of us, isn't it? And therefore, we're to go forth with it. That's why just like Samuel, we should have our hearts encouraged this night. The Lord's work is not done. The Lord is not done with you as his servant, therefore go and do his work. His kingdom is spreading and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. The Lord has anointed his son. We see that anointing here with the anointing of David, but it surely points forward to the greater anointing, the Messiah, who is the anointed one. David is a picture of Christ. And here in this passage in 1 Samuel 16, we have the first mention of David's name in the book of Samuel. And you remember what the name David means. It means beloved or beloved one. And that's why David is such a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the true Son of God. Because you remember at the baptism, at the transfiguration, what is the words from the Father? This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him. And so tonight, as we finish up, let me finish with the words of Psalm 2 that speak of David, but greater point beyond David to Christ, the true King. The Lord said to me, you are my Son, Today I've begotten you. Ask of me and I'll make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. You'll break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way. For his wrath is kindled quickly, but blessed are all who take refuge in Him. Amen. Join me in prayer. Lord, indeed, we do want to do what the end of Psalm 2 asks of us, commands us to do, to take refuge in Him and indeed receive the blessings of being in refuge. of Him. Lord, thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and eternal King. Thank You that He is Your beloved Son, and in Him, we are also made beloved by His grace and through His mercy. Lord, may we have Your perspective this night. We ask for forgiveness in the ways that we have looked upon ourselves, looked upon this world, and looked at it with dark, gloomy perspective. rather than having the hope of your eternal word, the hope of your kingship, the fact that you are upon the throne, that all you do, O Lord, is for your good and for your glory. Would we have that perspective again as we go out this week and the things that you have called us to do, and will we do it with an extra dose of diligence, even an extra dose of hope that you have given to us because of this passage this night? Lord, would we serve The true King would be His servants in this world until you call us to be with you or you come to be with us. Until then, O Lord, grant us your spirit, your presence, and we thank you that you never leave us or forsake us. We pray all this in Christ our Savior's name. Amen.