"SPECIAL BLESSING" HOW GOD CHOOSES

How God Chooses
I Samuel 16:1-13


Introduction:
I want to speak to you today about “How God Chooses.” Now it should be understood that God’s decision making process is much different than ours…Also, His choices are always perfect, always right, and always have our best interest at heart.

This chapter begins with God reminding the prophet Samuel that Saul had been rejected as King of Israel. Remember the people had wanted a king like other nations...so Saul was chosen to be their King. Now Saul was an impressive looking man, standing head and shoulders taller than anyone else in Israel…However, while he may have been a giant among men, inside he was a spiritual pygmy! He was a jealous man, who lived for the praises of the people; constantly overstepped his boundaries and was guilty of gross disobedience to God time after time. Therefore, God rejected Saul as the king of His people.

As a result of Saul’s rebellion, God had chosen a new king for Israel…he chose a young man named David. David was the youngest son of a poor family from the tiny town of Bethlehem. David was a young man who was not even respected by the members of his own family. He was a “nobody” living in a family of “nobodies”. Yet, by the grace of God, he became the greatest king in the history of the nation of Israel. He also became and ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is listed among the great heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11. During his life, he received great promises and remarkable blessings from the hand of God…But, greatest of all, David was a man after God’s Own heart.

As I speak to you about “How God Chooses.” keep in mind that His hand may be on someone in this room today…could be that He is searching your heart today…looking for a person to do a great work for Him.

God’s Choices are Sovereign
The word sovereign simply means – above all others in character, importance and excellence. Therefore, God’s choices are above all others. He is the Sovereign!

God’s Choice Involves His Sovereign Providence (1-3)
Here we see a backdrop of rebellion and rejection…in the midst of this God is working behind the scenes to put His man on the throne of Israel. He was working in their behalf and for their good to raise up a new king…one of His choosing.

Look at verse 1 – “Why are you so sad Samuel?” Samuel was mourning over the failures of Saul…and God says, “Stop it! I am in control! I have a plan and I will work it out!

God’s Choice Involves His Sovereign Planning
I wonder how often we are so busy working our own plans…or perhaps even mourning over our failures…that we fail to see God’s plan! Don’t we know that God is aware of where we are, what’s going on in our lives, and what we need the most?
Which plan are you more comfortable with? Yours??? Or His???

As we think about God’s sovereign planning…think about the history of David’s ancestry…God had been working all along to bring this moment to pass…Did you know that one of David’s ancestors was Rahab the harlot?

The significance of this is that God in His sovereign choice chose to save Rahab out of a life of sin and idolatry, and make her life count for Him. Rahab eventually became the mother of a man named Boaz who married a Gentile girl named Ruth. Ruth was also saved out of a life of sin and paganism…Then Boaz and Ruth became the great grand-parents of a boy named David.

These events are not accidental...they were formulated by God to bring His divine planning to fruition.

God’s Choices Involve His Sovereign Power
Notice verse 1 again…God says, “I have rejected Saul from being King.” He also says, “I have provided me a king.” It was God’s sovereign choice…a part of His providence, His planning and His power would bring it to pass.

People make plans all the time…the problem is that they don’t really have the power to bring them to pass. But what God proposes, He is well able to dispose!

Remember the great Napoleon? In the height of his career he was asked if God was on his side…his cynical answer was, “God is on the side that has the heaviest artillery.”
Then came the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon suffered terrible defeat…and later in exile, now chastened and humbled Napoleon reportedly stated, “Man proposes, but God disposes.” This is the great lesson of history and the Bible!

Note: What lesson’s we can learn from God’s sovereign choice?
There are no accidents in life…God is sovereign!
God’s sovereignty extends to every area of our lives!

Isaiah 46:9-11 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 …I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Some people are bothered by the idea of that God is in absolute control of everything.
They even question it! But I find it very comforting! I wouldn’t want to be in a world…
I know that nothing can happen unless the Father ordains it and that if He ordains it; it is for my good and for His glory. Thank God for His sovereign choices!

Now hopefully we understand that God’s choices are sovereign, but we see that…

God’s Choices are Surprising
Verse 4 says…Samuel went to Bethlehem and did exactly as the Lord had commanded. In this process God makes known His choice for a king. But His choice was surprising!

His Choice is Surprising in its Rejections (6-10)
When Samuel sees Eliab he thinks, “Surely this is the one!” But God says, “He’s not the one, I have refused (rejected) him…Eliab looked the part, he even had a godly name – “God is Father” but there was something in his heart that caused God to reject him.

What about Abinadab? His name is “my father is noble.” But God’s says no!
Then Shammah whose name means “astonishment.” Some say that his name reflected his stature…But God says no! And a total of seven sons passed by Samuel…but God had not chosen any of them.

It appears that all of Jesse’s sons were pretty impressive in stature and appearance, especially Eliab, but none of them possessed the right heart.

We sometimes choose people the same way…they look impressive, they act impressive, but we cannot see their hearts. God sees what we cannot see! God knows what we do not know! God looks upon the heart! …That’s why God’s choices surprise us…He chooses based on different criteria.

Even the old prophet Samuel was impressed with Eliab, but God wasn’t. You would have thought that Samuel would have learned his lesson with Saul.

His Choice is Surprising in its Requirements
God requires not what the outward man can offer, He requires a heart that is His! (7)
We judge people by what we think they are. God, judges them by what He knows they are…When God rejected Saul, He declared what kind of man He was looking for:

1 Samuel 13:14 14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

It wasn’t that Saul wasn’t man enough to be king…he just wasn’t the right man! Saul was a great man, a mighty man, but his heart was seeking everything but God.

Remember Eliab? He impressed Samuel…I’ll not take the time to read it, but in I Sam. 17:28 we find out what kind of man Eliab really was…he was critical, jealous and negative. He did not meet God’s requirement. His heart was not right!

Remember church! God is not looking for the best dressed, most handsome, popular, educated, skilled etc. He is looking for those whose heart is already His.

His Choice is Surprising in its Receptions (11-12)
It appears that the old prophet was a little confused… “Jesse, do you have any other sons?” And there is confusion in Jesse’s voice… “There’s only one other, but he’s the youngest, and he is keeping the sheep.” I assure you that they were all surprised when David walks in and God says, “He’s the one! Anoint him, He’s my man!

God’s Choices are Specific
God had a specific plan. He sent Samuel to a specific place, at a specific time, to a specific family and to a specific man. Very quickly now let me give you some reasons why these specifics led Samuel to young David…

God Chooses Those Who Are Ready
Remember when Samuel first arrived he sanctified Jesse and his sons before they came to the sacrifice. In other words their sins were dealt with before they could worship God…but notice that when David arrived, there was no sanctification…he was already sanctified! Unlike his brothers…His heart was ripe and ready for God’s use.

Before God will use any of us, we must be ready! David is a picture of the believer who remains in a state of readiness…God will never use a dirty vessel! He’s looking for those who already belong to Him…

I realize that David was not a perfect man…but he kept short accounts with his sin!

God Chooses Those Who Are Reliable
David was faithful…while everyone else was having this shindig David was faithfully watching and caring for the sheep. God is looking for people who are ready and he is looking for people who are reliable.

By the way, if you read on you will see that after David is anointed king over Israel, he returns to the lonely dirty job of keeping sheep! If you really want to be used by God then be faithful and reliable where you are!

God Chooses Those Who Are Redeemed
Here’s the point…God calls those who know Him! He chooses from among His redeemed ones. Those who know Him in a faith relationship; who live clean lives; who are ready, reliable and available…are candidates to be used by the Lord.
Does that describe you today?

When Jesse looked at his sons he saw David as the youngest…when the other sons looked at David they saw a little brat, when Samuel looked at David he saw a cute little boy, but when God looked at David He saw his faithfulness, integrity, readiness, reliability and character. Others saw a "nobody"…God saw a kin

Invitation:
God is still looking for people today that He can choose and use for His glory. Can you honestly say that your life is ready and available? Do you possess the kind of character God is looking for? God chooses based on what He sees in the heart! PRAY

I invite you today to respond to God right now. He knows your heart…speaking to you…choosing you…will you answer? Need to be saved…Need to confess sin…Need to renew your commitment to the Lord? Need to join this Church? Whatever the Lord is speaking to you about…will you step out now as we begin to sing?

Senior Pastor John Sweat, Sr
Cross Roads Baptist Church
1595 Baxley Road
Middleburg, Florida