The Lord Looks at the Heart
A Sermon on 1 Samuel 16:1-23 by Pastor Allan Santos
Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
Welcome to our new preaching series on the life of King David. The title of our new series is “David: The Heart of A faithful Servant.” This preaching series will challenge us to make our hearts clean, submissive to God, godly, and committed to serving Him.
Our God is all-knowing that He did not make his choice of a king based on good looks, stature, intelligence, and reputation. He based His choice on character and an obedient heart. King Saul, the king of Israel had refused to submit and do the will of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord commanded the prophet Samuel to anoint David (the youngest son of Jesse) as the right person to lead and guide the people of God.
Outline
God has chosen and provided the right king for Israel (vv.1-3)
Samuel’s mistake of choosing based on appearance and stature (vv.4-10)
God seeks a person’s heart that is committed to His will (vv.11-13)
The hardened heart of King Saul (vv.14-17)
King David’s pure heart toward God and the people (vv.18-23)
Life Applications
The prophet Samuel holds on to King Saul as the king of Israel. But the Lord commanded him to anoint and support a new king of Israel. Most of the time we fear change in our lives, and we hang on to things that give us comfort and stability. We must trust God’s leading as He allows changes to happen in our lives.
The Lord did not choose the older brothers of David to be the king of Israel although they are older, more experienced and they were physically strong. He chose David even though he was younger, inexperienced, and probably weaker. May we not use our age or inexperience as excuses to not serve God. God can use each one of us mightily if we will have a heart that is willing to obey Him.
The Lord blesses and promotes those who have a submissive heart towards His purpose and will. King David is a good model of a person who believed, trusted, and submitted to God’s lordship in his life.
