Devotional “God Calls David” - 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Psalm 51:10-14

 October 24th, 2021

Devotional

“God Calls David” - 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Psalm 51:10-14

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “How?” - 1 Samuel 16: 1-3

  There are many names for God throughout scripture. Unfortunately in many of our Bibles they are all translated the same, as God or Lord. For example, God in this particular passage of scripture is described as “El-roi” - God who sees. This is certainly neither the first nor the last time that God has been described this way, but it is important reminders as we enter into this week’s scripture that God does not see as we see. 

But before we enter into the story of Samuel, Jesse, and David, we need to step back and consider the story of Saul, the king who is in the process of being replaced. God originally chose Saul, without the reader or Samuel being given a rationale for his choosing. We are simply told that he was the tallest and most handsome man in Israel. Samuel declares that there is no one like him in all of Israel. 

However, the truth is that in some ways he is just like the rest of the people. For he disobeyed God and God had him removed from his position of power. Now God is inviting Samuel to set aside how he saw things in the past and how the people see Saul in order to boldly follow God. 

Tell of a time in your life when you were reminded that God does not see the way we do as human beings. 

Prayer: God, we thank you that you are the God who sees. You see our pain. You see our joy. You see our hearts. Help us to set aside the way the world sees in order to pick up your sight in our hearts and lives. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Samuel Did” - 1 Samuel 16: 4-5

When Samuel realized that he didn’t have any excuses from following the Lord, he took his heifer and his horn of oil and set out for the house of Jesse. 

But when he arrived, the elders weren’t sure what they were seeing. Was Samuel coming to them in peace or bring them a word of destruction?

Sometimes we do not understand what we are seeing. For God, time and distance do not hinder his sight, but that is not equally true in our lives. So we begin to quake in fear, until we ask the Lord to lead us with his eyes of perfect sight. 

What is something that looks scary in the distance but up close is harmless?

Prayer: Lord, our eyes are weak. We often think we see one thing, when it is not what is true. Help us to set aside that which blocks our heats and clouds our visions we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Surely”-  1 Samuel 16: 6-9

  The problem is, even when Samuel stopped asking how, he still wasn’t aligned with God’s vision. As Jesse’s sons walked in front of him one by one, he saw people who looked great from the outside, but God responded one by one “not this one.” God and Samuel are truly seeing things differently. 

Perhaps even more detrimental is that Samuel is trusting his own eyes above everything else. Maybe he is thinking “well, our last King was handsome and tall, surely that is what God will do again.” But that isn’t the case at all. 

God is about to do a new things, just like God did a new thing long ago with the house of Eli. But Samuel had to be aligned with the way of God in order to step into the new thing before him and before Israel. 

How do you listen for the voice of God when your eyes deceive you?

Prayer: Lord, today we ask that you break open any hardness in our heart that would lead us to disobedience and not following you. We know that we cannot do this on our own, precious Lord. It is only by your grace. Amen. 

Thursday: “Youngest” - 1 Samuel 16: 10-11

  Yet even as God said time and again “not this one” - one remained. Only he wasn’t with the rest. He was excluded and out in the fields tending the sheep. But where the family may have seen the youngest, God saw a leader. Where they may have seen one who wasn’t as tall or strong as the others, God saw a King. 

Now does that mean that David will always be the perfect King? By no means. We know that David will have his own struggles with seeing and not seeing, especially in the case of Bathsheba and Urriah. But he is the one who God has chosen to lead Israel. 

Time and again in this narrative we are reminded that God does not see as mortals see. But God’s timing is also not mortal’s timing. Think of what would have happened if Samuel’s impatience had led him to not listen to God. Think of times when our own impatience leads us to not listen to God. We need not only to see, but to wait for God to reveal. 

  What does waiting for God to reveal look like in your life?

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the importance of waiting upon you. May we not rush ahead of you or fall so far behind that we lose sight of your glory. Lead us, by the hand, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Anoint Him” - 1 Samuel 16: 12-13

One of the things that we know about David is that he was a man after God’s own heart. But sometimes we get a little confused about that word “heart” in English. For in our day and time we think of heart as emotion. But in Biblical times, the heart was the center of one’s entire being. 

So David didn’t just seek after the emotion of God, we sought after being centered totally in God. And it was that centering that allowed him to live in obedience to the Lord. 

Being centered in God means we don’t need to have all of the details. We don’t need to see everything in our way. We simply respond, because we are so close to the Lord. 

  How are you centered in the Lord?

Prayer: Lord, next time we want to have all of the details, free us to trust you. Next time we want to go our own way, bring us back in line with you. May we seek to follow your way and will, we pray. Amen. 10

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Solomon’s Temple” -1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:1-13