Sermons

Have you ever made a bad decision? Really a bad choice that you cannot come back from? Not the kind of decision you can get in trouble for, but the one that you bragged about and now you have to back it up. For me that was when I decided to play basketball with one person in particular during the Habitat trip. Before I tell you what happened, just know that I was undefeated all week, in case someone tries to say otherwise. Well it's Sunday evening, we have just arrived at the church and the students are enjoying some free time. I found myself in the gym just shooting the basketball and enjoying time to relax after emptying vans, a truck and an SUV. As we enjoyed the time, I started to hear a lot of trash talking from a particular student, I wont tell you who it is so they can keep a good reputation. And so, I had to let him know that I was a four year starter on the varsity team, all conference player back in my day. So of course this led to a quick match. Again, I did not lose. But what did happen is that I realized I was no longer young and spry as they say. Trying to keep up with the teenagers after a hard days work proved to be difficult, but I needed to show them who’s the boss and when I left the court to get ready for bed there was a lot of slow movements for the next few days. Was it a good decision to play basketball? Yes, a great time to make memories. Was it a good decision to play basketball the first night of the long trip? Absolutely not, and I still don’t feel like I have recovered. But just remember I was undefeated all week.

Our Scripture  reading is a little longer that what is stated in the bulletin and I will begin a few verses ahead at 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

David Anointed as King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” ² Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.”⁴ Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” ⁵ He said, “Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely his anointed is now before the Lord.” ⁷ 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 does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” ¹¹ Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.” ¹² He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Last Sunday we learned a lot about Samuel and how he was called by God. We also explored what it is like to realize and see God working on our behalf. In his story God was working as he called Samuel, working when he teaches Samuel to respond to the people and working in how he helps Samuel lead the people. This week I felt that we needed to continue the story and see how God continues to work in his life. So here’s the quick versions of the chapters in between our readings. We know from last week that Samuel was given back to God by his mother Hannah and it took a few tries for him to realize God was calling him. In the next few chapters Samuel takes over as a spiritual guide for the people after Eli died, the Ark of God was stolen by the Philistines (causing lots of problems for them, so they returned it), then Samuel becomes Judge of the people of Israel, then the Israelites demand a King, God agrees and gives them Saul. Now we enter our passage for today:

One of the major controversies in the Israelite Monarchy is that this was what the people wanted and not what God wanted for them. This is rejection in God’s eyes, that the Israelites do not see God as King. The Israelites demanded a King after Samuel got old, simply because they wanted to be like other naations. So, as they demanded, God sees them and responds by giving them what they wanted. They wanted to be like everyone else, they wanted to have their own monarchy and they wanted to leave behind the old ways of doing things. 

So here’s what happened, first there was Samuel and Saul.

Saul looked good on paper to be king. He was tall, strong, handsome and came from a good family. But here is the catch, Saul has a few flaws. Saul’s flaws included dishonesty, pridefulness and he lacks integrity, just to name a few. Above all else he directly disobeys God. Now Samuel and Saul have a complicated relationship.

Where we find ourselves today is the intersection between what the people wanted and what they actually need. As we know, all things eventually come to an end. Samuel mourns the end of his relationship with Saul. Not because he was a bad person, he already knew that. Rather it’s because he lost sight of who God is and the responsibility that comes with his role as king. Samuel put his faith in Saul when he was anointed to be king and even did his best to help him lead the people, but he failed.

We would think that God put him in charge and surely God can take away his power in an instant, so why wouldn’t he? God is patient and kind, and surely if Saul sought to return to God, God would always be there for him. God put Saul in the place to lead and in return he responded by focusing on his own agenda.

Both the Israelites and Saul lost sight of who God is. And in return they were met with a king with his own agenda, the Israelites put their faith in Saul rather than God and they lived in fear.

Then God see the people need a specific king, so he sends Samuel out to find Jesse.

God tells Samuel where to go to find the next King. What should have been a joyous moment was meet with fear of Saul. God told him to go to Bethlehem to meet Jesse and the next king would be among his sons. But Samuel’s first instinct was if Saul finds out, surely, he will be killed. So, God gives Samuel more instructions so he can go meet Jesse.

Jesse of Bethlehem was a well-known man among the people. And many people would have known his sons. Samuel’s task is simply to go see Jesse and wait for God to name the one who will be king. But when Samuel lays eyes on the oldest, he has already decided, surely this is the one I've been sent to see. He was tall and strong and handsome. What more could they need? But this is the same understanding that got them in trouble the first time with Saul. They only saw the appearance. Remember what we see in the world is not the same as what God sees. Samuel goes through all of Jesse's sons, presented to him, and didn't see who God was looking for.

Finally, we meet David.

How many sons did Jesse have? Saul sees 7 of Jesse’s son and asks him, do you have anymore, is this all? Then he says there one more, David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons. And he is out watching the sheep.

Samuel was surprised to go down the entire line of Jesse’s sons, only to find that none of them was God’s chosen. Doesn’t age matter? Doesn’t brawn matter? Doesn’t intelligence matter? Surely this is the right one? One after the next Samuel second guesses God’s choice. David is a shepherd, he moved and stayed with the sheep protecting them 24 hours a day. When David is finally brought in from the lowliest job, keeping the sheep in the pasture, I imagine the flabbergasted look on each son’s face as they watched Samuel take the horn of oil and cover David’s head. God saw something in David that no one in his family saw. The closest people to him saw him as the baby of the group, a little kid, and he had the most grueling job. What God sees in David is his inward spiritual life, including the emotions, will and reason.

Closing

What God sees is what ultimately matters. When we make the effort to see what God sees, we will encounter the anointed in the most remarkable places and, most definitely in the most astonishing people. And that is world changing. To see the world as God sees, is to choose to see the good in those you encounter while coming face to face with reality. To see the world as God sees, is to release control and listen for where God is taking you. To see the world as God sees, is to look beyond the faults of humanity into a heart willing to offer grace whenever you need it.

Remember, when God is working around you, God is calling you, responding to you, seeing you, leading you, saving you and even uniting you with those around you. It’s hard to see what God sees because we only view the world with human eyes. But if we don’t try, we miss out on all that God wants to show us. Don’t be afraid when someone else comes looking for you because what you have inside is what the world needs.

Speaker: Rev. Khayla Johnson

August 3, 2025

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