God's Heart, God's Man, God's Ways, Part 2

Today, from Chuck Swindoll. A servant has one great goal, and that is to make his superior successful. If you really serve in your home as a husband, your desire is to see your wife succeed, or wife the husband. Boy, talk about mutual bilateral servanthood.

That happens in the home. You've got one great goal, and that's to watch them used of God in a greater way than you're used. There are times in history when God chooses to raise up a leader and use him mightily for his purposes. How and why and when that leader is chosen is often a mystery. Take for instance, David. He was an unknown shepherd. But God handpicked this young Jewish boy to lead his nation as their king. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll continues a biographical series that started yesterday. It's timeless and called David, a Man of Passion and Destiny.

And if you missed any portion of Thursday's program, we'll begin with a helpful review. God's choice of a person is contrary to human reason. Now, I have, of course, a reason for saying that. God's choice of a person is contrary to human reason. The reason I want to say that at the beginning is because I want all of the people here tonight and all that may hear this message in years to come to know that you're no different in essence than David.

Nor he different from you. There was nothing about David on the surface that impressed God and caused God to say, wow, that is my man. God, as we will see tonight, looked for and chose an individual, in this case David, who really had nothing very impressive about him on the surface. The Lord says, my choices are not according to human reason that no person should boast before me.

Now, I want to give you hope tonight. We're not going to dig right into how God began to use David this evening. We're going to dig into his times and we're going to illustrate that one principle about David. He didn't look any different than any other Jewish boy his age at the time he was chosen, but he had character. And that's what God saw.

You know what? I think if we could have been the neighbors of Jesse, living in the farmhouse next to their house on the Judean hillside, we may not have even known the name of the youngest son. I mean, his dad didn't even think of him when Samuel asked, is this all your sons? And Jesse rubbed his beard and thought, oh, yeah, now there's the baby who is out in the field keeping those sheep. And well, Samuel said, go and fetch him. And suddenly, of all things, this little runt, this nobody, became somebody.

But you and I would not have even been impressed by the fellow that they brought in from the field who smelled like the sheep. I want to show you something. 1 Samuel 16, 12. We're going to sort of hop, skip and jump tonight through different sections of the Bible to show you some things about this choice that God made. But I want to land on the only verse in all the Bible that tells us about his appearance.

OK? The only verse that talks about his appearance. Verse 12 of chapter 16 of 1 Samuel. So he sent and brought him in. Now that's the, he is Jesse and the him is David.

The father sent and brought David in. This is the only description and there are three things we're told. He was ruddy with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. Well, you read that and you think, what else do you need?

That's not bad to start right there, you know. You know what it means? It means he was redheaded, most likely. Ruddy suggests red, fair complexion, maybe bronzed from the sun.

He had sparkling eyes and he was good looking. You know what that tells me? It tells me that God means what he says when I look at the heart.

That's the beauty of this message tonight. That's the joy of the message on David. He was nothing more than a shepherd whose name wasn't even known in the community. And we've got him revered as some kind of plastered saint with a halo. And all he was was a kid not even 20 years old who was picked out of the field from following the sheep. And God said, you've got what I'm looking for, boy. And he anointed him with oil. I tell you, I am deeply encouraged to know that a guy like David could be seen with qualities and used of God.

So can every person here tonight, even without a superb track record. Well, let's go back 40 years, okay? Let's go to chapter 8. 1 Samuel, chapter 8.

I want to show you some background. I know that most people hate history, but you've just got to get a bite of it to appreciate where David was, so I'll try to make it interesting. Let me give you the backdrop that led up to the people's choice. The judges were dead. Eli came and he did the job as the high priest and then he got old and rickety and he died and he left two sons that hated God. So they weren't qualified and then he had adopted a boy named Samuel who was the son of Hannah and he was a man of God, but his boys weren't as he grew up and had children. And now Samuel was old and people were on a long drift from God.

They had heard about the days in which Israel was really a great nation. They had read the books that talked about Eli and those great early days of Samuel and the zenith of his career, but listen, they knew nothing of it personally. You know what they knew? They knew compromise.

They knew disobedience. They knew the profile of aged Samuel. In fact, it says in verse 1 that when he was old, he appointed his sons judges over Israel and you'd think, wow, now we're going to move on. Look at the sons of Samuel.

It names them in verse 2 and it says they didn't walk in his ways in verse 3. They turned aside after dishonest gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. That's the legacy that Samuel left. By the way, does that haunt you, dads, like it does me? You know the only legacy we have that will live on as reflections of our character? Our kids. Samuel lived and got ready to die and here were boys that just brought reproach to the name of Jehovah.

Think of that. People were disillusioned, frankly, and they had three reasons for wanting a king. They're given to us in verse...well, let's see them. They had a summit meeting at Ramah, verse 4, and they said, there are three reasons, Samuel, we want a king. First, verse 5, you have grown old. Second, your sons don't walk in your ways. And third, we want to be like all the other nations, verse 5 concludes, appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.

Today, people have always wanted to be like everybody else. And we're tired of worshipping an invisible God. Everybody says, where's your king?

Oh, he's in the heavens. We want to have him on earth, Samuel. We want to be like all the other nations. Look at the Philistines, God. Look at their king and the Moabites and the Jebusites and all the other-ites. They've got all those kings and we don't have a king.

We want to be like all the other nations. It's interesting how believers want to be like everybody else because everybody's doing it. So they said, look, you're out to lunch. You're dying.

Your sons are out to lunch. We want to be like everybody else. And so Samuel was brokenhearted because they didn't say, we want to wait on God to provide what we need.

You find a man, we'll find a man and we want to put him in office. Well, it broke his heart. It was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, give us a king to judge us and he prayed.

Samuel's on his knees more than he's on his feet. What a man of God. And the Lord said to Samuel, listen to the voice of the people in regard to all they say to you, for they've not rejected you. They've rejected me from being king over them. Go ahead and listen. Verse 9, listen to their voice, however you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.

Did he ever? And if you're a student of the Old Testament, you know that Saul, oh, what a willful man. Tall, dark, handsome.

All of the externals that you would expect in a king. That's how people choose kings. They get someone that looks good and wow, he'll be a good image for Israel.

Saul's the guy. And he came on the scene and he really swept them off their feet. He had a measure of humility to start with. He seemed to be able to rally people around a cause. He apparently had enough moxie to get an army together and before long you'd think, wow, he's the man for the job. But you know that even though he was 30 years old when he started, chapter 13, verse 1 tells us, that man before long became thin-skinned, hot-tempered, angry, and even was given to seasons of depression and murder when he died of suicide.

Now that's the people's choice. Now wait, somewhere between the anointing of Saul and the suicide of Saul, David came in. That's his times. Talk about being born into volatile times. That was David's entrance into life. People were on a long drift from God. They became disillusioned with their choice, what do you do when your king doesn't walk with God?

Well, ask America. What did we do? The most disillusioning, insecure feeling is to know that something is wrong in the Oval Office and you can't put your finger on it. They knew that Saul spent a lot of time in his tent and it was dark and he said strange things and he spoke with a strange tone and he walked in the flesh. And finally, chapter 13 tells us, God said, you're not qualified any longer.

Well, that's severe. Samuel said to Saul, you have acted foolishly, you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. Next verse. But now your kingdom shall not endure. Now here's the first prediction of David right here. Verse 14.

The Lord has sought out for himself a man. Wait before you read any further. Look at that little three letter word, man.

Okay? Just a human being. God is not on a search for angels in the flesh. He is not looking for perfect people. There are none. He is on a search for men and women like you and me, people of flesh, but he has three qualities in mind he's looking for.

You ready for them? Number one, spirituality. A man after his own heart.

There's the first quality. What does it mean to be a person after God's own heart? Well, it means that you are a person whose life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to him is important to you. What burdens him burdens you. When he says go to the right, you go to the right. When he says stop that in your life, you stop it. When he says this is wrong and I want you to change, you deal with it. You come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. That's the bottom line of biblical Christianity.

When you are deeply spiritual, then you have a heart that is sensitive to the things of God. Do you? Not does your school, but do you?

Not asking does your mate, do you? Not your church, but you. So that if nobody else was here except you alone and you could hear the echo of your voice, could you alone sitting in this room tonight say I'm a person after God's heart?

If so, you're on your way. Hold your place here because you'll lose it if you don't and go to 2 Chronicles 16 verse 9. I just want to give you a parallel verse that confirms what I've just said. 2 Chronicles 16. For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth.

Isn't that a beautiful expression? That he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. Circle that verse if you haven't already. What is it that God is looking for?

God is looking for men and women whose hearts are completely his. Completely. That means there are no closets that are locked.

There are no rugs under which things are swept. That means that when wrong comes, you come to terms with it quickly. You're grieved over wrong. You're concerned about those things that displease him and you long to count for him in motivation all the way down to the reasons behind the actions. The first quality David had is spirituality. Now go to chapter 16 of 1 Samuel verse 1.

Let me show you the second quality. When God makes a choice, it's contrary to human reason. We would choose people that look like Saul. God chooses people that have character. The first is spirituality. The second. Now 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. Notice, I have selected a king for myself among his sons. God had come to the home of Jesse in spirit form. Jesse didn't know he was there. And God had given surveillance over the home and had spotted his sons and said, That's my man. What was it that he saw in David? He saw a heart that was completely God's. And second, he saw humility. You will have to hold here and go to Psalm 89 to have it confirmed.

Well, you can leave this right now, 1 Samuel. Just turn to Psalm 89. The first quality was spirituality. The second is humility.

I know we say a lot about it and I always wrestle with, How do you communicate humility? It's maybe described best as a servant's heart. 89, 19 of the Psalms. Once thou didst speak in vision to thy godly ones, and didst say, I have given help to one who is mighty.

I have exalted one chosen from the people. Verse 20, I have found David my servant. Those words, my servant, describe David more than any other words when referring to that man, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him with whom my hand will be established. The first quality that God looks for inside our lives is that sense of sensitivity to God.

My heart is completely yours. And second, I want to serve you and others, God. Look at 7870 Psalms in the book of Psalms. Psalm number 78, verse 70, he also chose David his servant.

There it is again. 7870, he chose David his servant. We're talking about God's unusual kind of selecting. We would choose people that have the surface appearance and have a good up front image, but God says, I care little about that image business. Show me a person that has the character and I'll give him all the image he needs.

I don't care about temperament, I don't care about personality, I don't care about size, I don't care about track record, I care about character. First is, is he really deeply authentic in his spiritual walk, or is he faking it? And second, is he a servant? My wife and I rubbed shoulders for, oh, about two years with a young man who kept saying, I want to have a servant's heart. I want to really serve. I want to be your servant. I want to be with you and I want to help you and I want to assist you.

I want to have a servant's heart. If I heard that once, I heard it 25 times. It fell from his lips.

It was amazing. When we would give him a job to do, an alternative plan, when we would say, look, why don't we do this? He would always have another approach and when we would ask him to take care of such and such, he would seem to come back with, well, not really. I don't know why you want that.

You should want this. I began to wonder, where's this servant's heart business coming in? When you have a servant's heart, you're humble. You do as you're told. You don't rebel. You respect.

You serve. That's David. God looked at David as he was keeping the sheep and as he did his father's bidding and he said, hey, he's got the qualities. I mean, his dad didn't remember his name hardly, but God says, I got my eye on that guy.

He's my man. Look further in this psalm. He chose David his servant. By the way, a servant doesn't care who gets the glory.

Remember that. A servant has one great goal and that is to make his superior successful. If you really serve in your home as a husband, your desire is to see your wife succeed or wife the husband or parents the kids. Boy, talk about mutual bilateral servanthood. That happens in the home so that you care too much for one another to let them fail. You have one great goal and that's to watch them used of God in a greater way than you're used if that's his plan.

You don't care who gets the glory. Now, he says, I chose David my servant and took him from the sheepfolds. Have you ever hung around sheep? Oh, wow, what a humbling experience. They are gross. There's no other word for it. Especially if they haven't been shorn.

You smell them before you see them, usually. Not only did he keep sheep, he kept pregnant sheep. If you think sheep are bad, look at verse 71. From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs he brought them, he brought him to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance. Man, sheep are unbelievably dumb. And here was David with a few sheep and he committed himself to the care of those sheep. That was his calling. His brothers were off in the army making rank. But not David, he kept the sheep.

Who wants to keep sheep when there's a fight going on? If that's your job, then you have a servant's heart, that's what you want to do. I notice the third quality is integrity. He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart. Oh, that is so significant. God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity, he's looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest to the core servants.

That's what he's looking for. He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart. I checked the Hebrew word which means integrity and listen to these synonyms, complete, whole, innocent, having simplicity of life, wholesome, sound, unimpaired. Isn't that beautiful? It's what you are when nobody's looking.

Integrity is honesty right down to the nubbins, not a tinge of guile or deception. That's David. We're just getting started with this timeless teaching series from Chuck Swindoll, originally presented many years ago.

It's called David, a Man of Passion and Destiny. To learn more about this ministry, visit us online at insightworld.org. Insight for Living has a long history of providing Bible study tools to complement each series. These study tools have been produced by the Bible for the first time in the history of the Bible. These study tools have been produced because we believe that sometimes your best learning happens apart from this program when you're studying the Bible on your own. Along those lines, you might want to purchase a copy of the very practical Swindoll Study Bible.

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You'll find all the details at insight.org slash Sundays. Finally, let me relay a message that one of your fellow listeners communicated through our website. It said, during a very dark time in my life, I couldn't sleep very well, and I took to listening to Christian radio every morning.

Where I live in New Zealand, Insight for Living comes on at sunrise. The messages seem to be tailored to my deepest need at that very difficult time in my life. My dark night of the soul had a tiny pinprick of light. It was Jesus himself, revealed to me through Insight for Living. Well, moments like these are made possible because loyal friends like you support Insight for Living. If God is prompting you to give a contribution, give us a call. If you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888, or give online at insight.org slash donate. I'm Bill Meyer, inviting you to join us again when Chuck Swindoll continues our study on the fascinating life of David.

That's Monday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, God's Heart, God's Man, God's Ways, was copyrighted in 1977, 1988, 1997, and 2009. And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited. .