3. “[Kish] had a choice and
handsome son whose name was
Saul. There was not a more
handsome person than he among
the children of Israel. From his
shoulders upward he was taller
than any of the people.”
1 Samuel 9:2
4. And Samuel said to all the
people, “Do you see him whom the
Lord has chosen? There is none
like him among all the people.”
And all the people shouted, “Long
live the king!”
1 Samuel 10:24
6. Samuel said, “What have you
done?” And Saul said, “When I
saw that the people were
scattering from me, and that you
did not come within the days
appointed, and that the
Philistines had mustered at
Michmash…
7. I said, ‘Now the Philistines will
come down against me at Gilgal,
and I have not sought the favor of
the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and
offered the burnt offering.”
8. And Samuel said to Saul, “You
have done foolishly. You have not
kept the command of the Lord
your God, with which he
commanded you. For then the
Lord would have established your
kingdom over Israel forever.
1 Samuel 13:13
9. “The Lord has sought out a man
after his own heart, and the Lord
has commanded him to be prince
over his people, because you have
not kept what the Lord
commanded you.”
1 Samuel 13:14
10. The Difference
The difference between success
and failure in Christian
leadership lies in the condition of
the heart.
12. Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have
sinned, for I have transgressed the
commandment of the Lord and
your words, because I feared the
people and obeyed their voice.”
1 Samuel 15:24
13. Who has the heart?
When people have our hearts,
when we fear their opinion or
crave their approval, we cannot
act with integrity.
14. “Since there is no
room in our hearts to
worship both God and
people, whenever
people are big, God is
not. Therefore, the
first task in escaping
the snare of the fear
of man is to know
that God is awesome
and glorious, not
other people.” p. 95
15. “In Saul, God had given to Israel
a king after their own heart… [He
was] of noble stature and princely
bearing, his appearance accorded
with their conceptions of royal
dignity; [he would be] best
calculated to secure respect and
honor from other nations….
16. They did not ask for one who had
true nobility of character, who
possessed the love and fear of
God….
God gave them such a king as they
desired—one whose character was a
reflection of their own.”
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 636
19. So it was, when they came, that
he [Samuel] looked at Eliab and
said, “Surely the Lord's anointed
is before Him!”
1 Samuel 16:6
20. 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
sees not as man sees: man looks
on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks on the heart.“
1 Samuel 16:7
22. Acts 13:22
‘And when he had removed him,
he raised up David to be their
king, of whom he testified and
said, I have found in David the
son of Jesse a man after my
heart, who will do all my will.’
23. After God’s Own Heart
Leaders who have the heart of
God are entirely submissive to
His will. They act out of integrity
rather than fear. God completely
occupies their hearts.
24. “Then Samuel told the people the
rights and duties of the kingship,
and he wrote them in a book and
laid it up before the LORD.”
1 Samuel 10:25
25. Rules for Kings
When you come to the land which
the Lord your God is giving you,
and possess it and dwell in it,
and say, ‘I will set a king over me
like all the nations that are
around me,’
Deuteronomy 17:14
26. Rules for Kings
You shall surely set a king over
you whom the Lord your God
chooses;
27. Rules for Kings
But he shall not multiply horses
for himself…
Neither shall he multiply wives
for himself, lest his heart turn
away;
Nor shall he greatly multiply
silver and gold for himself.
28. Rules for Kings
He shall write for himself a copy
of this law in a book…
And it shall be with him, and he
shall read it all the days of his
life,
29. A Heart After God
The power of a leader lies not in
the breadth of their
accomplishments but in the
depth of their devotional life.
Unless their hearts are changed
at this level, they cannot handle
fame and fortune.
32. All true obedience comes from
the heart. It was heart work with
Christ. And if we consent, He will
so identify Himself with our
thoughts and aims, so blend our
hearts and minds into conformity
to His will, that when obeying
Him we shall be but carrying out
our own impulses. Desire of Ages, 668.
34. “And he said to his men, The
LORD forbid that I should do
this thing to my master,
the LORD’s anointed, to stretch
out my hand against him, seeing
he is the anointed of the LORD.”
36. Who has the heart? With whom
are our thoughts? Of whom do
we love to converse? Who has
our warmest affections and our
best energies? If we are
Christ's, our thoughts are with
Him, and our sweetest thoughts
are of Him. All we have and are
is consecrated to Him. We long
to bear His image, breathe His
spirit, do His will, and please
Him in all things.
Notas do Editor
Leadership and story of motorcycle fall
What would you do if you were looking for a king, or a new leader? 1 Samuel 8:4-5
“like all the nations”
There were two men who became Israel’s first two kings. Two men who were chosen. Two men who were anointed – who were ordained to the office of king. One man was to end in dismal failure and suicide.
The other man was to be known as the greatest king of Israel, as the forerunner to the Messiah.
And the difference, we will find out today, was a matter of the heart.
Here’s a first pick guy. Head and shoulders above the rest.
This is like the Arnold Swats-his-name of his day.
The Kevin Hart-throb, the Leonardo-di-Cappuccino
If you wanted to choose a king, you would definitely want this guy to represent you.
He could take on the enemy armies, inspire courage in ranks and get you some respect.
If you wanted to do the “king thing” better than the nations around you, then try someone who looked like a king.
You see who the people wanted. Someone tall, someone strong. Someone who carried himself well.
Have you noticed that some people just seem to have the looks, the charisma, the bearing to be leaders.
It’s not that these things are wrong. For a time, Saul was an incredibly successful leader. He defeated Israel’s enemies.
He rallied twelve diverse tribes into a single fighting unit. He used his talents successfully.
But in the end, he was a failure. This king did not live long.
Why? There was something missing.
Rationalized away his behavior. Like Aaron – I threw the gold into the fire and this golden calf jumped out.
Character is shown by what happens in a crisis.
Saul had everything in his favor, but he was relying on his smarts and his leadership appeal.
In other words, this was a test. A test to see whether he would fear the people or fear God? A test to see his resolve. And he failed miserably. It’s not that he couldn’t encourage the people. He could have. He was not called to inaction. Rather, he chose to solve the problem in a way that was in express disobedience to God. What brought him to disobedience and compromise?
I want you to read, “a man of character” when you read “a man after God’s own heart.” Someone who will be as true to duty at the needle is to the pole, who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. Someone who does not follow their own will, but seeks to follow the will of God.
"Fairy Tale Princess Story Turns Sour After Newlyweds Lose Money." So read the headlines of the Daily Herald in Chicago on February 20, 1996. A newlywed couple had left a black-zippered case on the roof of their car as they sped away from the reception to begin their honeymoon. The case had all their wedding gift money in it—$12,000. By the time they reached their destination it was gone. According to the bride, upon realizing what had happened, she said, "I feel numb—that's a good word for it. Overwhelmed!"
Two days later the same newspaper carried headlines to a related story: "Finders Keepers? Not All Believe It!" David Yi, an unemployed suburban resident, had come upon the black bag with the $12,000 in cash. In spite of his mounting bills and jobless state, he didn't keep any of the money. Tracking the couple down, he returned the full amount. When asked why he turned it all in, he said, "I guess it doesn't matter whether it's $50 or $1,000 or $1 million. It doesn't belong to you."
Upon investigation, the media discovered that David Yi acting as Good Samaritan was consistent with his overall character. David had found $50 the year before and turned it in as well. When offered jobs because of the exposure he received, Yi said he would only consider jobs he was qualified for. He felt accepting a managerial position for which he was unequipped was dishonest
Brief overview of story
Are you too concerned with what people think of you? Are you driven by the Saul paranoia – what will people think?
Preaching – temptation – how did I do? Nicole, “Does it matter how you did? Or does it matter that you did your best and God was glorified through your preaching?
But there’s a fundamental problem here.
This is an external evaluation.
And I think Saul, although he started off humble, soon began to depend on his charm and looks; on his skills and presentation
Rather than on obedience to God and faithfulness to the people.
The people wanted honor and respect. They wanted to be head and shoulders above the other nations. They wanted to be admired.
But this is not what God wanted. God wanted someone who had real character who both loved and feared God.
As Stephen Covey writes in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, most of the success literature published in the United States for the first 150 years focused on The Character Ethic as being the foundation of success. Things like integrity, humility, simplicity, fairness, modesty, love, courage, justice, and the Golden Rule.
However, shortly after World War I, Covey explains, the basic view of success shifted from the Character Ethic to The Personality Ethic.
In these books, the driving force behind success was shown to be an individual’s personality – as opposed to character.
Things like public image, how you dress, how you perform in social interactions; positive mental attitude, skills and techniques to get people to behave in certain ways.
While some of this newer literature briefly discussed the importance of character, it became mostly lip service – as long as you say and do the right things and package yourself in the right ways, you will be likely to get the results you want.
What a contrast with a young man who is introduced next. Samuel is told to go to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the next king.
So Samuel heads across to the little town of Bethlehem.
And after inviting Jesse’s family to a sacrifice and feast, he looks around and you can seem him sizing up each of Jesse’s sons. Suddenly, he stops at Eliab. Wow!
That must be the Lord’s anointed! Tall, handsome, strong, courageous, the bearing of a king. And right there, God rebukes him.
We look at externals, God looks at the internal characteristics. God isn’t looking for talent, impressive capabilities. God is looking for someone who loves and follows him at the level of the heart.
So each brother comes before Samuel:
Abinadab and Shammah and 4 more of Jesse’s sons. And each time, God says, “Not this one.”
And finally, he has to ask: “Is there anyone else?”
And Jesse gets a strange look on his face. Let’s see: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. How many were there – 8! Yes, there is one missing.
The youngest – he doesn’t even have his name mentioned – he’s tending the sheep.
I only brought the most important ones here. David isn’t the last one picked – the fact is, he’s not even invited.
And so David is called, and perhaps the whole train of sheep come bleating behind him.
Why was the uninvited one singled out? What did David have that his brothers didn’t.
You see who the people wanted. Someone tall, someone strong. Someone who carried himself well. But Samuel has to remind them of what God wants. Notice an overlooked comment at the end of the next chapter.
Deuteronomy 17 gives specific details on kings. Let’s take a look at Deuteronomy 17:14
What would you do if you were looking for a king, or a new president? Deuteronomy 8:4-5
“like all the nations”
The king was not to show off his power, his glory, his abilities, his glory. No, he was not to subdue other nations by showing how mighty and powerful he was! Nothing was to be for himself.
He’s not going to be like other kings. He’s not going to amass wealth and fortune.
You know the saying, “Power Corrupts”
Instead, a true leader among God’s people would be one who spends time in God’s word. He writes it out. He reads it. He meditates on it.
We never hear of Saul meditating on God’s word. But David has it woven throughout his life. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:2;
With my whole heart I have sought You;Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,That I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:10-11
What made David a man after God’s own heart?
Daily revelations of the character and majesty of his Creator filled the young poet's heart with adoration and rejoicing. In contemplation of God and His works the faculties of David's mind and heart were developing and strengthening for the work of his afterlife. He was daily coming into a more intimate communion with God. His mind was constantly penetrating into new depths for fresh themes to inspire his song and to wake the music of his harp. PP 641.3
Doing the right thing instinctively
“In the moment” performance is the result of a lifetime of preparation.
Jesus when tempted
David could face giants, because He had spent time with God.
He should have feared the giant killing machine, but he didn’t. Why? Because he feared God more.
Why did David take five stones?
One night when Saul comes into David’s cave and he can kill him in that moment. He doesn’t. Why?
1 Samuel 24:6
The Lord’s anointed? The one who tried to kill him? The one who disobeyed God and scorned his prophet.
Wasn’t David the Lord’s anointed?
He wouldn’t take the kingdom because he trusted God to give it to him when it was time.
Can you see the difference?
One man feared men.
One man feared God.
One man was prepared in the wilderness, patiently trusting himself to God, meditating on His Word and His Works
The other was dreaming of success, hoping to overcome his “little background.”
One, was willing to do what God asked him to do, even if it meant facing a giant or being hunted like an animal.
The other vacillated according to his feelings and his approval ratings.
Both became king, but only one would be remembered as the true founder of Israel and the father of the Messiah.
Because only one developed a heart after God’s own heart.
One spent his time writing songs about God, the other spent his time wanting the songs of the people.
What do you want today? Are you willing to spend time with God to let him so occupy your heart that you have no room for anything else?