A Perfect Match (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

Like the prince’s servant searching for Cinderella, Samuel searches for God’s chosen king. He knows only that God seeks a man after His own heart. The heart, not the glass slipper, must fit.

Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, steps forward. He looks promising. He looks like a king. But looks can be deceiving. Eliab’s name means “God of his father.” He represents those who rely on ancestry, tradition, rituals or family heritage. Like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, these hearts are inflated with pride. God does not call Eliab “a man after my own heart.”

God says to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. . . . Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).

“Next,” Samuel says.

Abinadab bows his head and smiles. With a name that means “father of generosity,” it’s no surprise to see receipts peeking from his pocket, evidence of his good deeds. He buys food for the hungry. He builds shelters for the homeless. He’s a pillar in the community. But the foundation of his life is built on sand. He trusts in his own works. He thinks that what he does earns him favor with God. It doesn’t.

“The Lord has not chosen this one either,” Samuel says.

Shammah wipes his nose on his sleeve. Shammah—“ruin, desolate, waste”—the name fits. The heart doesn’t. Shammah cares only about himself. He lives for pleasure. He squanders resources and buries talents. Jesus calls him an unprofitable servant. Samuel calls him to move along.

“Nor has the Lord chosen this one,” Samuel says. He squints at the seven sons. He smoothes his beard and sighs. “Are these all your sons?”

“There’s one more,” Jesse says, “His name is David.”

Like Cinderella stepping into her own glass slipper, David steps into the group of would-be kings. God confirms what no one suspected: “He’s the one. Rise and anoint him. His heart matches mine.” David—“loving, beloved”—has a heart that loves as God loves, that wants to love God most. The oil warms David’s hair as Samuel anoints him king of Israel.

How can David, a soon-to-be adulterer and murderer, wear the label “man after God’s own heart”? The same way we can—by letting God change our hearts. David’s heart wasn’t perfect, but he was willing to let God perfect it. When we fail, we can pray with David, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10 NIV). God will transform our hearts to fit His. He’ll make us men and women after His own heart. And that’s no fairy tale.

Copyright © 2010 Sherrie Lorance. All rights reserved.

Whose Psalm Is It, Anyway?

      
Psalm 23 should not be called simply “a psalm of David”. Yes, he did write it, and it does illustrate his experience with the divine shepherd. But if we have the same shepherd David had, it can be our psalm, too. So . . . do we have the same shepherd?

We say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” but sometimes we envision a different shepherd than the one whom David praised. Sometimes we think of the Lord not as the Good Shepherd, but as the Good Enough Shepherd.


Unlike David’s picture of himself as a beloved sheep who has no worries because his shepherd provides the very best of everything and gives him more than he needs, we sometimes see ourselves as scraggly strays on the outskirts of the flock. We know that the shepherd will provide for our needs, but we subconsciously interpret that to mean, “He will give me enough to get by. He’ll ration out blessings, giving me just enough to sustain me.”

Jesus invites us to experience the same shepherd-sheep relationship that David enjoyed. Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, and each believer as a beloved sheep whom He will protect at the cost of His life. He offers us not just enough to get by, but says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV). Life to the full—to the maximum—the “good life” with the Good Shepherd—that’s what Jesus offers us!

Our Good Shepherd cares for us out of delight, not duty. He gives us not rationed blessings, but so many we can’t hold them, not “treats” to reward us for good behavior, but a feast—just because we’re His. He gives us not only His abundant provisions, but His abiding presence as well. He does not simply put up with us. He wants us. He loves us.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, not the Good Enough Shepherd. He offers you the opportunity to call David’s psalm your psalm. Will you do it?

“Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!” (Psalms 23:1 TLB).

“You prepare a feast for me . . . my cup overflows with blessings” (Psalms 23:5 NLT).

“You give me more than I can hold” (Psalms 23:5 ICB).

Copyright © 2010 Sherrie Lorance. All rights reserved.