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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I NE S S
thinking of Saul. We are all inclined to judge from appearances. We have little of the spirit of discernment. The more fleshly we are the more we are inclined to judge from the fleshly stand point. We look at a man’s profession, at his performance. God looks at the purpose of his heart. We often mistake the manly for the man. Neither insight, nor foresight, but revelation was the essential. God had said “ I will show you.” Man looks on, but God looks in (Acts 12:21-23). Samuel now speaks as seer and not as Samuel. “Neither hath the Lord chosen these.” (v. 7). This is the crux. When they chose an apostle they said (Acts 1:24) “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of an men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen. Our eyes go out to Absalom (2 Sam. 14:25). We measure a man from the ground up, but God measures from the heart out. (Heb. 4:13; Job 10:4; John 7:24; 2 Cor. 10:7). It is hard to surrender to God’s choice for our lives. God can take a Sunday School class and make it more mighty than a church. You can afford to be misrepresented and misunderstood, if your heart is right with God. (3) GOD’S ANOINTED AND SAM UEL’S MINISTRATION, vs. I l ls. Samuel’s question evokes an answer. “ Only a shepherd.” “ Send and fetch him.” Here we have God’s choice,— a shep herd lad. Saul was taken from among the asses; David from among the sheep (1 Cor. 1:26-28) “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to con found the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are;” The Lord rejected seven sons of Jesse. (He has rejected seven imperial
kings, Nimrod, Solomon, Nebuchad nezzar, Cyrus, Alexander, Caesar, Anti- Christ.) He chose the eighth son. (Eight the resurrection number.) The world accepts the teacher Christ, but rejects the crucified Christ. The world accepts the lofty ideals of Christ, but rejects the blood which makes the ideals possible. (1 Pet. 2:6, 7) ‘Wherefore, also, it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious; and he that believeth on nun snail not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” The seven sons, (perfect number) stand for the perfection of the flesh. The flesh profiteth nothing (John 6:63). David,— beloved, unknown, lightly esteemed, dear to God, chosen of God,—- was not considered important enough to be on hand. What a day it was for him! How lit tle he thought that morning when he went to his humble duties, with his crook and sling, that from that day for ever his name would be associated with the greatest of all Names! God did not have an angel, nor a per fect man, but a man after His heart, as a king; a man of His own choosing; and God was a God after David’s heart. David is a figure of our Lord. He was a shepherd; Christ the Son. He was God’s choice; God hath chosen His Son. He was anointed, as was our Lord. (Isa. 61:1.) (Messiah means “ anointed” in Hebrew; “ Christ” in Greek.) The Spirit came upon him, as the Spirit came upon our Lord. The attestation of God to a man’s ministry is by the effusion of the Spirit. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Man’s sentiments must and should give way to Divine judgment (Ch. 16:1). (2) The cure for Samuel’s sorrow was a call to service. (3) If judges would not tremble at the approach of the Judge, they must be just (Ps. 2:10-12).
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