These are some thoughts I had after joining Sunday School this week at Waco Church of the Nazarene. The lesson was on 1 Samuel 16:1-13. It was a good lesson that drew me in to think a little deeper about these chapters.
Read through 1 Samuel 15-16 for the full account.
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In 1 Samuel 15, God gave Saul a direct command that required action on Saul’s part. Saul did not follow through on the whole command God had given him. When Samuel confronted Saul on his disobedience, Saul said he feared the people and so was swayed by their voice. As a result of Saul’s disobedience, God rejected Saul as king and sent Samuel to anoint a new king - David.
When God sent Samuel to anoint a new king, Samuel gave one argument first - if Saul heard that Samuel was appointing a new king he would have Samuel killed. The Lord instructed Samuel to follow through on this mission to anoint a new king. And Samuel - though he faced fear in his heart, was led by a fear of God. So he obeyed.
As the account unfolds we get to see the process Samuel went through as God revealed the next king of Israel. The Lord had sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to make a sacrifice to God and to reveal the next king. Jesse had seven of his sons - the seven older sons, the strong ones, the stately ones, the “logical choice to be the next king” ones pass before Samuel. But every time the Lord said, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see, they look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). As each son passed by, the Lord rejected each one. Until there were no sons left. Except the one - the youngest, the one in the field, the least likely to be chosen for anything. David.
And David was anointed king of Israel.
That part of this story often takes the lead. The spotlight. The focus. But I want to back up and focus on something else.
Saul and Samuel were both given direct instructions from God. They had both been chosen by God for the leadership role they were in. God’s man for the job. Both were given hard tasks - things no one would want to do. And the standard was clear for each - fully obey what God said to do.
But Saul chose not to obey.
And Samuel chose to obey.
To my mind, this means that following God is less about the personality or awareness you have and more about the choice you make when He presents you with instructions. It isn’t your gifts or even your circumstances that matter. It’s about the choice you make - will you follow your own understanding or will you choose to fully obey God?
I think that is the question we are all answering every day. And our answer is seen in our actions. While others around us may not know if we’re obeying fully or not - God looks at the heart. He knows. And it is my relationship with Him that is damaged or deepened based on my choice in that hard moment.