Looking Beyond the Obvious

Looking Beyond the Obvious

1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 51:10-14

Pastor Doug Holtz

The people had been led by prophets.

     But now they have put down roots

          They wanted to be like the cool kids

              Just like their neighbors

                   They wanted a king

                        God told Samuel to give them what they wanted

                             And so he did—Saul

It went just fine for a while

     Wars were won; riches were collected

          But then Saul and his men became greedy

              Won the war, but kept the spoils for themselves

                   Kept the best cattle, sheep

                   Kept a few slaves as well

What is happening here?

God doesn’t make this easy

     Samuel: Last week told Eli he was through

          Then had to tell Saul he was through             

              A long journey to Bethlehem

                    Under the auspices of sharing sacrifice

                        There’s no big name flash here

                             One of the smallest villages in Israel

Surely there was some assistant to succeed Saul

God had other plans

Jesse’s boys came one by one

God rejects them all

     Imagine the disappointment

     Notice: rejected for this vocation

          Not rejected as people

              Not deemed worthless

                   Just not king material

Imagine Jesse standing there

Imagine Samuel: getting nervous

     What is God doing?

David is an afterthought

     Jesse remembers him

          The meek shepherd

              The musician out in the field playing harp

What do ya know!

     God is turning the world upside down again

          Using the world’s least to be the kingdom’s greatest

If we could only judge with these lenses

Instead of basing our decisions on first impressions and outward appearances

     The first televised Presidential election

          Nixon vs. Kennedy

              Pale, underweight from hospital stay

                   Nixon had no chance

Milli Vanilli

     Stand-ins for the real singers.

          Very popular

              Backlash was extreme

David not what everyone imagined as king

But that’s what God does

     He goes to the out of the way places

          Finds the ones who don’t fit the mold

              Uses people who we see as weak, or crude, or worthless

                   People like us.

I kind of look like a pastor

     Tall, handsome (well, reasonably)

          Even have a rather large noggin for the brains

     Yep, size 8 1/8 – find that in a regular store

But don’t let looks deceive you

     I’m the one who gets filled with doubt

          Whenever the smallest thing goes wrong

I know I’m not perfect

     But the way I’m wired

          It crushes me when I’m not

              I fight that every day

So it’s relief to me to realize David wasn’t perfect either

He made big mistakes, it’s the reason he wrote Psalm 51 as prayer

          He wrote this prayer after having relations with Bathsheba

              A military leader’s wife

                   She became pregnant

                        David had her husband killed

                             Hey, maybe we’re not so bad after all.

And despite all that

     God forgave David

          Repented of his evil ways,

              Turned back to God.

                   God used David for more greatness

God forgives us, even before we confess

     God will use us faults and all

          To bring God’s message to neighbors and friends

              Through the gifts God gave us to share

                   The gift of time

                        The gifts of talents and skills, unique in each of us

     So David’s prayer is ours too.

          A prayer we can lift every time and everywhere we go.

          Please pray the words of Psalm 51, our second lesson, together.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

     and put a new and right spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

     And do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

     And sustain in me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

     And sinners will return to you.

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation,

     And my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

God has already delivered us

     We are washed by the cleansing of God’s word every day

          Through the body and blood of Christ.

              We too are renewed in the promises of baptism about to be shared

 So in response to God’s great love and mercy,

     We’re about to sing a song that reminds us of our hearts

          Created new every day.

              “God provides a brand new heart.”