“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2
This morning I was thinking back on my ministry, both as a volunteer, and stepping into full-time ministry. One thing I’ve seen time and again across state lines in many, many churches (whether my own, or in friends’ and partner churches) is talent being praised, lifted up, even so far as to see people manipulating people around them in school and business to make sure those talented people were kept happy. I’ve seen it especially in Youth and Young Adult ministries, and, sadly, nearly every kid I’ve seen treated that way has either fallen away, or, after hitting rock bottom, coming to Christ after realizing what they had for years wasn’t real. This is a form of worldliness and idol worship we’ve let into the church. I get it. It's what is thrown in our faces, constantly on TV, in music, and elsewhere. And so, seeing this, and wanting to create a polished service, we recruit the best and brightest, and, rather than seeking to get them close to God, we maintain an image.
I seem to recall that was Samuel’s problem. In Saul, he saw a king that could rule Israel. Saul was the tallest of all the men of Israel, and he was charismatic. So, Samuel anointed Saul king at the behest of the people. Saul could lead a crowd. In working the crowds, he did not disappoint! But, he was also led by the crowd. Saul often did things to appease his men as opposed to pleasing God, and, offered a priest’s sacrifice (only priests can do that), as well as disobeying God because of fear of his soldiers’ opinions. Meanwhile, after God had rejected Saul as King, Samuel was sent to a man named Jesse’s house to choose a new king. Even here, Samuel still didn’t get it. Jesse had 7 sons who were tall and good looking; surely THESE must be kingly men! Yet God said “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). And, though very flawed, David followed God his whole life, and led Israel to peace and prosperity (for the most part) as he followed God’s direction.
Loved ones, we shouldn’t lift talent above all else. The world does this, and often tramples those who point that out. We should seek after hearts willing to follow Jesus, and raise them up and train them to do the hard things, to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, even if it means all else. Otherwise, we’re creating spoiled, rotten churches and church-goers that will fall apart when times get tough. Build wisdom, seek God’s glory, tell your disciples to not see as man sees, but seek after God’s own heart. Otherwise, we’re creating the same type of people who opposed the prophets and Jesus, who are convinced of their own self righteousness enough that they will stone those who are truly seeking God’s heart because they feel threatened by the truth. Choose carefully.
1 Samuel 16:1-13
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 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.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Jeremiah 17:5-13
Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is he who gets riches but not by justice;
in the midst of his days they will leave him,
and at his end he will be a fool.
A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
O Lord, the hope of Israel,
all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you[c] shall be written in the earth,
for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Acts 15:6-11
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
