The Surprising God who Sees

Order of Service

• Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell
• Call to Worship — Isaiah 12
• Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith (Nicene Creed)
• Scripture Reading — Acts 8:26-40
• Hymn — There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn of Preparation — God Be Merciful to Me
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer
• Hymn — Abide with Me
• Benediction — 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

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Sermon Title: The Surprising God Who Sees

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

I. The Surprising God Sees Our Sadness

A. Samuel is grieving deeply over Saul's rejection

1. Samuel had walked with Saul for approximately 20 years, serving as mentor, corrector, and friend
2. Samuel mourned not only personally but for the people of Israel — as goes the king, so goes the people
3. Saul has hardened his heart, and there is fear and division across the kingdom

B. God meets Samuel in his sorrow with both rebuke and grace

1. The rebuke: "How long will you grieve over the one I have rejected?" — a righteous jealousy from the Lord
2. The grace: the Hebrew word ra'ah (to see) first appears here — "I have provided for myself a king" (i.e., I will see to it myself)

C. The remedy to Samuel's sorrow is God's glory, not the restoration of what was lost

1. God does not say "I have provided a king for you, Samuel" — he says "for myself"
2. Mary and Martha's ultimate remedy was not Lazarus restored, but the glory of God revealed in resurrection
3. Revelation 21:4 — every tear wiped away in the context of God's glory filling the earth
4. Application: Whatever has been lost, pressing on toward the glory of God in Christ is the true and lasting answer to sorrow

II. The Surprising God Sees Our Hearts

A. Samuel arrives in Bethlehem and immediately fixes his eyes on Eliab — tall, handsome, firstborn

1. Notably, it is not foolish Israel but wise and godly Samuel who makes this mistake — showing the power of outward appearances
2. Samuel had just grieved over the tall and handsome Saul, yet defaults to the same standard

B. God's corrective word: 1 Samuel 16:7

1. "The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart"
2. God peers behind the veneer of niceties into the private space of motive, character, intention, and desire

C. The point of the passage is not David's purity but God's electing grace

1. David is not named until verse 13 — his worthiness is never the focus
2. Genesis 6:5, 8 — every heart is only evil continually, but Noah found grace in the eyes of God; grace precedes righteousness
3. Psalm 51 (David's own words) — David was conceived and born in sin
4. 2 Samuel 7:18 — David's response: "Who am I that you have brought me thus far?"
5. Jeremiah 13:23 — telling a sinner to purify his own heart is like telling a leopard to change his spots

D. Application: The Beatitudes — Matthew 5:3

1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" — those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy before a holy God
2. The only fitness God requires is to feel your need of him (Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy)
3. God promises to hear all who cry out to him in faith and to save them to the uttermost

III. The Surprising God Sees Our Weakness

A. David is anointed simply and without ceremony; the Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him from that day forward

1. Unlike Saul, the Spirit remains on David for the remainder of his life
2. The Spirit equips David not merely for military exploits (e.g., Goliath in ch. 17) but for enduring intense persecution

B. David's trials reveal the Spirit's deeper purpose

1. Beginning in chapter 19, Saul drives David into caves and wilderness
2. The Psalms written in this context overflow with despondency and despair — yet God upholds David throughout
3. The Spirit's rushing upon David is not for a triumphant sunset but for withstanding the darkness of a fallen world

C. The David–Christ typology in Matthew's Gospel

1. Matthew 1 — Jesus is the Son of David
2. Matthew 2 — born in Bethlehem
3. Matthew 3 — the Spirit rushes upon Jesus; the Father declares, "This is my beloved Son"
4. Matthew 4 — immediately driven into the wilderness to do battle with Satan
5. Unlike David, Christ rises from the dead and pours out that same Spirit on his people

D. The Spirit's role for believers today (citing J.I. Packer)

1. The Spirit's primary role is to shine the light on Christ
2. The wilderness is not evidence that the Spirit is absent — it is the scene of the Spirit's presence
3. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God: "The Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth"

E. Application: Whatever cave you find yourself in today — small trials (car trouble) or great ones (loss of a loved one) — the Spirit equips you to face them

1. Satan's temptation: "What's the point? Join the kingdom of this world"
2. The Spirit-equipped answer: "Christ is King, and his kingdom is forever"