I was doing a study today and I was hit by a number of verses that I was asked to look-up.
So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
1 Samuel 8:4–5
Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
1 Samuel 9:2
They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
1 Samuel 10:23-24
The above passages are a few snapshots taken from the time when the people of Israel where after a king. Up-until this point God had been appointing Judges over them and He was their King. But now the people could see that Samuel sons were corrupt and were not God fearing men. The people looked around and could see that all the other nations had kings to rule over them. Israel was rejecting God their King and was looking too man for answers. What a person they found, an handsome young man who stood a foot taller than anyone else. Israel must have looked at him and through we are onto a winner here.
Not so.
Later Saul disobeyed God and God turned is face away from Saul. He then spoke to Samuel; go and anoint the next king. A king that God would choose, a king who would be after God’s own heart.
But what type of king would God anoint?
We read that Samuel was told to visit Jesse in Bethlehem as God had chosen one of his sons to do King. Samuel followed God and went to Jesse and saw how big, strong and handsome he sons was. He was sure that God would have him anoint one of them, but God turn them all down. Then we read the following.
So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
1 Samuel 16:11
David was so lowly that he wasn’t invited to the sacrifice. He was the youngest and was left to do the work that no one else wished to do, he was small and slight in stature. Most likely you wouldn’t have given him a second glance when it came down to kingly grander. But, God warned Samuel prior to the verse above.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
So what do we consider when we see people?
We jump to conclusions and makes assumptions. They say that we sum someone up within the first 5 seconds of meeting them. Boy that is quick.
Sometimes we miss the David’s of this world, the person at the back, the person standing to the side not giving anyone eye contact. It could be someone you have seen around for years or someone who has just walked in off the street. However, the Saul ‘s of this world we cannot help but see or hear them. They are people who stand out, make waves and attract people to them and may be even have people follow them. But, the David’s of this world, those after God’s own heart, we sometimes miss them.
So, back to the question what do we look for in a king/leader?
Are there David’s we are missing?