And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” 1 Samuel 16:11
In most sports organizations there are scouts that mainly serve as the surveyors for the organization. They are responsible for finding out the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses so that this information can be used by the team. More importantly they serve as the seekers of new talent for the team. For every Kobe Bryant leaving high school, scouts look for the talent that has passed “under the radar” that could be used by the team in the coming years. You can say scouting is a big job and that a scout must have an “eye” for the things that are not so obvious. God has to be the ultimate scout! He looks at what can be considered raw, undeveloped talent and sees the future potential of the rejected person. So is the story of David. David the youngest of several brothers is not even considered by his own father as a candidate for the prophet Samuel during the search for Israel’s next king. He is loyally tending to his father’s flock in some pasture somewhere while the search begins. Little do we know that no search begins or ends until God has had his say.
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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
It is refreshing to know that even when we are overlooked by those close to us like our parents or our leaders, God has his eye on us. We first must realize that position and elevation come from God through man to us. Notice that process of from, through, and to. Many times we seem to think that men provide us with positions. This is easy to misunderstand since our paycheck reads, XYZ Company and not God Almighty. But understand that man (the creation) has been and will always be a conduit for God (the Creator). Whether saved or unsaved, we are only stewards over God’s possessions (see Psalm 24:1). We can rest assured as children of the King that he will get whatever resources to us by whatever means possible as long as we trust in him. With that in mind, let’s look at some encouragement we can use as we patiently wait for God’s elevation. God reveals his method of selection from this story of David. In understanding his method, we can position ourselves for elevation in his kingdom and the great things he has in store for us.
While man sees on the surface, God sees beneath the surface. Here we catch a glimpse of the first qualification God uses when Samuel sees Jesse’s sons. Often we lose focus because of the many distractions that this life has for us. But God never loses focus in his plan. His plan was to find a king for Israel that would fulfill his will and desires. This man may have not been what you or I would have chosen since we are incapable of looking at the motives of the heart. Just as Saul appeared to have what it took to lead the people of Israel as their king, we soon find out that he was dead-set on obeying his will and not trusting God (see 1 Samuel 15:24-26). Now since we know God is not interested in outward acts of righteousness but the pure in heart (those with right motives), we know how to position ourselves if we want to be elevated by him. For those of us that seek elevation in God’s kingdom based on our gifts and talents, God waits for a heart change demonstrated by our actions which are born out of our motives. David was able to obtain the position of king of Israel because God saw his heart and knew that he could be trusted with that position. Can God trust you with the position that you are seeking? Have your actions proven that you have his will in mind or your own? Just something to ponder as you wait…
Man positions us based on our accomplishments, while God positions us based on our potential. Often one man’s reject can become God’s candidate. You’ve probably heard the saying that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Well when Jesse disregarded David’s potential so much to not even show him to Samuel, he was saying a lot without using words. If I were reading between the lines I’d think that Jesse thought of David as only having limited potential compared to his other sons. Maybe he saw what Eliab saw as David inquired about what would be given to the man that defeated Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17:28). Whatever it was it was cause enough to not show him to the prophet Samuel. Sometimes our past can be a problem for people. They may look at what we have been through or experienced and determine that we are a risk to their future or even our own. But God uses our past in our future. He has always been known to use things that are viewed in the negative as positives for his purposes. David’s lowly insignificant role as family shepherd undoubtedly provided him the time to develop his devotion to God during the many hours he spent in the pastures of Bethlehem. In these times he was able to develop a personal relationship with Jehovah from which he drew his strength. This same strength was used to confidently proclaim his future victory against the enemies of Israel starting with the giant Goliath. Since Jesse could not find any notable accomplishments of David besides shepherd-boy, he used this to disqualify him as a candidate to Samuel. We can thank God that Samuel did not listen to Jesse’s voice, but to God’s.
While man chooses those whom he’s prepared, God prepares those he chooses. As I alluded to above, David went through some preparation that no one but he and God knew about. Not until later are we given the information on how God allowed David to defeat predators that threatened the flock (see 1 Samuel 17:34-37). God’s training ground for David was the place that man had discounted. Many times we go through experiences that are despised by many, but God obviously is able to use these times for his glory. God was instilling the courage in David it would take to stand up to a giant. What is God cultivating in you in your current situation? Are you comforted by the fact that God wastes nothing? God will use every circumstance (even the ones that you don’t understand) for his glory. He is just waiting for one of his children to trust him in faith. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, and the list goes on and on of individuals without the proper credientials or pedigree. The only credentials that truly counted were that they trusted God in the face of adversity. They trusted God when it was not popular or convenient. They didn’t take the easy way out by relying on man. They trusted in a system ran by God that didn’t always make sense to everyone. Man’s system would have that you please this person or that person first before he chooses to elevate you. But God looks at the heart of the individual to make sure they are concerned with pleasing him. That is the whole system. There are no catches and no other secrets. Seek to please him first with a pure heart and then move in faith. There will be bumps and bruises along the way, but we are not called into the Promised Land to relax. There are still giants to face and defeat. But with each new test God is there waiting to sustain us and provide for our every need. Realize that if you are in a situation where it seems that no one is noticing you just keep trusting God, because he’s probably preparing you for the kingship!