A King After God's Heart

God is honored on Father’s Day as the perfect Father who loves, sees, knows, and cares completely, even when earthly fatherhood brings mixed emotions of joy, grief, hurt, or longing. The story of Israel’s kings moves from Saul, the people’s impressive choice, to David, the unlikely choice after God’s own heart. The Lord asks Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul,” because God’s plans continue even through disappointment. God is not finished with his people, and God is not finished with the story, even when the present moment feels confusing and hard.

Saul’s outward impressiveness made him look like the ideal king. His height, strength, popularity, and appearance made sense to the people. But Saul knew God’s will and chose something different, and his disobedience showed that outward promise cannot replace a faithful heart. The Lord sends Samuel to Jesse’s house because God has already chosen another king.

Eliab’s appearance makes Samuel think, “Surely, the Lord’s anointed stands here.” The Lord stops that first judgment with the powerful word that people look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. God does not value the same things the world values. The world focuses on image, followers, likes, achievements, success, wealth, and power, but God celebrates humility, faith, obedience, dependence, integrity, and love.

David’s absence from the sacrifice shows how God often works through the overlooked and unlikely. Jesse’s youngest son is out in the fields tending sheep, forgotten by others, but not forgotten by God. The God who saw David with the sheep also sees every hidden place, every quiet act of faithfulness, and every heart that feels unnoticed. The Lord chooses the one people would not have chosen.

The anointing of David does not move him straight to the throne. The Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully on him, but God still leads him through waiting, serving, wilderness, danger, and dependence. God works in the waiting, forming and molding the heart before giving greater responsibility.

David’s own words in the Psalms show a heart turned toward God. “Apart from you, I have no good thing” shows humility, and “as the deer pants for streams of water” shows hunger for God. David knew where his help came from, and God was not meant to be the spare wheel in the trunk, only for emergencies, but the steering wheel giving direction.

David was still not the perfect king. His sin and weakness showed the need for grace. Jesus Christ, the Son of David, is the true King after God’s heart. Unlike Saul, Jesus obeyed unto death, and unlike David, Jesus never sinned. Through Jesus, God brings people into his family as sons and daughters of the perfect Father, and God patiently shapes hearts to become more and more like Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God works through disappointment God’s rejection of Saul did not mean God’s plan had failed. The Lord was already moving toward Jesse’s house while Samuel was still mourning what had gone wrong. Disappointment can feel like the end of the story, but God may be working behind the scenes where human eyes cannot yet see the puzzle pieces fitting together. [23:39]
• 2. God looks at the heart Eliab looked like the obvious choice, but God stopped Samuel from judging by height and appearance. The world trains people to measure worth by image, achievement, and success, but God is not impressed by what can be filtered, posted, counted, or displayed. The heart before God matters more than the face presented before people. [30:15]
• 3. God sees the overlooked fields David was not even invited to the sacrifice, because he was still out with the sheep. The forgotten youngest son was not forgotten by God, and the lowly field became the place where God’s chosen king was hidden. Quiet faithfulness may be invisible to people, but it is never invisible to the Father who knows every heart. [35:59]
• 4. Waiting forms faithful hearts David was anointed, but he did not immediately sit on the throne. God used the sheep fields, Saul’s service, the wilderness, and danger to shape him before giving him the responsibility of leading God’s people. Waiting is not wasted when God is using it to form dependence, obedience, and trust. [40:23]
• 5. Jesus is the perfect King David points beyond himself because even a man after God’s heart still needed grace. Jesus, the Son of David, obeyed where Saul disobeyed and remained sinless where David failed. The true King lays down his life for his people and brings them into the family of the perfect Father.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [19:01] - Father’s Day Joy and Grief
• [21:20] - Prayer for Fertile Hearts
• [23:02] - Israel’s Kings and Saul’s Failure
• [23:39] - God’s Plan Continues
• [24:26] - Samuel Is Sent to Jesse
• [29:31] - Eliab and Outward Appearance
• [30:15] - The Lord Looks at the Heart
• [35:06] - Seven Sons Are Rejected
• [35:59] - David Is Called from the Fields
• [40:02] - The Spirit Comes upon David
• [40:23] - God Works in the Waiting
• [42:07] - David’s Heart for God
• [44:39] - God as the First Help
• [47:43] - David Points to Jesus
• [49:33] - Is the Heart Being Formed?

1. In 1 Samuel 16:1, God asks Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul?” What does this reveal about God’s perspective on disappointment and His plans?
2. When Samuel assumes Eliab is God’s chosen king, what reason does God give for rejecting him (1 Samuel 16:7)? How does this contrast with worldly values? [30:15]
3. Why was David initially excluded from the gathering with Samuel, and what does this say about how God often works? [35:59]

1. Why might God intentionally choose someone like David, who was overlooked by his own family, instead of the “obvious” candidates? What does this teach about His priorities?
2. David was anointed king but still had to wait and face trials before ruling. How might this season of waiting have prepared him for leadership? [40:23]
3. The sermon states that Jesus is the “true King after God’s heart” unlike David or Saul. How does Jesus’ obedience and sinlessness fulfill the flaws of Israel’s earlier kings? [48:21]

1. The world often values image, success, and power. What are 1-2 areas in your life where you might be prioritizing outward appearances over cultivating a humble, faithful heart? [30:15]
2. David’s faithfulness in the fields was unseen by others but seen by God. Where do you feel overlooked or unnoticed in your daily responsibilities? How can you trust God’s purpose in those hidden places? [35:59]
3. The sermon mentions that “waiting is not wasted” when God is shaping dependence on Him. What current season of waiting are you in, and how might God be using it to deepen your trust in Him? [40:23]
4. Disappointments can feel like the end of a story. When have you experienced a situation where God’s plan became clear later, even when it felt confusing at the time? How does this encourage you in current uncertainties?
5. The sermon asks, “Is my heart being formed to beat after God’s heart?” What practical step could you take this week to prioritize humility, obedience, or dependence on God over worldly measures of “success”? [49:33]