Let These Words Sink In

Luke 9:23-45

Who is Jesus?

When we say that He is the Son of God, what do we mean?

Jesus said of Himself:

John 14:6 (NKJV) I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If this is true, and it is, then nothing is more important than knowing who Jesus is.

Jesus spent three years with twelve men teaching them the truth about who He is. He did this so the world can know who He is. Jesus gives anyone who comes to Him free access without cost or charge. And yet in what seems like a contradiction, knowing Him cost everything. Jesus put it to His disciples as follows. He said:

Luke 9:23–24 (NKJV) ²³If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. ²⁴For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

Who is Jesus that He should demand such devotion? How can He promise that losing one’s life for His sake means saving that life? Indeed, as the officers sent to arrest Him said, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46)

It is crucial that we understand just who Jesus is, so He took the time to give His closest disciples a visual of who He is. Luke 9:28-36 tells us that Jesus took Peter, John, and James with Him up on the mountain to pray. As always, we find Jesus communing with the Father. But, this time was different. Luke 9:29 tells us:

Luke 9:29 (NKJV) As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 

We must understand that the word translated “white and glistening” could and should be translated as “flash or gleam like lightning.” This was not like a little glitter and light. Jesus became so brilliant that it was overwhelming. Listen to how Matthew describes what took place.

Matthew 17:2 (NKJV) His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Peter, James, and John knew that they were in the presence of someone much greater than themselves. As if seeing Jesus shining was not enough, Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking with Jesus. Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the prophets - the Old Testament. And just to be clear about the connection, Luke tells us what they were discussing.

Luke 9:30–31 (NKJV) ³⁰And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, ³¹who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Do not miss that they appeared in glory, but what they were discussing was “His decease.” The Greek word Luke used was “Exodus,” which you will recognize as the title of the second book of the Old Testament and from which we get our English word “Exit.” Quite literally, they were talking about Jesus’ departure.

In other words, what Jesus was preparing to accomplish in Jerusalem was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

Another significant detail, not to be missed, is that Moses and Elijah were two men who talked with God. God said of Moses:

Numbers 12:8 (NKJV) I speak with him face to face,

Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;

And he sees the form of the Lord.

In seeming contradiction to this, the Lord says to Moses:

Exodus 33:20 (NKJV) You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.

The point is that the only way we look at God is through the Son. Look at what Colossians says about Jesus:

Colossians 1:15–17 (NKJV) ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

When Moses spoke with God face to face, it was with the pre-incarnate Christ. When God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed before Him, He gave Moses a glimpse of His glory but did not show His face. The only way anyone speaks face to face with God is through Jesus Christ, His one and only Son. When Peter, James, and John saw the glory of Jesus unveiled, they got a glimpse of who Jesus was and is. They received a visual of the person from who they were learning.

By this point, they had already witnessed Jesus feeding a vast crowd with five loaves and two fishes. They had seen Him walk on water and drank water that had been made into wine. They had seen numerous demons cast out, and many sick healed.

However, the momentary unveiling of Jesus’ glory was so overwhelming Luke tells us that Peter did not even know what He was saying when He suggested they build tabernacles. But, God Himself tied up the essential meaning of the revelation when He said:

Luke 9:35 (NKJV) This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!

When they came down off the mountain, a vast multitude met them. Because of all the things Jesus was doing, enormous crowds gathered wherever Jesus went. Now, the only ones who had seen His glory unveiled were Peter, James, and John, but the multitude had seen all the miracles and had seen the power of God at work. Peter, James, and John were Jesus’ closest companions and were entrusted with His greatest revelations. The crowds were entrusted with enough revelation that they could understand the truth. However, the disciples were given more revelation according to their faith and their willingness to believe.

As the crowd received glimpses of who Jesus is, they were drawn to Him and fascinated by Him. However, they showed that they did not comprehend the truth of who Jesus is. As Jesus continued to demonstrate who He is, He expressed frustration over their unbelief. He said:

Luke 9:41 (NKJV) O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?

Witnessing the miracles and the power of God was not enough to bring the crowds to faith, hence the word “faithless,” but I would like to focus on the word “perverse” for just a moment. Please bear with me as I give you the dictionary definition of the word that Luke used. He used the word “diastréphō” which is a compound word made up of “diá,” which means “through or thoroughly,” and which in this case intensifies “stréphō,” a word meaning “to turn.” So, putting “diá” and “stréphō” together, we get a word that means to “thoroughly turn into a new shape which is distorted, twisted, or perverted,” i.e., “opposite” from the shape it should be.

Jesus was not saying this to be harsh. He was pointing to the truth. Luke 9:43 tells us, “And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.” But Jesus perceived that they did not believe who He is. This is seen most clearly in the discussion Jesus had with the crowd after He fed the five thousand in John chapter six. We see there the turning or distorting of the truth. The crowd was about bread. They did not grasp the significance of what Jesus was trying to show them. They saw bread. They saw healing. They saw deliverance from psychological, demon based problems. And, of course, they wanted these things.

But, Jesus was pointing to a different problem. Earlier, in Luke 9:25, He asked the question:

Luke 9:25 (NKJV) For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

As we come to verse 44 of Luke chapter 9, we come to a turning point. The turning point focuses on who Jesus is. As the transition takes place, we see, starting from Luke 9:51, that Jesus sets His face to go to Jerusalem to accomplish the work the Father gave Him to do. So, even though the bulk of the book of Luke remains, the rest of the book focuses on the end of Jesus’ ministry. Up to this point, Luke 9:44 tells us, “Everyone was marveling at the great things He was doing.”

Even though they were marveling, remember, they were perverting, making Jesus’ meaning into something opposite of what He was pointing to. Therefore, Jesus turned to His disciples, those whose job it would be to tell the world the truth, and said:  

Luke 9:44 (NKJV) Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.

 

In the strongest words possible, Jesus tells the disciples, “listen, listen, listen.” “Get this message!” How important is the statement that follows, “Let these words sink down into your ears?”

It is crucial. This crucial truth was:

Luke 9:44 (NKJV) The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.

 

Men were marveling at the power of God, so why was it a betrayal to be in their hands? John tells us they wanted to make Him king!

If you will look back with me at where Luke chapter 9 starts, you will see that the question on Jesus’ mind was:

Luke 9:18 (NKJV) Who do the crowds say that I am?

A betrayal assumes that someone close to Jesus is going to hand Him over. The twelve were those with the most privileged position. They, of all people, saw who Jesus is. They, of all people, were given the truth. And yet, one of the twelve gave Him over into the hands of men.

Think with me. What did Judas get for His betrayal? Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. I understand this was the going price for a slave.

Judas was on the same wavelength as the crowd. Giving Jesus into the hands of the crowd was the natural result. The crowd wanted bread, healing, and deliverance. Judas wanted money. They saw Jesus as a great teacher, a prophet, even a man of God, but not as God come in human flesh.

That is why Jesus said of them:

Luke 9:41 (NKJV) O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?

They were faithless because, despite the evidence, they refused to believe that Jesus is God in human flesh, God incarnate. 

The world and all it contains is His. If He wants us to have bread, He can give it to us without limit. If He wants us to have health, He can make us live forever. He is God, and He does whatever He pleases. He is not our genie. We are His creatures. His kingdom and purposes are so much greater than ours that we can not truly grasp how great and glorious they are. However, Jesus told us how we should live. He said:

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

We must seek the kingdom of God above all else. If we tell people to come to Jesus so they can have bread, we betray Jesus and them. I am not saying that Jesus will not give us bread if we need it. I am saying that Jesus, as God, has told us not to worry about bread. Leave that to Him, but we are to take up our cross daily and follow Him. We are to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. And trust that all these things shall be added to you.

If we have a problem, it is that we are faithless and do not know who Jesus is. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important in life than knowing Jesus. He is life. Eternal life is to know Him. He is true riches. He is true bread. 

The gospel is the power of God to salvation. This is what matters. We are to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that He commanded us.

Our world is in turmoil. The Coronavirus is coming out in new strains. Politically we are facing unprecedented times. At such a time, we need to be reminded where our hope lies.

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Who Do Men Say That I Am?

Luke 9:18-27

The Father sent Jesus to do His will. In His short, thirty-three year life, Jesus accomplished all the Father gave Him to do. Luke tells us that he accurately followed everything that Jesus did and wrote an orderly account. Much of Luke's account is devoted to the teaching and preaching work that Jesus did. The Gospel of Luke is notable for its parables and Jesus' proclamation of the good news concerning the kingdom of God. As Jesus' ministry grows, Luke 8:1 tells us:

Luke 8:1 (NKJV) Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

The twelve were with Him. These men observed all that Jesus did. As Jesus traveled throughout the country, teaching the people the truth, His twelve Apostles watched how He did what He did. Through this process, Jesus trained His disciples. Staying with Jesus day and night, they learned both His message and His method. Then in Luke 9:1-2, we read that Jesus sent the disciples to do what they had been watching Him do. Luke 9:1-2 tells us:

Luke 9:1–2 (NKJV) ¹Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ²He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

The results of the preaching and teaching of the disciples reached even to King Herod. When they returned from their ministry trip, they excitedly told Jesus all that had happened. These men would be those who established the Church, so Jesus took time to debrief them and help them learn from what had happened. So, we find Jesus working to get alone with His disciples. However, because of the teaching ministry that Jesus and His disciples had, a vast crowd followed and inserted themselves into the story.

We tend to notice numbers and measures of success, and at this point, Jesus was enjoying remarkable success. So much so that John tells us the crowd that was fed the fish and loaves wanted to make Jesus King. However, Jesus had other priorities. After having fed the crowd, Jesus separated Himself and got alone with the Apostles. 

Luke 9:18 tells us:

Luke 9:18 (NKJV) And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

Amid tremendous public popularity and success, Jesus made time alone in prayer a priority. In his account of the life and ministry of Jesus, Mark speaks of Jesus' early popularity. In Mark 1:33, Mark tells us that the whole city gathered at Jesus' door. After a busy night of healing and interacting with those who sought Him out, Mark tells us:

Mark 1:35 (NKJV) Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Prayer was important to Jesus. When Jesus taught us to pray, He taught that the first thing we are to seek is that God's name be greatly revered and honored. As the Son of God, Jesus did not have a problem with pride, but He is the only person in history of whom this is true. He was in constant communion with the Father, but He considered prayer to be essential. By example, Jesus taught that complete dependence on God is necessary for those who would serve Him, and He showed us humility. Humility is elusive, especially in success, but prayer is the starting place.

Crowds will turn our heads and encourage our pride. Jesus understood this, so He taught His disciples to get alone and pray. Crowds also tend to dictate the content of teaching and what is acceptable. The crowds that followed Jesus were confused about who Jesus was. In John 6, Jesus tried to explain to the crowd that He is the bread of life. Here, in Luke, Jesus brings the focus onto who the crowd said He was. The Gospel of Matthew also tells of an occasion where Jesus asks the same question.

According to their understanding of Scripture and the times they lived in, the crowds gave speculative answers. If we ask the same question today, the answers we get are even more varied. However, the answer to this question is essential. Who we understand Jesus to be is the most important thing about us.

Many say Jesus was a great teacher. Many think that Jesus came to teach us to love each other. Some even acknowledge that God sent Jesus. Just like the crowd of Jesus' day, who said he was Elijah. In their understanding, Elijah was to come before the day of the Lord. They understood that Jesus was sent by God. Nicodemus serves as an example of this kind of understanding. He came to Jesus at night and said:

John 3:2 (NKJV) Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.

Acknowledging that Jesus was a great teacher and acknowledging that He was sent by God are not enough. The crowd did not understand, but Jesus was more concerned about who the twelve said He was. These were the ones entrusted with the message. So Jesus put the question to them.

Luke 9:20 (NKJV) But who do you say that I am?

Peter answered. He said:

Luke 9:20 (NKJV) The Christ of God.

Mathew 16 also includes Peter's answer to this question.

Matthew 16:16 (NKJV) You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

"The Christ" refers to the anointed one of God. Christ is not part of Jesus' name. It is who or what He is. At the garden of Eden, when the man and the woman sinned, God promised a Savior. As time passed, God revealed more, and it became clear that this promised Savior was to be king.  Calling someone ”the anointed one” was equivalent to calling them the king. The Aramaic term for "the anointed one" was "Messiah." The greek word for this is χριστός. By saying Jesus was the Christ of God, Peter was acknowledging Jesus as the King sent by God. But there was still more to their understanding. It is reflected more fully in the answer recorded in Matthew when Peter said, "the Son of the living God."

One of the essential truths of the Gospel is that Jesus, as the Son of God, is God. We learn that God is a Trinity. John 1:1 says:

John 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John, who wrote John 1:1, was there that day when Jesus asked, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" He, along with all the Apostles, except Judas, got the message. They understood what Jesus was teaching.

When the crowd understands Jesus as a great teacher, a prophet, or sent from God, they perceive Him as bringing answers to human problems. A teacher teaches us how to live. A prophet speaks God's word to us. Up until Jesus, from Moses until Jesus, God sent many teachers. We have their teachings in the Old Testament. Answers to human problems are found in their teachings. Teachings like "Love your neighbor as yourself" and "Do not lie" solve many of the issues in the world. If only we would obey such teachings perfectly. However, one of the things we learn from all the teachers sent by God before Jesus is that all the teaching in the world will not solve humanity's problems. Disease, murder, envy, greed, and hate are not taken away by great teachers sent by God.

In the statement, "You are the Christ of God," we find the truth taught. As we said, when Jesus fed the five thousand, He explained that He, Himself, was the true bread that came down from heaven. Another way to put it is that Jesus did not come to give an answer to human problems. Jesus came as the answer to human problems. Hebrews 1:1-2 also teaches this when it says:

Hebrews 1:1–2 (NKJV) ¹God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

It is easy for us as Christians to get caught up with the concerns of the day. We want the world to be a place where the truth prevails. Loving our neighbor as ourselves, not killing, lying, or stealing, are all essential. But teaching these things will not and does not solve the problem.

The problem is sin in our hearts, and no amount of teaching can fix this problem. Therefore, God sent His only Son as the answer, the solution.

When the twelve understood this, Jesus had not yet been crucified. So, He strictly warned them not to tell anyone. Instead, He began teaching them that He was to be crucified. Learning this was part of their training so that when Jesus rose from the dead, they were ready to proclaim the truth. After Jesus rose from the dead, He told them to tell everyone in the world the fact that He is the answer. We find these marching orders in Matthew 28:18-20 and Luke 24:44-48.

What we find in the New Testament is that Peter's confession is the foundation of the Church. The truth that Jesus is the Christ of God is the one truth upon which we stand. The crowd, i.e., the world around us, does not recognize this truth, and it is easy for us to adapt to the thinking of the crowd. In Jesus' generation, many of the crowd died without having believed the message. Today it is the same. The crowd does not believe or understand the message. The message that we proclaim is that Jesus is the Christ of God. He is the answer, the only answer, to what troubles our world today.

The twelve recognized this truth, and when Jesus rose from the dead, they set about proclaiming it. They recognized Jesus as their Lord and Master and would let nothing deter them from telling the world that Jesus is the answer. Each of them, except John, died for their testimony that Jesus is the Christ of God.

We must show no less commitment to the truth.

After Samuel Died

1 Samuel 25:1

When Saul became king, he was a young man. By the time David was anointed, Saul’s son Jonathan was a capable warrior. So, Saul might have been king for fifteen or more years before the incident of disobedience with the Amalekites. In the incident with the Amalekites, Samuel told Saul the Lord was taking the kingdom away from him and giving it to another. And it probably was at least another four years until David was anointed.

Soon after he was anointed, David was involved in a battle with a giant. Since David was still considered a boy when he killed Goliath and was a warrior by the time Saul tried to kill him, some scholars suggest that David served in Saul’s favor for more than nine years after he was anointed. 

The timing and dates are somewhat tricky. However, the commentaries I consulted suggested that Samuel was 57 when Saul became king and 89 when he died. During the 32 years from the time he anointed Saul until he died, Samuel stayed busy, but he had no contact with Saul. Samuel watched Saul decline from a distance. The Scriptures shift their focus to Saul and David and are silent concerning Samuel. However, we can piece together a little of what Samuel was doing during his retirement. While Saul chased David around the kingdom, trying to kill him, Samuel was living the final few years of his life. After giving an account of how David spared Saul’s life when Saul went into the cave where David and his men were hiding, 1 Samuel tells us of Samuel’s death.

1 Samuel 25:1 (NKJV) Then Samuel died, and the Israelites gathered together, lamented him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

Samuel was buried in Ramah, where he was born. His mother, who had given him up when he was but a small boy, had received him back. We cannot but assume that Samuel was with her when she died and continued to make her home town his home. 

The Lord gave a promise to those who give things to Him. 

Mark 10:29–30 (NKJV) ²⁹So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, ³⁰who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 

1 Samuel 2:21 tells us that Hannah had three sons and two daughters after giving Samuel to the Lord. What is not mentioned is that a few years after having been given to the Lord, Samuel returned home and lived in Ramah for the rest of his life. This means that as long as Hannah lived, Samuel was close by. We should never fear to give anything to the Lord.

1 Samuel 25:1 also tells us that all Israel gathered and lamented Samuel. As a judge, prophet, and leader of his people, Samuel was a well-known public figure. Not everyone who serves the Lord receives public recognition, but Samuel was beloved by his people because of his role.

Thirty-two earlier, even though He was a faithful and just judge, the nation had rejected Samuel and asked for a king. Samuel was hurt by this, but God told him to give the people the king they were asking for because, in reality, they were not rejecting Samuel - they were rejecting God. Even though the people had sinned against Samuel and God, Samuel continued to seek their good. He said:

1 Samuel 12:23 (NKJV) Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.

The first thing that Samuel did in seeking the good of the people was pray. He prayed for them. I want to quote two passages of Scripture that make reference to the prayers of Samuel.

First, Psalm 99:6 tells us that Samuel called on the name of the Lord like Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 99:6 (NKJV) Moses and Aaron were among His priests,

And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;

They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.

The Lord recognized Samuel as being a great man of prayer.

Second, in Jeremiah 15:1, God mentions Samuel alongside Moses, as an example of the most effective men of prayer that ever lived.

Jeremiah 15:1 (NKJV) Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people.

Even though this is a negative reference, Moses and Samuel are mentioned as the two men who would carry the most weight with God.

Our understanding from 1 Samuel 12:23 is that Samuel continued to pray for the nation until the day he died. But in 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel also says he would teach them the good and right way.

Samuel’s work of teaching is seen in the school of the prophets that he established. These schools continued through the time of the kings. They were essential in teaching the people the truth, how to worship and serve the Lord.

Along with his work in praying and teaching, Samuel made preparations for public worship.

First, he established the rotation and practices necessary for the reopening of the tabernacle so that when David was king, he was able to re-establish the ministry of the tabernacle. 1 Chronicles 9:22 says:

1 Chronicles 9:22 (NKJV) All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office.

Second, Samuel gave his treasures for maintaining public worship. 1 Chronicles 26:27-28 establishes this fact.

1 Chronicles 26:27–28 (NKJV) ²⁷Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the Lord. ²⁸And all that Samuel the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, every dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.

Samuel was so invested in leading the people in public worship that many years later when grand celebrations were remembered, they were compared with the celebrations of Samuel’s days.

2 Chronicles 35:18 (NKJV) There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

David, Solomon, and Josiah, and all the kings in between did not hold a Passover that topped the ones held by Samuel. That is an impressive record!

Samuel lived his life for the Lord. I do not want to give the impression he did these things to be saved. He did these things because of his relationship with the Lord. When we meet Samuel in Scripture, he is usually either praying or proclaiming the word of the Lord. He did not leave a legacy because he sought to leave a legacy. He left a legacy because he was willing to give his life in service to his people. Just like his mother, he received back what he gave to the Lord.

One more chapter we must consider in Samuel’s life is what happened to him after he died.

It is easy for us to live as if this life is all there is. We may seek to leave a legacy like Samuel’s, or we may be too busy trying to survive to think about our legacy. But in either case, we focus on this world, this life, and tomorrow. The one thing that 1 Samuel 25:1 says about Samuel that will be true of all of us is “He died.”

Death is so final. He died. For us, this seems like the end of the story. Once a person is buried, we don’t see them again. Life goes on without their presence, and those who remain mourn their loss.

However, in Samuel’s case, we get a glimpse of him after he died. This is true of only a few. 

At the end of his life, Saul was facing a battle with the Philistines, and although he sought the Lord, the Lord would not answer him. So, Saul sought out a medium and tried to inquire of Samuel.

Such activities were stictly forbidden by God, and we have evidence that the medium did not expect to see Samuel. So that she was frightened out of her wits when Samuel actually showed up. 

God sent Samuel, and the Scriptures give us this account:

1 Samuel 28:15–17 (NKJV) ¹⁵Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”

¹⁶Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.

Let this serve as a reminder that death is just a transition. Death is only the beginning of what will last forever. Living as if this world is all there is, is a mistake. This life is soon over, but after the sentence, “He died,” comes a life without end. C. S. Lewis gives us a good perspective on this. 

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you may talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit— immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)

Think with me for a moment. This Samuel that we are talking about died three thousand years ago, but he is more alive today than he was just before the verse that said, “He died.” All that “He died” means is that his soul left his old worn-out body and went to be with his Lord.

What matters now to Samuel is not his legacy, but that his sins are forgiven, and he is in the presence of God. He was saved by faith the same way you and I must be saved. The death of Jesus on the cross paid for his sins the same as it pays for ours. The difference between everlasting horrors and everlasting splendors that Lewis speaks of is whether or not a person chooses to accept the salvation freely offered by God or chooses not to receive this free gift.

Saul worried about his legacy and ended up a tragedy. Samuel stayed faithful to pray, teach, and worship, leaving a legacy and inheriting eternal life. From this, we must take away two things. First, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. And second, consider others as more important than yourself. 

Samuel Anoints God’s Man

1 Samuel 16

According to 1 Samuel 15:35, Samuel mourned for Saul, and God regretted that He had made Saul king.

It is hard to understand how God, who does not repent or change His mind (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29), can regret something. In other places, Scripture speaks of God’s regret. For example, Genesis 6:6 says:

Genesis 6:6 (NKJV) And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

The rebellion, sin, and wickedness that the human race chose grieved the heart of God. God grieves over His fallen creatures.

When God gave the law through Moses, He expressed His desire that His people would choose to follow Him. First, in the preliminaries of giving the law, He says:

Deuteronomy 5:29 (NKJV) Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

Next, at the end of giving the law, God says:

Deuteronomy 32:29 (NKJV) Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!

As the Father grieves over the lost, so the Son grieves over those who do not believe. When He was entering Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passion Week, Jesus said:

Matthew 23:37 (NKJV) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

As Christians, when we disobey and harden our hearts toward the Lord, we grieve the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Some things are beyond our understanding. God is sovereign, and His purposes are always accomplished. Isaiah 46:10 expresses this thought.

Isaiah 46:9–11 (NKJV) ⁹Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ ¹¹calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

While God’s purposes and plans are always accomplished, His will is not always done on earth. For example, 2 Peter 3:9 tells us:

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

How is it that God is not willing that any should perish and yet the perishing are all around us? How is it that Jesus longed to draw Jerusalem to Himself, but they were not willing? 

It is not God’s will that women should be violated, babies should be aborted, and men should steal, hate, and kill. Yet these things happen every day. The Church has long been divided over the question of man’s freedom of choice and God’s sovereignty.

God’s pleas for us to choose life indicate that we have a choice, which is why there is evil in the world. This power to choose is why we can grieve the Holy Spirit.

Even so, God is sovereign. His purposes cannot be thwarted, and we have the promise that: 

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

We must not make the mistake of believing that this means all things are good. But it means God can bring good out of what is evil. God does not cause evil, nor does He tempt people to do evil.

James 1:13 (NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  (cf. Isaiah 45:6-7, which is a statement against dualism)

Saul’s evil heart grieved God. The Lord had given the people what they wanted, and He had warned them what would happen. God had chosen the most qualified person and gave him all he needed to be successful. God gave Saul every opportunity, but Saul was stubborn and rebellious.

However, God brought good out of it. After an unspecified time of mourning, God came to Samuel and said:

1 Samuel 16:1 (NKJV) How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.

We see a couple of things in this passage. Mourning is necessary, but eventually, it must lead to action. Saul had sinned beyond repair. 

1 John 5:16 (NKJV) If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

Saul had sinned leading to death, and Samuel was to stop praying for that. Indeed, he was instructed to take action in a different direction. God provided Himself a king and told Samuel to go and anoint the new king.

For Samuel, not only was this disappointing, it was dangerous. Saul made a show of following God, but he was hard-hearted and rebellious. So Samuel was troubled. He said:

1 Samuel 16:2 (NKJV) How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.

We see, in this statement, how far Saul had gone in his opposition to God’s Word. Several times Samuel told Saul that he had rejected the word of the Lord, and in his willingness to even kill the man of God, we see the results. 

This is a picture of the battle of the flesh against the Spirit. We see a picture of Galatians 5:16-17 at work in Saul’s life.

Galatians 5:16–17 (NKJV) ¹⁶I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Saul was a huge contrast to Samuel. Samuel, as a young boy, learned to yield to the Spirit. But Saul put confidence in the flesh. In his lusting against the Spirit, Saul was capable of killing the man of God who had established him as king. We will all go the same direction if we do not yield to the Spirit and walk by the Spirit.

Having received instructions and reassurance from the Lord, Samuel set out once more to anoint a king in the name of the Lord. When Samuel approached Bethlehem, the elders of the city came out and said, “Do you come peaceably?” Saul may not have feared the Lord enough to respect Samuel, but the rest of the nation still carried a healthy respect. I wonder if they did not remember the thunderstorm Samuel had called down on the land when they had asked for a king. This fear of the Lord is a healthy thing because it recognizes the reality of both our dependence on Him and the frightful consequences of His displeasure.

Indeed, Samuel came in peace and invited them to the feast. He took special care to invite Jesse and his sons. When feast time came, Samuel insisted on accomplishing the errand the Lord sent him on before they ate. So Jesse’s sons were brought to him in birth order. When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest, the Scriptures tell us:

1 Samuel 16:6 (NKJV) So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

I can’t but imagine that, like Saul, Eliab was tall, strong, and handsome. At this point, we come to one of those passages of Scripture that we would all do well to memorize.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

We are always looking at things as they appear on the surface. We must learn to look with the eyes of faith. Jesus prayed all night before choosing the twelve.

When Joshua led Israel in the invasion of Canaan, he and the nation's leaders were deceived by the people of a city called Gibeon. They made a treaty with the people of Gibeon, which God had forbidden. Having been deceived, they honored the covenant they made with the Gibeonites. The only critique God gave of the situation is found in Joshua 9:14, where it says:

Joshua 9:14 (NKJV) but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.

God suggests that if they had just asked Him, He would have made the truth clear. 

We cannot see into hearts; only God can. We look on the outside and are deceived. Jeremiah 17:9-10 is instructive when it comes to the point.

Jeremiah 17:9–10 (NKJV) ⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? ¹⁰I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.

The heart is deceitful above all things. So much so that we deceive even ourselves. However, God is not fooled. He searches the heart, and He tests the mind. We convince ourselves that we are basically good, but we all make mistakes. When the Bible says otherwise, we reject the Bible. But God looks for something in the heart. He saw that something He liked in the heart of David.

Again, we, as humans, consider this and say, “Obviously, David was pure of heart.” However, this ignores what God says about the human heart. God says none of us are pure of heart. He says:

Romans 3:10–12 (NKJV) ¹⁰There is none righteous, no, not one; ¹¹there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. ¹²They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.

This includes David, Moses, and Abraham, and it includes you, and me. 

God tells us what He looks for in a heart! 

We must assume this is what He saw in David’s heart. Isaiah 66:2 is one place where God clearly states what He is looking for in the human heart.

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV) But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Jesus repeated this same concept. In His famous “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus pointed to humble and contrite hearts when He said:

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

David was a strong, confident leader of men, but in relation to God, he was humble and ready to repent when God confronted His sin. He was contrite. In contrast, Saul’s proud stubbornness grieved the heart of God, and David’s humble heart pleased the heart of God.

God has given each of us a choice. We can choose to be a Samuel or a David, or a Saul. 

God sent His Son into the world to save sinners. He will give the sinner a new heart and make them a new person. But the sinner must recognize that he needs a Savior. Sinners must first give up all hopes of saving themselves and humbly, with contrite hearts, ask God to save them. To this person, God promises the joys of heaven and the riches of His presence. Because this is what it means to be a person after God’s heart.

Let me ask you today. When God looks at your heart, is he grieved or pleased?