Sermon - 2013-03-17 - From Shepherd to King
Hearing the word of God spoken to you is a hard thing to handle. Actually doing the Word of God is even harder to handle. The elders of the city knew that Samuel was with God and that Saul was not truly in the favor of God. However, Saul was the king that was given to them. We are lucky, within our nation, we can speak ill of our leaders, we can mock them, belittle them, and even disrespect them without being hauled off to prison, taken out to the street and killed or simply having your tongue cut out. Yet the anger that Samuel could be bringing is far worse, the elders wish to know, “Is God angry with us because of Saul?” Reassuring the elders that the people shall be safe for now and that they need not worry about God’s wrath, puts them at ease.
However, Samuel does not tell them why he is there. Samuel goes with Jesse, a man who was righteous and who loved and trusted God. However, God does not choose the oldest son, the son who would typically inherit everything of the father and receive the greatest glory and honor simply because of his birth order. No, God does not select any of the brothers that are gathered in his presence there, but instead chooses David. David is the youngest son, the one who is still getting assigned to do the terrible job of shepherding. He would be out with the animals, smelling like the animals, and yes was so young that he was not considered to be a man.
How many of you are around the age of 11 - 13? That’s about how old David was at this time. You are who God is choosing, to become the next leaders of God’s People. You have not fallen for the desires of this world, you still have hopes and dreams of what this world may become and you have a vision of what we could be. Something great. I used to think, well that’s me. David is like me. Yet when we hear about David, we hear that he is ruddy, having beautiful eyes, and is handsome. Seriously? Come on, can’t he at least be a nerd? I mean if God is judging not by outward appearance, why does David have to be handsome??? Why can’t this be a time of Revenge of the Nerds? Well, God didn’t consult me. But David had what truly mattered, a kind and loving heart for God and for the people. So David is chosen, even at his young age to the next King of Israel.
David is anointed with oil. This would be similar to the crowning of a king over a nation, the placing of robes upon the pope, or the inauguration of our own President. A common practice for political leaders to receive as a blessing from their god before they began the work of serving their people. However, when God called David to be King, he was not ready for the position. The people did not respect him, know of him or would not even want a child to rule over them. Even though David was anointed and called, he would not be in that position until he was ready.
So what is the current king doing? He knew that he was not in the favor of God. He knew that he may be replaced. He knew that it was up to him. Saul was fighting wars, defending his kingdom and making alliances with other nations so that he would be prosperous. He wanted to show the people that he could still be their king even without God helping him. He could do the work. He could care for them, protect them and even make this nation great. Does this sound at all familiar? Within this world, I see this all over the place. People striving to build their companies, their lives and legacies on the backs of others. They work so hard for the glory, honor and things of this world that they do not focus on things that truly matter. There are times that we create our own god, we create our own hell, we create our own world and yet, we do not even realize that we have done it. When someone points out the truth, we become scared that what we have created will come crashing down around us and we will have nothing. Yet it is there that we shall find God, the Truth and even the world that we have longed to be a part of.
Saul needed this, we need this. It is one of the reasons, that I prefer to preach from the pulpit. To remind you that the Word of God is more important than your own understanding of things because often that Word comes and breaks into your life to tell you the truth. Standing in the pulpit, standing above you, you can be reminded that you are part of this world and yet you have a God who is speaking directly to you and giving you the message that you need to hear. Not the message you want to hear, but the message that you need to hear. Saul was given Samuel to receive that message and he did not want to hear it. We have been given Jesus Christ. However, Christ was not just a messenger. Christ is not Jesus’ last name but the title that was given to him. Christ is Latin for Christos meaning Chosen One, Anointed One. It has the same meaning as Messiah.
Christ comes and stands before us and shows us who we are. Living in the message of Christ, we begin to see who is the god that we worship on a daily basis. We begin to realize where we are at, for what reason, we are constantly running around from this thing to the next to the next and returning home at the end of the day wondering why I am so tired and why don’t I have time for, (you can fill in the blank). Christ stands before you and asks you the question, are these things that you are doing truly helping you in your life? Are they helping you to grow and become the better person I have created you to be, better than I could? Finally Jesus puts down the mirror that is being held up to you and reminds you. I have created you exactly as you are, not to fit into some mold but so that you can live out serving those people around you who can enjoy your gifts, your talents and your love. I called you and anointed you long ago within your Baptism and now, it is time for you to get ready. To go down the path and follow the way so that you may live in the love and life that I have given to you. So what is God message of truth? What is God giving to you? What is God calling you to do within the world? If you are struggling to hear it, begin by reading the Word, spending time with God in prayer, and dive into the Small Catechism. For one often goes astray when being guided by a heart, a mind, and life that is clouded.
However, Samuel does not tell them why he is there. Samuel goes with Jesse, a man who was righteous and who loved and trusted God. However, God does not choose the oldest son, the son who would typically inherit everything of the father and receive the greatest glory and honor simply because of his birth order. No, God does not select any of the brothers that are gathered in his presence there, but instead chooses David. David is the youngest son, the one who is still getting assigned to do the terrible job of shepherding. He would be out with the animals, smelling like the animals, and yes was so young that he was not considered to be a man.
How many of you are around the age of 11 - 13? That’s about how old David was at this time. You are who God is choosing, to become the next leaders of God’s People. You have not fallen for the desires of this world, you still have hopes and dreams of what this world may become and you have a vision of what we could be. Something great. I used to think, well that’s me. David is like me. Yet when we hear about David, we hear that he is ruddy, having beautiful eyes, and is handsome. Seriously? Come on, can’t he at least be a nerd? I mean if God is judging not by outward appearance, why does David have to be handsome??? Why can’t this be a time of Revenge of the Nerds? Well, God didn’t consult me. But David had what truly mattered, a kind and loving heart for God and for the people. So David is chosen, even at his young age to the next King of Israel.
David is anointed with oil. This would be similar to the crowning of a king over a nation, the placing of robes upon the pope, or the inauguration of our own President. A common practice for political leaders to receive as a blessing from their god before they began the work of serving their people. However, when God called David to be King, he was not ready for the position. The people did not respect him, know of him or would not even want a child to rule over them. Even though David was anointed and called, he would not be in that position until he was ready.
So what is the current king doing? He knew that he was not in the favor of God. He knew that he may be replaced. He knew that it was up to him. Saul was fighting wars, defending his kingdom and making alliances with other nations so that he would be prosperous. He wanted to show the people that he could still be their king even without God helping him. He could do the work. He could care for them, protect them and even make this nation great. Does this sound at all familiar? Within this world, I see this all over the place. People striving to build their companies, their lives and legacies on the backs of others. They work so hard for the glory, honor and things of this world that they do not focus on things that truly matter. There are times that we create our own god, we create our own hell, we create our own world and yet, we do not even realize that we have done it. When someone points out the truth, we become scared that what we have created will come crashing down around us and we will have nothing. Yet it is there that we shall find God, the Truth and even the world that we have longed to be a part of.
Saul needed this, we need this. It is one of the reasons, that I prefer to preach from the pulpit. To remind you that the Word of God is more important than your own understanding of things because often that Word comes and breaks into your life to tell you the truth. Standing in the pulpit, standing above you, you can be reminded that you are part of this world and yet you have a God who is speaking directly to you and giving you the message that you need to hear. Not the message you want to hear, but the message that you need to hear. Saul was given Samuel to receive that message and he did not want to hear it. We have been given Jesus Christ. However, Christ was not just a messenger. Christ is not Jesus’ last name but the title that was given to him. Christ is Latin for Christos meaning Chosen One, Anointed One. It has the same meaning as Messiah.
Christ comes and stands before us and shows us who we are. Living in the message of Christ, we begin to see who is the god that we worship on a daily basis. We begin to realize where we are at, for what reason, we are constantly running around from this thing to the next to the next and returning home at the end of the day wondering why I am so tired and why don’t I have time for, (you can fill in the blank). Christ stands before you and asks you the question, are these things that you are doing truly helping you in your life? Are they helping you to grow and become the better person I have created you to be, better than I could? Finally Jesus puts down the mirror that is being held up to you and reminds you. I have created you exactly as you are, not to fit into some mold but so that you can live out serving those people around you who can enjoy your gifts, your talents and your love. I called you and anointed you long ago within your Baptism and now, it is time for you to get ready. To go down the path and follow the way so that you may live in the love and life that I have given to you. So what is God message of truth? What is God giving to you? What is God calling you to do within the world? If you are struggling to hear it, begin by reading the Word, spending time with God in prayer, and dive into the Small Catechism. For one often goes astray when being guided by a heart, a mind, and life that is clouded.
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