I would like to show you a video clip featuring amazing archery skill! Although it is in Korean, I think the video will speak for itself!
1. God asks, “Beneath the surface, are you a person of a rock solid built quality or a faulty bow?”
Let me put it this way. Our vision as church is not just about seeing people get saved to get into heaven. Our vision is to see people who are saved by Jesus Christ actively building their lives on the true foundation, the Cornerstone, Jesus Christ; we want to see saved, born gain people actively building their lives on what really matters to Jesus Christ. We want to see a rock solid built quality in our Christian living that will endure the test of fire. We are not called to be faulty bows; we are called to be the excellent bows in the expert archer to do impossible things!
For that end, Apostle Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 3:10b, “But each one should be careful how he builds.” He says in verse 12-15, “If anyone man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
When Paul talks about the Day, he is talking about the Big Day when God will put all people through the quality inspection; he will test the quality of what we have built. In old days, the palaces, temples, the important buildings were built with the costly stones; they were adorned with gold and silver; they were built with the rock solid quality in mind. But the ordinary homes were built with wood, hay or straw, not exactly the kind that you would use if you have in mind is a rock solid quality. The fire tests the quality of the buildings. Buildings built with the rock solid materials with the rock solid quality will survive. But, buildings built hastily with the cheap materials with the cheap built quality will suffer loss. You may escape the fire of judgment, but you will have nothing to show for.
God was looking for a rock solid quality in Saul’s life, a bow he can use. God wanted to lead his people the Israelites through Saul, to live surrendered and blessed life under their true King’s reign. But, the quality wasn’t there. Beneath the surface of his tall, impressive look seemingly without equal among the Israelites (1 Samuel 9:2), God didn’t find the quality he was looking for. What he found was the cheap built quality that profoundly disappointed him; he was a faulty bow.
In 1 Samuel 15:35, we see both Samuel and God profoundly sad over how Saul turned out to be a faulty bow, “Samuel mourned,” while “the LORD grieved.” Saul proved to be a cheap built quality. He built his life with the cheap materials; fear of men, pleasure for vanity and materials, zeal to honor his cause and ambition while trashing God’s honor, doing everything that mattered to himself while neglecting, ignoring and opposing everything that mattered to God. Saul was called to build carefully with the quality materials for God’s cause, for God’s purpose! He was called to be an excellent bow in the hands of the expert archer. But, Saul abandoned and rejected God’s call. Saul proved again and again with his actions he was not fit for God’s purpose; he was a faulty bow!
2. Are you the one God has been searching for?
Beneath surface of good look, Saul’s disloyalty and faithlessness made him unreliable as a faulty bow (Psalm 78:57); God could no longer use Saul for his noble purpose.
For this reason, in 1 Samuel 16, we see God rejecting Saul, a faulty bow, and taking steps to call out a man after his own heart to be leader of his people (1 Samuel 13:14); someone who would take God’s call seriously and be about rock solid built quality instead of cheap built quality, be the excellent bow in the hands of the expert archer.
We see in 1 Samuel 16:1, Samuel was still mourning for Saul; Samuel didn’t quite grasp the depth of the cheap quality in Saul’s life that made him unfit to carry out God’s purpose. So, God questioned Samuel to help him see this. “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over
God revealed his plan and the specific steps Samuel was to take, “Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of
God told Samuel to go to Jesses’ family and to announce that he came to sacrifice to the LORD. Samuel was to invite Jesse to the sacrifice and God was going to show him who he was to anoint for God.
Samuel wasn’t too thrilled by the perspective of having to anoint a new king; he was certain that if Saul were to hear about it, Saul would kill him. Although Samuel anticipated Saul’s violence, it is not surprising to see Samuel, a man of God, carrying out exactly what God told him to do. That is what we see in verse 4, “Samuel did what the LORD said.”
Now, when Samuel showed up, verse 5 says, “the elders of the town trembled.” And, they asked Samuel, “Do you come in peace?” Now, let’s not forget what happened when Samuel judged last time; he put the enemy Agag to death. This was an unannounced visit from Samuel; they were afraid if Samuel was going to judge them like he did with Agag.
Verse 5, Samuel told the elders that he came in peace… to sacrifice to the LORD; Samuel invited Jesse and his sons … to the sacrifice.
When Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab, whose names meant “My God is Father,” he was convinced that this was the man the LORD sought to anoint. Samuel was thinking with his eyes that only consider the surface, as things appeared. Eliab had a good name; he was the oldest in the family; he was tall, a kingly height! Samuel felt right about this man.
But then the word came from the LORD. Verse 7, “Do not consider his appearance of 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.”
Are you the person God has been searching fore because your heart is after him? Are you a builder who builds with precious and enduring materials with rock solid built quality? Are you fit to carry out my purpose in my expert hands as an excellent bow? Or, are you a builder who uses cheap materials with cheap workmanship? Are you unfit to carry out my purpose because you are a faulty bow?
After Eliab was Abinadab. After Abinadab was Shammah. Seven of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel. But, beneath the surface, none possess the quality of the heart God was looking for. “The Lord has not chosen these” said Samuel in verse 10.
3. God asks, “Are you after my heart?”
Since God never gets it wrong, there had to be another person in Jesse’s family, the one whom God had sought after for possessing the right heart devoted to him.
The youngest remained out there, tending the sheep. Samuel was a man of determination. He was going to meet this boy to see what was beneath his surface. So, he told Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
Verse 12 describes him as ruddy, his skin with reddish complexion but definitely not rosy cheeks. David possessed a fine appearance and handsome features reminiscent of Saul who was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites according to 1 Samuel 9:2.
But, this time Samuel wasn’t concerned with what was on the surface of David any more. He learned his lesson. He was now concerned if David was the person God sought after because of the right heart!
As soon as David was brought in from tending sheep, God told Samuel to rise and anoint him for he is the one, verse 12. Still a very young man, beneath the surface of his good look was the heart of the true shepherd to lead his people to the blessed rest and security in God alone. Psalm 78:72 sums up his lifetime leadership; “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”
David’s heart echoed Isaiah 26:8, “Your name and renown are the desires of our hearts.” David was after God’s honor. His heart was all about making sure God looked good in his life. If God was exulted in his life, he was happy. If he got done what mattered to God, if God was successful in his life, David considered himself successful.
He was a man of faith. Isaiah 26:4 reflects his trust; “Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” His heart trusted God as his Rock eternal, his salvation, his refuge, his strength, his strong tower, his purpose, his reason for living, God was the rock that is higher than he (Psalm 61:2).
He was a man after God’s heart. This is what made him to be an excellent bow of a rock solid quality that God can use to hit the impossible targets.
4. When your heart beneath the surface is after God’s heart, God can empower you with the Holy Spirit.
Our God’s leadership style is not about calling people to him and his works but does nothing to draw them closer to him and do his works. Our God is God who empowers his people to build with the quality materials that will endure the test of time, the test of fire. Our God is God prompts us to draw near to him through his Son Jesus.
We see this in verse 13, “from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.” Having the right attitude and the heart wasn’t enough for David to live out his life for God. What he needed was the Holy Spirit’s regenerating, renewing power to shape and mold David into a person God envisioned.
In Ephesians 1:3, Apostle Paul breaks out in worship; he says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” And, he says in 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
The good works which God prepared in advance for you to do is to build your lives on the Cornerstone, on Jesus Christ, and to advance the
The heart that is after God’s heart understands this. The heart that is arrogant, self-reliant, self-promoting and self-honoring, self-seeking, a heart like a faulty bow, doesn’t see the need to be empowered by God; it doesn’t seek God’s help; it doesn’t remain in Jesus.
Concluding remarks
Isaiah 11:10, “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” This refers to the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. David chosen by God to be the king over
David’s life foreshadowed Jesus. David was a man, imperfect man. But, he was not a faulty bow like Saul was because his heart was after God. David considered God’s success as his success. He considered God’s honor as his honor. For David, all he needed to know was that he was in the hands of the expert archer. All he had to was to assume the heart that was available, teachable, humble, dependent, seeking, promoting God’s honor, God’s target, God’s impossible tasks. And, David looked to the true Rock eternal, the Cornerstone, the firm foundation, Jesus Christ, the perfect Son, the perfect Bow in the hands of the Father as his true hope.
Beneath you, what does God find today? Does he find a bow he can empower and use to hit the impossible targets?
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