1 Samuel chapter 16. And for the sake of time, I'll
just read the first verse and then comment on some following
verses on down through verse 13. But 1 Samuel chapter 16. Seems the thought throughout
our class this morning and all has been the fact that Our God
is one step ahead of us. He's many steps ahead of us.
And that he is working behind the scenes all the time. I want you to look at this one
verse. And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn
for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and
go. I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have
provided me a king among his sons." Not only does Old Testament
prophecy point to the Lord Jesus Christ, but also Old Testament
history. Many events and many characters
point to Christ. And of course, David is at the
top of that list of such characters pointing to our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. In so many ways, his life and
experience projects the life and experience of the Lord Jesus
in the New Testament. And certainly this is not coincidental.
David was appointed from eternity to be this picture type of the
Lord Jesus in Old Testament times. Christ made the statement in
Revelation 22, 16. He said, I am the root and the
offspring of David. In other words, both the root
and the offspring. He was born of me and I was born
of him. I am the root of David. He came
from me and I am the offspring of David. I came from him. And the Lord says here in verse
1 of this 16th chapter, 1 Samuel, these six words toward the end
of the verse, I have provided me a king. This is the Lord speaking to
his prophet Samuel. And he says, I have provided
me a king. The immediate reference we know
is to David. But the ultimate reference is
to Christ, God's own son. He's the King. I have provided
me a King. Speaking more clearly of his
son, Psalm 2, 6, yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of
Zion. That's not just talking about
David. That's talking about Christ. I have provided me a king. Now, the first thing we see here
is that in this passage, we learn that David is the favored one
of God, and it goes back generations. In the book of Acts, chapter
13 and verse 22, the apostle Paul is at Antioch. And he's
speaking about the history of Israel, how God brought it all
about. And he says, and when he had
removed him, talking about Saul, the first king, he raised up
unto them David to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony
and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after
mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Now when God said,
I have found David, he does not mean that he was unaware of David's
existence or whereabouts at the time, oh no. But by the statement,
I have found David means that God had reached into that secret
place known only to him and brought David forth. He brings him forth. The Lord has been preparing him,
molding him. grooming him. He's been hidden
in the secret place. He's been hidden in the solitude
of the shepherd fields. Known only to God, he's to be
king. In the book of Proverbs chapter
8, Christ spake of his own secrecy and his own keeping. He's to
be king. He's the King. In Proverbs chapter
8, I want to read this hurriedly. It's talking about Christ. Proverbs
8 verse 22. The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of his way before his works of old. I was set up from
everlasting, from the beginning or ever the earth was. This is
Christ. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth. when there were no fountains
abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills was I brought forth, while as yet He had not
made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when He prepared the heavens, I was there. When
He set a compass upon the face of the depth, when He established
the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass
his commandment. When he appointed the foundations
of the earth, then I was by him, as one brought up with him. And I was daily his delight,
rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable part
of his earth. And my delights were with the
sons of men, a favored one, a favored one. David was, Christ was. Now referring again to Acts 13.22,
the Lord said, David is a man after mine own heart, and that
he was. But Christ was God's own heart. He was God manifesting himself
in a body of flesh to lay down his life for the sin of his people. So David was favored, Christ
was well favored. Now in this passage here in 1
Samuel 16, Jesse had seven sons at home, which he thought appropriate
to be taken to this sacrifice. Samuel is coming to make an offering. And when Samuel got around to
the business of anointing one of Jesse's sons to be king, he
begins with the oldest. And his name was Eliab, verse
6. And the Lord says, that's not
him. And then he goes on to the next one, Abinadab. And then Shammah, the third of
them, threw all seven of them. And that's not them. That's not
them. But yet, here in verse 1, we
read that the Lord said, I have. I have provided me a king. In other words, this is nobody's
doing but my own. I've done it. He's already rejected
Saul. In the previous chapter, Samuel
tells Saul twice, the Lord's rejected thee. You're no longer
going to be king. Then going into chapter 16, he
tells Samuel, I have provided me a king. He didn't wait until
there's a vacancy to fill the vacancy. No, the Lord is working
behind the scenes. I have, I've done it. You see,
just as all the great I am statements of scripture magnify God's person. I am, I am, I am. The I have
statements magnify his power and his wisdom and his forethought,
his foreknowledge, his sovereignty. I have already taken care of
this. I have provided me a king. And
he says to Samuel, I'm sending you to the house of Jesse. Now, this is the first mention
of Jesse in the scriptures, except in the book of Ruth, chapter
4, where there he is mentioned as the grandson of Boaz and Ruth,
at least two generations before he's born here. But in this present
verse, the Lord says to Samuel, I want you to go to Jesse, the
Bethlehemite. Well, here, Jesse has no prominence. He has no position. He's unheard
of. He has no place. in the projected
future of the great tribe of Judah. He is really a nobody
until the Lord calls to the attention of his prophet Samuel and says,
I want you to go to this man Jesse. He's a nobody. Not only a nobody, but he's a
nobody from nowhere. He said, I want you to go to
Jesse the Bethlehemite. Now Bethlehem was not only not
prominent at this time, it was practically non-existent. It
was unheard of. Because when the Israelites entered
and occupied Canaan in the book of Joshua, the entire 15th chapter
of the book of Joshua, 63 verses of it, are given to marking out
the borders of Judah, and naming the cities and villages of Judah,
63 verses of it. And guess what? Bethlehem is
not even mentioned. Now it means a lot to us, but
hey, in that day, in this time right here, Bethlehem was a nothing,
a nowhere. So the Lord is saying, Samuel,
I want you to go to a nobody, from nowhere, with no prospects. Oh, he's got
a house full of sons. But you won't be able to find
my king among what he'll show you. See, that's the difference. So the story progresses. And Jesse brings seven sons. When Samuel got around to the
business of anointing one to be king. He begins with the oldest,
Eliab. And he said, oh boy, this is
bound to be him. Surely, this is the one. He looks like king material.
He's tall and handsome. And the Lord says, Samuel, look
not on his countenance or the stature of his height.
It's not about how he looks. You can't figure this out, Samuel. This one you're so sure of, I
have refused him." Then the Lord made the familiar
statement, man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looketh on the heart. So then Jesse calls a second
son. Neither hath the Lord chosen him. Then the third, neither
hath the Lord chosen him. And he goes through all seven
of them, and God says no. And then in verse 11, Samuel
says to David, something's not right here. Something's not adding
up here. Is this all your children? Is
this all your sons? And Jesse said, well, there is
one other, my youngest. But he's not sure not cut out
to be king. Wouldn't be him. And then Jesse, look at this
in verse 11. Jesse makes one of the most beautiful
little statements in all the old Testament in the middle of
verse 11. Look what he said. Behold, he keepeth the sheep. Jesse did not mean this statement
in a complimentary way. He was saying that little David
was qualified for nothing better and nothing greater than just
being a shepherd boy. Many times in ancient Israel,
they say a little girl would keep the sheep. In other words, Sons, men, would be working the
fields or would be military men or these kind of things. Here's
a little boy that's good for nothing but keeping the sheep. So this
is not meant as a complimentary statement. But yet, when we apply
it to the greater David, Christ our Redeemer, How profound and
how beautiful is this a statement? Behold, he keepeth the sheep. That's what he does. That's what
he said he does. John 10, my sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. That's what I do. Behold, he
keepeth the sheep. Now note that he's not keeping
goats and wolves and wild beasts. They keep themselves. And they'll
tell you, by the way, they keep themselves. They don't need the
Lord. They'll tell you that. But he keepeth the sheep. And this blessed truth I want
to say to you this morning feeds my soul every day that I live. Behold, He keepeth the sheep. We don't keep ourselves. Oh,
no. We don't keep each other. Oh,
no. Where did you go last week that
you kept yourself? What did you do last week that
you kept yourself? Oh, no. Behold, he keepeth the
sheep. And that word, behold, behold,
It means look, listen up, hear this, behold, he keepeth the
sheep. He's the faithful shepherd king. He is the provided one of verse
one. Initially it was David, ultimately
it's Christ. He keepeth the sheep. When we needed a sacrifice for
our sin, he laid down his life for the sheep, John 10, 15. You
remember Genesis 22, when Abraham needed a sacrifice, his son Isaac
said, behold, a fire in the wood, but said, my father, where is
the lamb? In the very next verse, Abraham
said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb. Not provide for
himself, but provide himself. He is the lamb. That's why Christ
came into the world, to provide himself a lamb. While we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. In the Old Testament, when
sustenance was needed, Food, care. You remember, God rained
down manna from heaven for down to 40 years to feed the Israelites. Well, in John chapter 6, speaking
of that provision back there, Christ said, I am that bread
that cometh down from heaven, except ye eat my flesh. and drink
my blood, not literally, not as cannibalism. That's what they
didn't understand. Except you partake of me spiritually.
Except your hope be in me. Except your trust be in me. Except
your rest in me. You perish in your sins. Christ
is our sustenance. He keepeth the sheep. And then
Christ is our sanctuary. our hiding place, our worship
place. Oh yes, that's who He is. You
look around and say, well, I don't see much going on around here. It's not what's going on, it's
who's going on. Don't spend your life looking
for bright lights and the flashy things of the religious world. Oh, but God said be still. Be
still and know that I'm God. You're not going to learn anything
running around looking. No, be still. Be still. What's he doing? Behold, he keepeth the sheep. You see in this text, Samuel,
the prophet, didn't know the answer. Jesse, David's own father,
didn't know the answer. They had to wait for God's time.
and God's revelation to understand anything. This is a good lesson
for us. And then a lot of folks walk
into church, look around, turn their nose up, say, I don't see
anything here for me. Well, I guess they don't. I guess
they don't. I'm telling you, this Adam's
race is a pitiful lot. And we're part of it. And apart
from the Spirit of God We'll all act like a bunch of fools
till we plunge into hell. That's the bottom line. But for
the grace of God, bless his holy name. He's our sanctuary. Thinking
about David, after he's gone, Solomon his son said this in
the Chronicles. He said, send me now therefore
a man cunning to work in gold and silver and brass and iron
and purple, crimson and blue. that can scale to grave with
the cunning men that are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom
David, my father, did provide." David was the provider of all
the goods, all the materials, and all the finances for the
temple that Solomon got to build after he's gone. Well, a greater David, a greater
David, Christ is the provider of our sanctuary. He is our sanctuary. We don't hide in a building.
We don't hide in religious formalities. We don't hide in talent to teach,
preach, or sing. We hide in Him. He is our hiding
place. We say with the old brother,
top lady. In his great hymn, Rock of Ages
cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. I'm not interested in
hiding in somebody's religion. Oh, no. Just be able to pat people
on the back and them pat me on the back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No,
no, no. In Christ. In Christ is our sanctuary. He's our hiding place. Samuel said about this one that
you don't seem to think too much of. He's just out there keeping
the sheep. Go fetch him. That's a good word. A lot of you young folks never
heard that word fetch. It's right here in the book.
Oh, it's probably not in these modern versions, but it's in
the Bible. Send and fetch him means to go get him. That's what
my grandmother used to say. Fetch me in some kindling. Fetch
me this. Go fetch him. It's right here
in the book. And so Jesse did. Went and got him. He's the Lord's king. I have
provided me a king. Not a prospect. Not a prince. Not one that I'm hoping will
work out. Not one that I'm hoping will
mature enough to be king. Oh, no. He's God's king out yonder
taking care of the sheep. Now, he's not as mature as he
would be later on. We know that. But you see, God's
word is the guarantee that it'll be so. God never said, I found
a fellow that I think might possibly No, he said, I have provided
me a king. It's a done deal when God says
it. So you see, when God speaks, visible evidence is not the issue.
His word is the issue in spite of evidence, whether there be
any or not. So the Lord says to Samuel, I'll
show him to you. And he does. And he does. They brought David in. The Bible
says in verse 12, he was ruddy with all of the beautiful countenance
and goodly to look to. Not to look at, but to look to. Read your Bible. Little words,
little words. Goodly to look to. He's trustworthy. He's dependable. He's faithful. When I called for him, he wasn't
standing around twiddling his thumbs. He was out yonder, in
obedience to his father, where he was supposed to be, doing
what he was supposed to be doing. He'd keep it the sheep. He's goodly to look to. When
it brought him in, the Lord said to Samuel, Arise, anoint him.
For this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of
all and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose
and went to Ramah. In the New Testament, John chapter
1, John the Baptist is preaching, baptizing the Jordan River. And the Lord showed him the shepherd
king that he's provided. John saw him and said, behold,
the Lamb of God. He's the sacrifice. He's the
shepherd. He's the king. And upon being
baptized, the Bible says the heavens opened and God testified,
this is my beloved son. in whom I am well pleased. And there was an anointing that
day, just like there was back here in Samuel's day, David's
day. And the anointing that day in the Jordan, the Spirit of
God descending like a dove, lighting up on him. This is the one. This is he. Behold, he keepeth
the sheep. This is him, God. has provided. This morning, as his people,
as his sheep, how blessed it is to my heart to know that he
keepeth the sheep. Now as a straying sheep, living
in disobedience and rebellion, you have every reason to wonder
if you are one of his sheep. By pretending to be our own keeper,
we profess to be something other than sheep. But in the wilderness, in the
world, a sheep will grow weary, confused, and afraid, and will
long for the shepherd to come and take him home. Do you have
any such longing in your heart today? That's the evidence of
being one of His. I trust you do. Keep on calling
on Him. Keep on waiting for Him with
this blessed confidence. Behold, He keepeth the sheep. They shall never perish. It's
a done deal. All right. Thank you for listening.