Root 66 – 1 Samuel
Our feet always follow our heart. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything else flows from it. Today, Pastor Alex spoke to us about having a heart for God, and showed us the difference between Saul’s heart and David’s heart.
Samuel, the prophet of Israel, is around when the judges go away. They become obsolete because:
1. Samuel was old.
2. Samuel’s sons were not walking in his ways.
3. The people asked for a king.
Samuel gets to anoint the first king of Israel. King Saul was chosen because he was tall, dark, and handsome (Ch 9:1). Saul was not a king that honored the Lord, and he didn’t obey His commands. In Ch.16:1, The Lord asked Samuel to anoint the next King. He told him to “Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” In verses 6-7, we see that the LORD looks on the heart of a man. David was a simple shepherd boy that was the youngest of Jesse’s sons. When Samuel anointed him with oil, the Holy Spirit “rushed upon David from that day forward.” He had a heart for God. We see this over and over again in David’s life through his writings. Psalm 139 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
A Heart of God:
1. A servant’s heart – 1 Samuel 16:12
2. A committed/strong heart – 2 Chronicles 16:9
3. A sensitive heart – John 10:27
4. A mouth that blesses – Matthew 12:34
5. A person that is quick to repent – Acts 13:35
To Discuss Today:
1. Why did Saul lose God’s favor? How is David’s life different?
2. Who do you know that has a heart for God? Why would you characterize them that way?
3. How do you “guard your heart”?