Wow! Today’s reading is packed with some notable events! King Saul defeats the Amalekites but disobeys God and keeps the spoils for himself, and God rejects him. Samuel anoints David to be the next king of Israel. A spirit of depression and fear comes and torments Saul. David is brought into the king’s court to soothe Saul with music. The Philistines and Israel end up in a standoff, and David kills Goliath! A lot is going on! Woven through all these events is the theme of the heart, and four hearts stand out, to be specific.
Saul’s heart was not a right heart before God. God commanded Saul to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came out of Egypt (1 Samuel 15:2). This was not Saul’s battle; it was God’s battle (Exodus 17:16), and He had a specific plan. But Saul disobeyed, sparing their king’s life and taking the best of the spoils that God forbade. When Samuel confronted Saul, he lied, argued, and referred to God (Yahweh) as Samuel’s God—not his! (1 Samuel 15:13-15)
God’s heart was sorely grieved that He had ever made Saul king, and this grieved Samuel’s heart. (1 Samuel 15:10-11) God then tells Samuel to find and anoint a son from Jesse’s family to be the next king. This next king would be a man after God’s own heart. As Samuel reviews the sons of Jesse to determine God’s choice for the next king, Samuel makes the mistake of looking at the outward appearance. Notice what God says to Samuel.
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6–7, NLT)
The fourth heart we encounter is David’s heart. His heart is right and true before God. When David learns of the Philistines taunting Israel and Goliath blaspheming the God of Israel, he is not gripped by the same fear that has taken hold of Israel’s army. With a true heart, a heart of great courage, David goes against Goliath and slays him.
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, (1 Samuel 17:45–46, ESV)
As a young boy, I remember my pastor often saying, “The heart of the matter is always the heart.” Theologically, the heart is a big topic! Devotionally, notice what the Bible says in the following verse.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23, KJV)
Let us be careful to keep a right heart before God! An obedient heart, a tender heart, a holy heart, a courageous heart, a devoted heart, a heart wholly given over to loving God! Let us not grieve God’s heart, but let’s rejoice our hearts in God our Saviour.
Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 1 Samuel 15:1-17:58.