The Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Two seriously ill men occupied the same hospital room. The man in the bed by the window was allowed to sit up for about an hour each day to help drain fluid from his lungs. The other was required to lay flat on his back after surgery.

During their days together, the two men became friends. They talked extensively about their families, their careers, and their past experiences. And during the hour or so that the one man was allowed to sit up, he would describe for his friend all the things that could be seen outside – through the window. One day, he described the unfolding beauty of Spring as the flowers outside the window blossomed into radiant colors. Another day, he talked about the parade that was passing by on the street below. He described the parade in such exquisite detail that his friend could almost hear the trumpets playing and the drums keeping the beat.

Though the man confined to bed could not see these things, he could at least imagine them. And they gave him a sense of comfort and hope.

Late one night, the patient by the window passed away. The other man was brokenhearted. How he would miss his friend. And how he would miss the description of the world beyond the window.

The next day, the man asked if his bed could be moved to the place by the window. The nurses agreed, and a short time later, the other hospital bed was rolled away and his was rolled into place. Then the nurses left, and he was alone.

Slowly, painfully, the patient raised himself up on one elbow to gaze outside. At last, he would get to see the world’s beauty for himself – with his own eyes. Higher and higher he lifted himself until his head raised over the window sill, and his eyes caught sight…of nothing. There was nothing there! The window faced the brick wall of another building!

The man called the nurse and asked how this could be. He told her about the parade, and about the flowers bursting into colorful life. Why would his friend make up such things?

The nurse shrugged her shoulders and said she didn’t know. Maybe just to cheer him up and make him feel better. But what, she said, was stranger still – was the fact that the other man… was blind!

Blessed are those who see things the rest of us don’t see.

That’s not a verse from the Bible, but it surely represents one of the great truths of the Bible. The life of faith, the character of belief, the practice of spirituality require us to see things other people don’t see. And this requirement is precipitated by the fact that God looks at life differently than we do.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways”, the Lord says in the prophet Isaiah.

God looks at life differently than we do.

Samuel the prophet is sent to Bethlehem to select a new king for Israel. Saul – the current king – is in trouble. According to the latest CNN/Time Magazine poll, Saul’s favorability rating is down. His unfavorable rating is up. This is based upon a telephone interview with just one respondent – God. And this poll has no margin of error. Saul is on his way out.

So God sends Samuel to anoint a new king. God sends him to Bethlehem. Samuel thinks this is a strange place to go to look for a king. After all, Bethlehem is a tiny little village inhabited by the smallest tribe of all the tribes of Israel.

But then, God looks at things differently than we do.

So Samuel goes to Bethlehem, to the house of a fellow named Jesse. God says one of Jesse’s sons will be the man.

That night, there’s a pot-luck supper at the church. While Samuel pours coffee for each one coming through the buffet line, he notices Jesse and his sons. The first one is Eli’ab. Tall. Strong. The eldest of Jesse’s sons which means, of course, that according to the Law he is set aside to serve the Lord. Eli’ab is prominent in local politics. He holds all the right positions on taxes, education and abortion (which he personally opposes, but recognizes that people aren’t ready to give up the freedom to choose). Surely, this is the one, Samuel thinks! But the Lord says, “No.”

The next one coming along the buffet line is Abin’adab. Handsome. Calm. Capable. Abinadab’s plate is virtually empty because he will not eat meat, and has a reverence for all of life including plants and trees. He wears a button that says, “I invented the Internet” and entertains the children by dancing The Macarena. Surely, God must have chosen this one, Samuel believes! But the Lord says, “No.”

Then comes Shammah. Rhodes scholar. Former pro-basketball player. Bright. Articulate.

“Nope!” says the Lord. “Not this one either.”

And so the seven kids of Jesse pass through the line. The one with the red plaid shirt. The one who ran the Red Cross. Even the one with the big ears from Texas.

“Nope. Nope. Nope,” says the Lord as they pass by.

You see, God looks at things differently than we do.

“Are these all your sons, Jesse?” Samuel asks.

“Well, no. The littlest one is out watching the sheep.”

“Send for him,” says Samuel.

And a short time later, David comes in. No credentials. No experience. No nothing.

And God says, ‘BINGO! This is the one!”

Now, let me assure you that this is not a political sermon, and I in no way take liberty with the story in order to defame those who may have once run for the presidency of our nation.

But it is to illustrate that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are God’s ways our ways. And one of the most difficult challenges you’ll ever face in growing as a Christian is to acknowledge that most of the ways you and I look at life are not even close to how God sees things.

Now. here’s the key verse in 1 Samuel 16: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Have you ever learned to look at the heart?

Now God is not talking here about looking at a person’s heart in the sense that we might try to see and understand their inner motives and good intentions. For instance, my best boyhood friend Dennis Astrella and I once almost burned down a whole neighborhood. We were launching a rocket – to advance our careers as potential astronauts – and the field we were using as our own Cape Canaveral caught on fire. And we couldn’t stop it. A breeze kicked up, and off went the raging blaze toward the houses on Beverly Road. So we did the only thing we could do. We picked up all the evidence and ran like heck. Went home and to our bedrooms and hid under the beds. Thankfully, the Fire Department put out the fire before it got to the houses. Can you imagine the headline?

Neighborhood Destroyed By 12-Year Old Boys.
Neighbors Say, “Well, At Least Their Hearts Were In The Right Place”

Too often people trivialize this issue of the heart.

I wonder if you might think of it today, from another angle. And that is, that God looks upon people and events from the perspective of what he is quietly, and lovingly, and powerfully doing in the background. To look upon the heart, is to perceive what GOD IS DOING in the inner life of a person or a moment.

Although the seven sons of Jesse looked great to Samuel and had all the credentials in the world, it was the eighth child upon whom God had placed his Spirit, and within whom God was working to shape a king. Samuel couldn’t see it at first, but God taught him a new skill of looking upon the heart.

Are you willing to learn how to look upon the heart?

Let me share with you three brief insights.

First, when you look at other people, understand that God is present and at work within them. Every human being has a component within that is a divine work-in-progress. We saw that vividly displayed in the movie Schindler’s List”. The film tells the true story of Oskar Schindler – a businessman – a Nazi – a not-too-nice character. And yet, as the holocaust takes place all around him, Oskar Schindler senses a stirring within his own soul. Something deep, something long-hidden begins to influence his decisions. He begins to use his money, and his business acumen to save Jews from the death camps. The product of his factory is not so much war material as it is salvation. Over one thousand Jews were saved by Oskar Schindler. And toward the end of the story, when the war is over, Schindler is presented a beautiful humanitarian award. As he looks at the medal, he calculates its worth. And then he begins to weep as he realizes how many more human beings could have been saved if he’d had that award to sell. No longer does he see life in terms of material wealth. Everything is now measured in terms of the value of saving others.

And, if you can believe it, the same power is at work in the life of the person you disdain, the person you don’t agree with, the person whose life is far different than yours, the person who is your friend, the person who is your enemy, the person whose lifestyle makes you want to cringe.

God looks upon the heart and all that he is doing within it. Will you ask God to help you see, too? And if you can perceive God-at-work in the lives of others, learn to support God’s efforts. Work at affirming God’s presence. Seek to empower others to recognize it within themselves.

Second, be on the lookout for eighth children. The ones who don’t fit in. The ones who are not in the mainstream. The ones nobody else likes. The ones never listened to. The ones disenfranchised from the benefits everybody else receives. God seems to have a special place in his heart for people on the fringes. And although you and I like to associate with those in the top seven – its often the eighth child in whom God is truly at work. So look for the eighth child and stick up for them!

Finally, hallow – treat as holy – even the darkest moments of life. For God is at work to bring about good.

You see, as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, in that time long ago, those who managed his career thought he could maximize God’s work in a variety of ways. Some wanted him to do an interview with Barbara Walters. Others felt he should write a book. Some brought up the idea of cable television. Others wanted to build a big church.

People saw Jesus’ ministry in a lot of different ways.

But people look at the outside. The Lord looks on the heart.

So as the disciples paraded these options before God, just like Jesse paraded his seven sons, God said “no” to Barbara Walters. “No” to writing a book. “No” to cable television. “No” to building a church. No. No. No.

And when all these obviously popular opportunities were exhausted, God asked the disciples, “Are there no more options left?”

And they answered, “Well, yes there IS one more. There’s that old rugged CROSS over there on Calvary.”

And God said, “That’s the one.”

Dear friends, even the darkest moments are places God makes holy.

So as we enter this fifth week in Lent, I want to challenge you to look at life from another angle. Ask God to help you look on the heart of those you encounter. Ask God to help you be on the lookout for eighth children. And ask God to help you value every moment and every experience as a holy place within which God resides.

Blessed are those who see things nobody else sees!