Sunday Recap for 11/12 Big Picture Question: What happens when we judge by appearances?
Sunday, November 12, Evident Grace Fellowship looked at 1 Samuel 1:17-27:
17 Now, Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; eand Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
We sought to answer this Big Picture Question:
What happens when we judge by appearances?
And we found these 3 answers:
- The Good
- The Bad
- The Ugly
The Good
1 Samuel 10:17 Now, Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’
Even when our desires are based on what “looks good” or even what the world says is “good”, God is faithful. He was faithful to the people of God from Abraham, through the Patriarchs, through slavery in Egypt, through Moses, through Joshua, and He is still faithful even though His people have rejected them. God is faithful to you as well.
The Bad
1 Samuel 10:19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.” 20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; eand Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
The people of God wanted a king like the nations, and they got one: cowardly king who hides in the baggage and has no heart for God. The people of God gather to be accused by God and receive their king. They looked out at the world and got exactly what they wanted. Friends, when we judge by appearances and ask God for what we want, sometimes, God gives us those things to bring us back to Him.
The Ugly
1 Samuel 10:25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
The people of God have their king, and they are already fighting. Some follow the king, and the worthless men don’t. Whenever our desires are run by outward appearances, there are always disagreements as to what that should be. The people have the king they want, and they are already fighting.
If appearances were what we should be drawn to, then we would have no hope as Christ went against all expectations.
Isaiah 53:2b-3 He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
And there is nothing about the believers of Jesus that should draw people to ourselves. If that was the case, we would boast. Instead, what should draw others to us is only Jesus.
I Cor 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Big Picture Question: What happens when we judge by appearances?
Truth: Judging by appearances causes us to forget God’s faithfulness, trust our wisdom, and walk away from God’s best in our lives.
Application: Live knowing that you are called by God to imitate His love as you trust His leadership and love others.
Action: Stop categorizing people as worthy of hearing the Gospel or not.