Overlooked
The job posting for a senior pastor required "transformational leadership," "top notch" Bible teaching, and meeting "standards of excellence." As I read through the twenty-four bullet-points describing the church's ideal candidate, I felt exhausted. Perhaps some disciples of Jesus have ten times the stamina of the ordinary person, and this church will be faithfully shepherded by an outstanding pastor. Or perhaps what we demand from pastors is setting a trap that guarantees their eventual failure.
1 Samuel 16:1-13
The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have seen among his sons a king for myself." But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You shall anoint for me the one I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" He said, "In peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before him." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not see as a person sees: a person looks at the outward eyes, but the Lord looks at the heart." Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse had Shammah pass before him. But he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the boys?" He answered, "The youngest still remains, and look, he is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we will not turn aside until he comes here." So Jesse sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a fine appearance. The Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose and went to Ramah.
God tasked Samuel with the ultimate job search: find the next king of Israel. Complicating matters, the current king, Saul, was anxious about being displaced. So it's likely, as was the custom, that Saul set up a network of informers throughout his kingdom to report back on any hints of a coup. Further, when God's prophet showed up unannounced, with a sacrificial heifer in tow, it could mean he had come to address serious sin in your village. So the elders fearfully come out, and ask the all-important question: do you come in peace? Samuel puts them at ease, and sets in motion a process that leads everyone in the small town of Bethlehem to consecrate themselves. It's a shrewd move that keeps everyone busy, attentive to God, and committed to the process. Eliab meets the job description. That is, he looks like a king. Samuel is supposed to be the most spiritually aware person in Israel. From his perspective, "surely" Eliab is the one. But God corrects him: You're using the wrong criteria to evaluate him. I've looked at his heart, and I've rejected him. Without God's intervention, Samuel would have made the same mistake twice. Both Saul and Eliab were tall, but that didn't qualify either of them to be God's king. With pride, Jesse showed Samuel seven of his sons. But to his disappointment, none of them were picked for the job. Samuel is left wondering: is anyone left? Jesse doesn't even name him. He reluctantly acknowledges that the runt of the family is not present, because he's out in the hills, taking care of the sheep. The prophet asks that he be brought in. One of my friends recently organized an event to honor the special needs students at his school. It was the first time anyone had done this. Their parents came up to him afterwards with tears of gratitude and joy. No one else had seen their children the way he had. I wonder if our demand for successful leaders means we'll keep getting leaders who know how to get us to accomplish their goals. The unseen work of building friendships and serving our neighbors isn't impressive and can't scale. Until we want to be like Jesus more than we want to be associated with celebrities, we'll keep being successful without God. As the sun beats down on the villagers, a messenger runs out to the hillside, looking for a band of sheep and their shepherd. Perhaps it was a short trip, or they awkwardly waited for hours. But as soon as David appears, the Lord makes it clear: the one person that everyone overlooked is the one he wanted to be king. Samuel makes it official, and the Spirit makes it real. The whole process was training Israel to spot Jesus when he came. But at the start of his ministry, Nathanael had the same kind of question: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).
Why do we keep seeing scandals implode large ministries?
When God looks at your heart, what does he see as your greatest desire?
Whose desire to be like Jesus makes you want to follow Jesus?
Ask God to show you one friend you've been overlooking because they are humbly serving others. Send them a text, "I see what you're doing for others. I thank God for the example you're setting for me."