THE RIGHT FIT
- The Lord's servants are hand-picked
- The Lord's servants are well-equipped
David was out with the sheep in the pastures around Bethlehem. He was just a boy at the time and taking care of his father’s sheep was one of his regular duties. It was something he was good at and a job that he took seriously. But on this particular day David was probably a little irritated that he had to be out there. Because the well-known and the well-respected prophet, Samuel, had just arrived in their little village of Bethlehem! And not only had Samuel showed up in the town where David lived, this famous prophet of the Lord was actually coming to David’s own house! Samuel had personally requested to meet at the house of David’s father, Jesse, and to offer a sacrifice there! What an unexpected honor! What a privilege! But as everyone was gathered there to celebrate with Samuel, David himself was stuck in the fields taking care of the flocks. Somebody had to; the sheep couldn’t be left alone. And since David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, the short straw automatically fell to him. He had to work while the rest of his family got to meet this spiritual celebrity of Israel.
But as David was sitting out there watching over the sheep, suddenly someone came running to him from the direction of his father’s house. “David! Come on! Let’s go! Samuel the prophet wants to see you!” this messenger must have said. “Really? Me?” David probably wondered. “Who’s going to take care of the sheep?” “I don’t know! It doesn’t matter! Just hurry up because Samuel specifically asked for you!” And David must have ran back to the house as fast as he could to see what this legendary man of God wanted with someone like him. Of course, what Samuel wanted was something David never could have guessed. The moment David entered the house Samuel got up from where was sitting, took a animal’s horn filled with oil, walked right up to David, poured the oil on his head, and proclaimed him as the next king of Israel in front of all of the elders of Bethlehem gathered there, in front of his own father, and in front of his seven older brothers still standing in the room. Soon after, Samuel left and went back to his home in Ramah leaving a surprised father and probably some jealous brothers to figure out what had just happened.
As an older brother I’m sure I would have been jealous. “Out of all the people Samuel could have picked, David is going to be the king? The youngest out of all eight of us? The kid who sits out in the fields all day playing the harp to himself and talking to the sheep? That doesn’t seem right! Why not someone a little older and more experienced? Why not Eliab, the tallest and most impressive and the firstborn son of our father?” Why not the firstborn? Why not someone a little older? Why not someone a little more experienced? Because as the Lord had told Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” God did not choose Eliab or Abinadab of Shammah or any other of the older sons. David was the one who had been hand-picked by the Lord himself. David was the one whom God told Samuel to anoint. There was no denying what had just happened in the house of Jesse that day. David was the one who was chosen whether or not anyone else thought he was going to be the right fit for the job.
I would guess that David’s relationship with his brothers was a little strained after that. They certainly weren’t about to bow down to his feet or give him any special privileges in any way. They were still his older brothers and he was going to continue to do what they told him to do! In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to me if his brothers treated him a little harshly because of what had just happened. They probably didn’t think he was qualified or capable of the position because they had grown up with him and they didn’t think of him as anything special - he was their youngest brother, after all! This attitude is, ironically, the same kind of attitude that people had about David’s most famous descendant, Jesus Christ, many years later.
Do you remember what the people around Jesus’ time thought of him? When he performed miracles and claimed to be the Son of God, the Bible records that the people said to themselves, “‘Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3). They took offense at him because Jesus wasn’t all that impressive as far as how he looked. He wasn’t outwardly overpowering or “god-like” in the eyes of those around him. He didn’t seem to be the right fit for the prophesied Messiah because the Messiah was supposed to be a king and a conqueror who would save the people from their enemies! Jesus seemed to be just a regular man. And the people had a hard time accepting the fact that Jesus was the Chosen One even though they heard God the Father speak from heaven about Christ when he was baptized in the Jordan River and they saw the Holy Spirit descend on him in the form of a dove. The Father made it clear that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had been hand-picked to do the work of saving people from their sins, regardless of what other people thought about him.
And that same thing still happens today. Not only with Christ but with the other servants that God has chosen for his work. God’s hand-picked earthly servants are sometimes dismissed as the right fit for the job because of how they look or how they speak or what we think we know about them. Each of us has come into contact with plenty of different pastors and teachers and different called workers over the years. And for each one of them we automatically make a determination based on outward appearances that aren’t as important as we make them out to be. “He’s too old to be a decent pastor anymore… He’s too young… She’s overweight! How is she ever going to teach phy. ed. to the kids!... He always reads his sermons off the page so he must not put in a whole lot of preparation time … He doesn’t seem to connect with children very well; I guess he’s not an outreach-minded pastor… She’s never in her classroom after hours! How can she say that she prepares lesson plans for the following days?... He doesn’t really have a personality that’s right for the job… She doesn’t seem to fit in with everyone else… He’s kind of goofy looking… She always looks mad… He doesn’t talk to me as much as I think he should… She wears too much makeup…” And I’m not accusing you of saying some of these things about me - even if you have! I’m just reviewing some of my own thoughts about the Lord’s hand-picked servants that I have known over the years and some of the shallow evaluations that I’ve heard from others. We like to determine who fits our ideal candidate for the public ministry and who doesn’t. And to those who don’t we tend to show less respect and less love and less honor, even though we are looking at outward appearances because we certainly cannot look at the heart.
We cannot forget that these are God’s special servants. Hand-picked, in fact. God chose them to do a specific job in a specific place for a specific reason. Sure, they all have their faults, and so do I, but their weaknesses and their failures do not take away from the fact that they are the right fit for that job at that time. Things might not go according to plan and the results might seem to be disastrous at times, but the Lord hand-picked that person and placed him/her in that situation for a good reason. Maybe to teach that servant a lesson; maybe to teach us; certainly to drive his people closer to his Word in one way or another, whether through a pleasant situation or a difficult one. And in any case, we have no right to dispute the Lord’s decisions about whom he hand picks because only he can read the heart.
David ended up being a fairly decent king, wouldn’t you say? Even though he started from very humble beginnings and those around him probably doubted he’d ever turn into anything great, he was definitely the right fit for the job. Not only because he was hand-picked by the Lord, but also because the Lord made sure that he was well-equipped for the job ahead of him as well. David was a shepherd by trade; he was used to taking care of sheep and he frequently put his life on the line to defend them. As king and the spiritual leader of Israel years later, he continued to do the same thing for his flock. David himself recounts how he fought off wild animals to rescue his flock; and in his battle against Goliath David reassures everyone else that just as the Lord had protected him against a bear and a lion in the pasture, the Lord would surely give him the victory over the heathen Philistine giant. Soon after Samuel anointed David, King Saul was looking for someone to soothe him with music; and the Lord conveniently led Saul to choose David so that this young king-in-training could live in the palace for years before he took the throne. David was even appointed as an officer in Saul’s army, gaining experience for the wars he would have to lead his people through in the future. The Lord made sure that his hand-picked servant was well-equipped to do what needed to be done.
Jesus was no different. This special hand-picked servant of the Lord was also well-equipped to do the job assigned to him. He was a true human being so that he could suffer in our place and die for our sins. And he was true God so that he could live a perfect life and rise from the dead. He was from the city of Nazareth and born of a virgin girl in the town of Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecies spoken about him hundreds of years before. He was filled with wisdom to answer his enemies’ trick questions. He was filled with power to heal the sick and the physically disabled. He was filled with love to forgive those who hated him and to sacrifice himself for those who doubted him. Jesus was perfectly equipped to do everything that had to be done for your salvation. He was prepared for what was to come, he was willing to undergo the difficulties, and he was capable of handling the pressure of someone in whom very few people believed. His enemies despised and rejected him, but his Father exalted him to his right hand. His countrymen mocked him and beat him, but his children now revere his name. We question his selection of servants and disrespect those he has placed over us, but he uses those very servants to feed us the gospel words of our salvation. Our Servant-Lord is well-equipped not only to do what no one else can do, but he is also well-equipped to well-equip the spiritual leaders he has hand-picked to lead the ones he has saved.
These spiritual leaders the Lord has assigned to us might not be perfectly suited as Jesus was to do the job, but they are still the right fit. Because Jesus himself gives them the tools and the training to serve his sheep. Jesus himself bestows on them the honorary title of pastor or teacher or staff minister or missionary or director or president or professor. Jesus himself gives them the breath-taking task of publically proclaiming the gospel on behalf of his people. It is true, unfortunately, that some of these hand-picked servants end up throwing their title away in unbelief or arrogance or sinful mistakes. David’s own predecessor, King Saul, did. And so did many of the kings after him. But a failed servant is not the fault of the perfect Master. He didn’t make the wrong choice or put that servant in the wrong situation. The Lord did exactly what had to be done at exactly the right time. And so as long as one of the Lord’s spiritual servants is still one of the Lord’s spiritual servants, we are to honor them and respect them as such. They have been hand-picked. They have been well-equipped. They are the right fit. Because “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” And he sees not only what one of his servants can do, but also exactly what you need. And he will make sure that you are taken care of by the leaders he carefully selects for your benefit.
Amen.
“Jesus appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” - 1 Tim. 3:16
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