Sermon on February 27

 1 Samuel 16:7 For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Don’t judge a book by its cover. You know that old saying. Well, know this: God does not judge by outward appearances. He judges by what’s in your heart.

Saul was the first king of Israel, but it didn’t go well. He was evil – evil to the heart. And his worst evil was that he didn’t listen and didn’t obey the Word of God.

In the verse just previous to the Old Testament reading today, it says this:  “And Samuel (Samuel served as prophet at the same time that Saul served as king) did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:35).

So God speaks to Samuel here in Chapter 16 and says, “Let’s not grieve over Saul any longer. Go and Anoint a new king. Go down to Bethlehem and I will show you who I want to be my king.”

Now Bethlehem was not a very important town at that time, but we know it would become so. And already here God is preparing for the great event to take place in Bethlehem, by choosing a new king and a new line of kings from Jesse’s family.

So God sends Samuel to Jesse’s house in Bethlehem. And Jesse introduces his sons to Samuel. Everyone would expect that the oldest, the first born would be the choice. Eliab was by all appearances the excellent candidate. He was well-built, tall, strong.  “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7.

Seven sons of Jesse, each in turn, are brought before Samuel. None are chosen. So Samuel says, “Have you got anyone else?”

And Jesse says, “Just the little one, David. He’s out tending the sheep.”

“Go get him.” Says Samuel.

David is brought in and he’s the one! And he is anointed, the King of Israel, the best King ever.

We know David yet today. We know something of his heart. We know his faith. The Holy Spirit of God was on him and led him to write Psalms that are sung and prayed by believers for 3000 years now, Psalms like the 23^rd, where the former shepherd boy, now King, David, praises “The Lord is my Shepherd.” And another, Psalm 51, which will be a prayer included in our service Ash Wednesday. It’s the Psalm that says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

You see, David wasn’t without flaws. He sinned. In fact, he was guilty of some big sins. To the guilty, the notion that God sees in the heart is shocking. It incites fear, regret and shame. It’s from the heart where all sin starts. Evil thoughts and desires fill the hearts of sinful human beings.

The sinner can’t say, I’m going to change my heart. I’m going to fix it. NO, as David teaches us, the only way to pray is to ask God to create a new heart within me.

Lent is our times to prepare our hearts for Easter. How? Not by outward appearances. It’s not about outward things (like eating more fish and seafood, although that’s ok to do if you enjoy it). It’s about the inward work of God, the Creator, creating something new within us. And He does that by the Word of Christ. When we hear and believe that Jesus lived, died and rose again to save us, God creates in us new, reborn hearts.

We hear in the Gospel reading today, what great things Jesus can do. A blind beggar cries out to Jesus, “Son of David! Have mercy on me.” The beggar recognizes that Jesus is in the kingly line of David. Jesus is the King greater than his ancestor.

Jesus says to the beggar “, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well”  (Luke 18:42). How would Jesus know this man has faith? He was just a beggar along the road, annoying people who walked by. Jesus, the Lord, looks at the heart. He sees this man’s faith.

Also in the Gospel reading we hear Jesus predict his death in Jerusalem (Luke 18:31-34). Evil men would judge Jesus and find that he deserved crucifixion and death, even though he had done nothing wrong, nor was there any evil in Jesus’ heart. The hear of Jesus was pure and innocent, righteous and holy. But sinners back then. . . well, all sinners of the world, you and me, made that pure heart of Jesus stop beating.

On the third day it beat anew. In heaven it beats now for you. The Lord loves you from the heart.  He forgives your sins from His heart. He keeps you in his heart. Which is why I can now say to you: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Amen.