AVAILABILITY, A CRITERIA?

And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children? And he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither. 1 Samuel 16:11

AVAILABILITY, A CRITERIA?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 13-15

After Saul’s disobedience, God rejected him as king over Israel and chose David the son of Jesse. He told Samuel (the king maker), I am done with Saul, there is no point mourning over him. I want you to fill your horn with oil and go to Jesse’s house; I have chosen one of his sons as Saul’s replacement. When the old prophet got to Jesse’s house, he told him, bring out your sons because the Lord has chosen one of your lads to be the next king of Israel. Delighted Jesse lined up his seven sons before Samuel. The moment Samuel saw the first born, Eliab, he arose to anoint him because the young man ticked all the boxes. He was tall, handsome with a charming smile. As he took out the horn to anoint him, the Lord said to Samuel, I have rejected him! Outwardly he is good but inwardly he is terrible.

Many a times when God warns us against certain people, we find it hard to believe because these people appear perfect outwardly. They don’t smoke, drink, swear, fornicate, etc. By the time we get to 1 Samuel 17:28, we see the true Eliab. His father (Jesse) sent his younger brother (David) to bring food for him and his brothers. The moment he saw David, he didn't even ask about his welfare or his father’s welfare, he just began to scream and shout at this poor boy for no good reason. Eliab was charming outside but wicked and angry on the inside. Anyway the second born (Abinadab) passed before Samuel and he said “next”. They brought the third born (Shammah) and he said “next” again. The Lord rejected all of them. 1 Samuel 16:11 says And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children? And he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither.

They moment Samuel saw David, the Lord spoke and said, that’s the one, anoint him for Me as Saul’s replacement. David had prepared his heart before God. He had passion for God and the things of God. He had a personal relationship with God. He had endured a lot of pains; he had been attacked by bears, lions and other beasts in the field and conquered them. He had learnt how to cater for the helpless, the poor and the needy (sheep). From this story, we see that, the fact that a fellow is available does not mean God will use him. When we are appointing people into position, let us not choose those who are available but those whose heart are right before God. Eliab and his brothers were available but their hearts were not right before God. It is better to sing without anyone playing the instruments than to sing with people whose heart are not right with God, playing the drums, piano and other musical instruments. An instrumentalist whose heart is not right before God cannot lead people into God’s presence.

NOTE: It is better to use people who are unskilled whose heart are right before God than to use people who are skilled but whose heart are not right before God.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.