Why Did God Choose King David and the Apostle Peter as Some of His Leaders?

It's interesting how some bring up the themes, maybe in the prayer like they did today, or the first message. We don't coordinate this. Everybody has to be guided by God's Spirit, so we don't interrupt or get involved. But it's very interesting that I also have a subject that has been brought up twice already. And I'd like to begin with the question I think many of us have asked.

Why did God choose King David and the Apostle Peter as some of his leaders? After all, they both committed very serious errors and sins in their lives. David had Uriah, one of his faithful soldiers, killed to cover up his affair with Uriah's wife Bathsheba. He also made a census in Israel that cost 70,000 lives.

What about Peter? He lied and betrayed Jesus Christ three times while Jesus Christ was being crucified. What made God want to choose them to lead his people despite their grievous mistakes? Remember, God is not a respecter of persons. He doesn't show favoritism. In Acts 10, verses 34 and 35, Acts 10, verses 34 and 35, I'd like to read it in the New Living Translation.

Then Peter replied, I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.

In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. So I submit to you there were three main characteristics in David and Peter which superseded any of their mistakes. Superseded means that it goes above. It rises above any of the mistakes they made. And it's very important for us to look at these three attributes and see how many we have. Because God has to be patient with us. He has to forgive our sins. And what was it that David and Peter, of course others in the Bible did too, but there are two characters, two persons that showed very strong examples. That they overcame their mistakes and God forgave them and continued using them powerfully despite their human nature and their problems. And so here are three main characteristics that the Bible shows us about them. That they were able to overcome and God was able to forgive and still use them powerfully.

So what are they? The first one. Purity of motives. Purity of motives. What the Bible calls the heart. Purity of heart. The inner motives of what people do. So God looks at the heart because there are a lot of people that might never have done any of these things, but they didn't have the purity of motives that David and Peter had. Notice in 2 Samuel 16, 2 Samuel 16, in verse 1.

It's 1 Samuel, right? 1 Samuel 16 verse 1. This is a very interesting story. It shows again how honest the Bible is.

It doesn't exaggerate virtues. It doesn't highlight the heroes like they were all impeccable and without sin. In 1 Samuel 16 verse 1 it says, Just like we ministers carry our oil to anoint the sick, but it can also be for anointing a king as it was here.

And go, I am sending you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons.

Well, that scared Samuel right away. And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. Because by this time Saul's heart was very bad. He had become vindictive. He had gone after people that were innocent just because he thought maybe somebody was going to take over his position.

And so even the prophet Samuel, who was a person revered by the Israelites, he said, doesn't matter. Saul's going to kill me. If somehow it tarnishes his rule over Israel. And so God didn't say, oh Samuel, you're wrong. He wouldn't do that to a prophet of God who was the one who anointed you. Look, people can be very vindictive and they can lash out once they've seized power. And so God said, take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Because Samuel was a prophet. He was also part of the priestly line. And so he had a right to offer sacrifices where he wanted to then. He says, then invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for me the one I named to you. So Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem and the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, do you come peacefully? What are you doing here? Don't you know how Saul is so suspicious of anything you're going to do? Because God had already told Saul, look, you're not going to continue. And so Saul wanted to grasp power. He wanted to remain that way. And so these people, they were scared.

And he said, peaceably, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. It looked very, Samuel did this all the time.

So it was when they came, he looked at Eliab and said, surely the sons, the Lord's anointed is before him. I mean, he was the oldest. He was already a mature man. He was apparently very nice looking, good charismatic personality. And Samuel was just taken by the attractiveness and how this looked like a natural leader.

But the Lord said to Samuel, not look at his appearance, because he looked impressive, or at his physical stature, because he looked like he was a tall guy, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance. But the Lord looks at the heart. What is the heart? The inner motives of the person. The purity of heart. So Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. And then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, are all the young men here? Then he said, there remains yet the youngest. And there he is, keeping the sheep. This wasn't an impressive guy. This was still kind of a teenage fellow. And while all the other brothers were at the altar and doing all these things, somebody had to tend to the sheep. And so it's always kind of like, right? The smallest guy, the last one. And Samuel said to Jesse, send him and bring him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. So he sent and brought him, and now he was ruddy with bright eyes and good looking. And the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is the one. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose and went to Rama. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul's servant said to him, surely a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful. Play here on the harp, and it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you. And you shall be well. So God said to his servants, provide me, now a man who can play well and bring him to me. Then one of the servants answered and said, look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person, and the Lord is with him. Well, if you notice here, before this time, David was just a young man, but that was his reputation. And in chapter 17, David defeats Goliath. But David's troubles were just beginning because Saul made his life impossible. And as Graham brought out about when Saul was trying to kill him, and I have that scripture where you see the attitude of David in 1 Samuel 24, verse 14. And one of these, here's about, what, almost 10 chapters, and they're all about Saul trying to kill David with a big army. And David has to rely on God helping him because he'd already become the anointed. But David had the purity of heart, and he said to Saul, in verse 14, he says, After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be judged, and judge between you and me, and see, and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand. So it was when David had finished speaking these words to Saul that Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? It's almost like another spirit came. He went back to being more normal because he had that vindictive spirit.

And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David, You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me, for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. And then he says, verse 20, And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

Why? Because David's purity of heart. You might not get rewarded in this life, but that purity of heart is wonderful and so greatly esteemed by God the Father. You have to do things with all your heart, as it tells us there about the commandment, to love your God with all your heart, with all your mind. David did. He wrote those 150 Psalms. He didn't write each, every one of them, but the majority of those 150.

And he showed that purity of heart. And he asked God to clean me, help me. In 1 Kings 15, verse 5, purity of heart doesn't cost as cent. It doesn't depend on anybody except yourself. And yet it's one of the greatest attributes that God saw in David, the purity of heart.

In 1 Kings 15, verse 5, he is talking here. It says, because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. And so we see here when David had died, what was David's reputation before God? Now he wasn't going to erase that, but he knew this is a man I can trust.

He is going to do my will. Now, has any human being ever done God's will? 100%? No. But David's purity of heart was his condition. It was his natural way of doing things, except here that time and also the senses. But that even is not considered as terrible as the other one. But David repented of that senses as well. Notice in Ezekiel 37 what God considers many hundreds of years after David had died. Ezekiel 37 and verse 24. This is talking about the establishment of God's kingdom.

And it says, David, my servant, shall be king over them. And they shall all have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes and do them. It says in verse 25. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob, my servant, where your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell there. They, their children, and their children's children forever. And my servant David shall be their prince forever. So remember in those Old Testament times, that was a time where Israel was surrounded by enemies. Where people did not have God's spirit in them except a few of God's servants like David did.

And so these were times like the Wild West. And God saw in David the right type of attitude, that purity of heart. What about Peter? Let's go to John chapter 1. Did Peter have the purity of heart? John chapter 1, verse 40. These are some of the first disciples of Jesus Christ. It says in verse 40, One of the two who heard John talking about the Baptist speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which is translated to Christ. And he brought him, talking about Peter, to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, he said, You are Simon, the son of Jonah.

You shall be called Cephas, which is translated a stone. Now we know it doesn't mean Petra, this huge rock, but it meant this man had a solid quality behind him. And he was one of the ones that God could use, because Peter was fully committed, and he had that purity of spirit. Notice in Luke chapter 5, Luke chapter 5 and verse 1.

So it was, as the multitude pressed about him, talking about Christ, to hear the word of the Lord, that he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake. But the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, talking about Simon Peter, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When he had stopped speaking, he said to Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

Now these men, they had already tried the whole night. They hadn't caught one tiny minnow of a fish. But Simon answered and said to him, Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink.

So they had probably a ton of fish by that time. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. That was his attitude. He didn't feel, Oh, I'm glad God's going to call me. I'm such a wonderful, perfect person. No. No, there was this humility of heart. There was this recognition that he wasn't worthy of Jesus Christ.

And he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish, which they had taken. They were professional fishermen. They would have known whether this was some anomaly or this was a huge miracle. They had all the different evidences that this was a miracle. And so all were also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid. He said, Don't worry about being so perfect. I'm using imperfect men. From now on, you will catch men.

So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed him. It wasn't that they were so special, but they were willing to follow him and were willing to sacrifice. Why? Because there were a purity of motives. Now, Jesus Christ could have chosen the great masters of teachers in Jerusalem. But somehow there wasn't that purity of heart that he was looking for. I know there were some that he was able to use later, Joseph of Arimathea and other men, Nicodemus, certainly the parents of John the Baptist, Zachariah.

They were all pure of heart. But look at that type of characteristic. Let's go to Luke chapter 22 verse 31.

Luke 22 verse 31. It says, then the Lord said, Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. Satan always goes to the head, and he knew Peter had that potential to be a great leader of those twelve disciples. And so Satan wanted Peter. Christ said, but I have prayed for you. And that is a powerful prayer from Christ, that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. But he said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death. I mean, talk about a dedicated heart, full commitment.

Then he said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know me. So again, was Peter perfect? No. Peter makes serious mistakes and betray his man. Yes. How about the heart? God did not see. That was a wrong spirit. And Peter had weaknesses, just like David has weaknesses, just like we all have weaknesses. But the purity of heart is what erases so much. If God looks and says, this person is genuinely dedicated and has genuinely repented, he has given himself to me, for me to mold, to guide, to use. That was what these men did. Notice in John 21, John 21, verse 14.

Again, now Jesus is speaking to Peter and John and others. This is the resurrected Jesus Christ. He's already now in a spirit body. Now he can fly at the speed of thought. And it says here in verse 14, this is now the third time Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? Do you truly put me first among all these friends of yours? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs.

He said to him again a second time, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. These are different Greek terms. One is more like, do you like me? The other one is more, do you love me? And then he said in verse 17, he said to him the third time, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? Agape. That's the sacrificial love. That's the greatest love. And don't you think behind Peter's mind, oh, oh, three times. That's how many times I betrayed Jesus Christ. But you see, Jesus Christ didn't send your hand and be.

No, he just said, Peter, are you ready now? Are you ready to give yourself completely and lovingly to me? And Peter said, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep. Most assuredly I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wish. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

And Peter, according to historical tradition, was crucified. But he said, crucify me, but not with my head up, rather my head down, not worthy to have the same thing as Jesus Christ did. And they crucified him with his head down. Now, we, this is not biblical, but it is a very early tradition that that's the way he died. And it says in verse 8 and 19, this he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God, which apparently was crucifixion.

And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. So you see, God looks at the pure hearted. He doesn't look at the height or the intelligence or whether a person has money or not or what race they are, what color. No, it's what kind of heart does a person have? Are they truly giving themselves in the right way? If you do it, do it seriously. Don't do it halfway, because it's not going to work. This is not going to marriage. It has to be true love to be able to be lasting.

And of course, you have to make it grow, because it's not automatic. When we started, we might have had a pure heart, but we didn't have much sense up here in the head, right? We had to mature as a person.

So the second characteristic is something that is shown more on the outside now. If you have a pure heart, what is the second characteristic that you're going to see in a person? Lasting humility. Lasting humility. If God is there, you're not going to be all puffed up. You're not going to be vain and cocky and... ...conceded. Notice in 2 Samuel chapter 2 about David. 2 Samuel, because David showed it throughout his whole life.

2 Samuel chapter 12.

In verse 13. This is after he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 12 verse 13. So David said to Nathan, the prophet, I have sinned against the Lord. He wasn't trying to cover it up. He woke up to realize what he had done. In his lust and in his wrong attitudes and spirit, he had just been taken by that. And now he wakes up and says, look what I have done to God.

And Nathan said to David, the Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. Which he deserved to do, but God said, I see you, David's heart. I see a spirit of repentance, and that he is not going to continue that way. And as a result, David wrote Psalm 51. Let's go to Psalm 51.

This shows David's attitude. And we have all used Psalm 51 many times in our lives. There are times when you just have to go before God as forgiveness. It says in verse 1, have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight, that you may be found just when you speak and blameless when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, means human nature, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, your desire truth in the inward, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, which is a type of soap, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me out from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of your salvation, and uphold me by your generous spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall be converted to you.

So we see that humility that David had in his life. When David is about to die, he gives a whole chapter in 2 Samuel 22. And in this whole chapter, as he looks back in his life, he's not thinking about all he has done. No, he's looking at what God has done. Notice in 2 Samuel 22.

I'll just read a couple of parts there, because it's a very long hymn that he composes. But I'll read here in verse 2. And he said, Time and time again, he just humbled himself before God, and God listened. And then, as the last words in chapter 23, verse 1, it says, Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David, the son of Jesse.

Thus says the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was on my tongue. And the God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spoke to me, he who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light on the morning when the sun rises, and morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. And so that's the way it is. If we're worthy, and I mean by that, with God's mercy, if we're able to be part of that first resurrection when Jesus Christ comes back, we're going to see David as a resurrected being, working under Jesus Christ and Abraham and others.

And we're going to get to know him, and we're going to be able to see in him the qualities. And God will have perfected us. So we shall all have the same qualities, and we can go forward. So right now, we've got human nature to overcome. We've got many things. What about Peter? Is Peter a humble person? In 1 Peter, chapter 5, 1 Peter, chapter 5, verses 1 through 7, is a study on humility.

Here Peter, already finishing his race, but look at the humility that he has. In 1 Peter, chapter 5, verse 1, this is what Peter says, The elders who are among you I exhort. I who am a fellow elder. So how does he start? He doesn't say, oh, I'm Peter, the apostle, important guy here.

No, he says, look, we're all fellow elders. And I'm a fellow elders. See, he had learned humility, even as his own vocabulary, his words. He says, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Shepherd, the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly. Not like a person where a minister is kind of reluctant. He would rather be doing something else.

And well, I guess I was ordained, so this is what I have to do now. That's why we don't do that. Before a person's ordained, we ask and make sure that person is doing it, not by compulsion. Well, I guess I'll have to do it. No. It's because, as he says here, but willingly, with that willing heart, a servant's heart, not for dishonest gain, not to say, oh, now I've got a salary here, and I'm set up now with this.

But eagerly, he was a servant before he got hired, not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock, you see. Peter was not a lord. He was not one of these churches where you have men that lord it over others and submit people to them.

No. He said, not like lords at all, but being examples to the flock. It's what you are that speaks louder than what you say. You can see by the example. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. That's what we're waiting for. Not the praises of men, not what people think. It's what Christ will say one day to every one of us. And the last trait that these men had was courageous perseverance to the end. Courageous perseverance to the end. As you know, as a young man, David was willing to fight Goliath, probably about nine feet high, a man like that.

And he had everybody intimidated, including Saul, which was probably close to seven feet tall, because it says there that Saul was about heads and shoulders over most of Israel. Nobody wanted to do that. And this man, he had such purity of heart, the humility to know God is going to fight my battles and the courageous perseverance to the end.

Notice what it tells us in Psalm 78, verse 70 through 72. And the Bible study that we're going to have this afternoon deals with a lot of these subjects, because it's talking about the ministry in chapters 3 and 4 of 1 Corinthians. It talks about what God expects of the ministry. It says in Psalm 78 and verse 70, it says, He also chose David, his servant, notice king or Lord, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, from following the ewes that had young he brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. So he shepherded him according to the integrity of his heart, which means purity, sincerity, wholeness of heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. So yes, David is a tremendous example of courageous perseverance to the end. What about Peter? Let's go to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1.

In verse 15, Peter is very close to his death, which he knew was not going to be pleasant. He was going to be a martyr. And Peter says, Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease, after his death. For we did not follow, currently devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. In chapter 3 of the same 2 Peter verse 17, it says, You therefore, beloved. These are the last words we have of Peter. Since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness. Peter had that steadfastness. David had that steadfastness. Being led away with the error of the wicked, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So Peter also had that courageous perseverance. Yeah, these men were weak. If it hadn't been for God, strengthening them, giving them that strength, and that they were weak, and God brought the strength and power to them. It's wonderful to feel that.

In 2 Timothy chapter 4, Peter felt the same way that the rest of the apostles, 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 6 through 8. Paul expressed it the best, but they all went to their deaths thinking the same thing. 2 Peter 4, 6 through 8. It says, For I am already being poured out, a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. That's what I want to know. That's what I want to say at the end. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing, all who love when he appears again. So these are three attributes God found in these men.

First, about purity of motives. Secondly, a lasting humility, not short-term, but throughout their lives, through all the ups and downs. And finally, courageous perseverance to the end. So that was found in these men, and hopefully it will be found in us.