Chosen: What March Madness Can Teach Us About God’s Selection
Scripture: 1 Samuel 16
Selection Sunday
Today has been called “Christmas for college basketball fans.”
It is Selection Sunday for the NCAA basketball tournaments. Tonight the selection committee will reveal the 68 teams chosen to compete in this year’s March Madness tournament. Some teams will celebrate as their names are announced. Pep bands will play, confetti will fall, and fans will cheer.
But not every team will make the list.
Some will be chosen, and some will be left out.
In many ways, this process of selection reminds us of another important moment in history found in the Bible. In the Book of 1 Samuel, the people of Israel were going through their own kind of “selection process” as they searched for a new king.
Israel Wanted a King
Before Israel had kings, the nation was led by judges. These judges were not courtroom officials wearing robes. They were spiritual and military leaders who guided the people, reminded them of God’s will, and helped keep the tribes united.
Among the judges were figures such as Deborah, Gideon, Samson, and Samuel.
However, the people of Israel began looking around at neighboring nations and noticing something different. Many of their neighbors were ruled by kings. The Hebrews began to believe that perhaps their system of leadership was outdated.
Like the old saying suggests, they believed that the grass might be greener on the other side.
So they asked Samuel to appoint a king.
Samuel warned them this decision could lead to exploitation, higher taxes, forced labor, and loss of freedom. A king might take their sons for war and their daughters for service. Yet the people insisted. They wanted a king like their neighbors.
Under God’s instruction, Samuel selected Saul as Israel’s first king. Saul seemed like the perfect choice. He was tall, handsome, and impressive in appearance.
The people celebrated. The selection process was complete.
Or so they thought.
When Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Over time, the warnings Samuel had spoken began to come true. Saul overstepped his role and failed to follow God’s direction. Eventually God rejected Saul as king.
Samuel was heartbroken. He wondered if he had misunderstood God’s will.
But God spoke to Samuel again and told him it was time to choose a new king. This time, Samuel was sent to Bethlehem to visit a man named Jesse and his sons.
When Samuel saw Jesse’s oldest son Eliab, he immediately assumed he had found the next king. Eliab looked strong and capable. But God spoke to Samuel and gave him a powerful reminder:
“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature… for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
One by one, Samuel met Jesse’s sons. And one by one, God rejected them.
Finally Samuel asked, “Are these all your sons?”
Jesse replied that the youngest was still out in the fields tending sheep.
Samuel said simply, “Bring him.”
The Unexpected Choice
The youngest son was David.
David was a shepherd boy, likely between 10 and 15 years old. He was not tall or impressive like Saul. In fact, many people dismissed him because of his youth and appearance.
But when David entered the room, God spoke to Samuel:
“Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.”
— 1 Samuel 16:12
David was the unexpected choice. Yet God saw something others could not see. God saw David’s heart.
Later, when David would face the giant Goliath, people again doubted him because he was young and inexperienced. But time and again David’s story reminds us that God measures people differently than the world does.
God looks at character.
God looks at integrity.
God looks at the heart.
Choosing Leaders with God’s Wisdom
Next week our own church will participate in a kind of selection process as we choose individuals who will serve as our church leaders.
As we consider who will serve as moderator and members of the Board of Stewards, we are encouraged to follow the same principle that God shared with Samuel.
We look beyond outward appearances.
We look beyond age or prior experience.
Instead, we look for the spiritual gifts that the Apostle Paul describes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Sometimes the people who demonstrate these qualities are unexpected choices. Yet throughout history, those unexpected choices have often become the most faithful and effective leaders.
Chosen for God’s Work
When Samuel anointed David, Scripture tells us that “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.”
The same can be true for us.
When we listen carefully for God’s guidance and seek leaders who desire to serve, we begin to see the Spirit at work in powerful ways. The church grows stronger, ministries expand, and communities are blessed.
So on this NCAA Selection Sunday, as basketball teams hope to “punch their ticket” into the tournament, we are reminded of a deeper kind of calling.
Each of us is chosen to serve.
And together, as a spiritual team, we follow God’s guidance with excitement and joy as we work to bring healing, hope, and love into our community.
___
Peace & Blessings,
Pastor Richard
Reflection
Where in your life might God be calling you to look beyond appearances and see with the heart?
Join Us on Sunday
Worship 10:00AM
