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The Lord does not see as a man sees,

DANNY A OLIVA / 2022-05-01

 
" But the Lord said to Samuel, ' Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as a man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.' " ( I Samuel 16:7) NKJV.

Introduction

 A. As the election draws near, it is good to talk about the basis for choosing our nation's leaders.

  1. Does God give guidelines for choosing the nation's leaders?

  2.Let the Bible speak on this subject as Jesus stated in John 8:32

 B. In this lesson, we shall study the following:

  1. How men choose their leaders

  2. How God chooses leaders of a nation

  3. Essential traits of a nation's leaders

Discussion

 A. How men choose their leaders-the case of King Saul

 1. Saul stood head and shoulders above everyone else, I Samuel 9:2

 2.His traits: charismatic, militaristic but self- aggrandizing tyrant

 3.Won military battles, I Samuel 11:1-11

 4. Faithful to God at first, but disobedient later

  a. I Samuel 11: 13-14

  b. I Samuel 14: 24-30

 5. " Man looks at the outward appearance"

  a. Popularity

  b. Wealth

  c. Education

B. How God chooses leaders of a nation- the case of David

 1. He was " insignificant" to the prophet, I Samuel 16:6-11

 2. David's physical disadvantages

  a. The youngest in the family

  b. Not a pure Israelite as Ruth his great, great grandmother was a Moabite, Ruth 1:1-4; 4:21-22

  c. Even Goliath belittled him, I Samuel 17:42

 3.But charisma is not what God values but character

 4." God looks at the heart!"

 5. David called " a man after God's own heart," I Samuel 13:14

C. Essential Traits of a Nation's Leaders

 1. Integrity- " being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness."

  - doing the right thing even if no one is watching

  - establishes justice and does not receive bribes, Proverbs 29:4

   - Providing for honest things in the eyes of God and men," 2 Corinthians 8:21

 2.Competence- " ability to do something successfully or efficiently"

  - ability to identify problems and find the right solutions

   - the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work,"  2 Timothy 3:17

   - power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual

   - competence should come from God, 2 Corinthians 3:5

 3. Leadership- " process of social influence- maximizing the efforts of others towards the achievement of a goal."

   - ability to inspire people to perform a particular task

    - capacity to translate vision to reality"- Warren Bennis

    - leaders will be those who empower others"- Bill Gates

    - leadership is influence- nothing more, nothing less"- John Maxwell

Conclusion

 A. " Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance," Psalm 33:12

 1.To be more blessed spiritually, we have to:

  - believe in Christ 

  - confess Him as Lord and Savior

  - repent of our sins

  - be baptized for forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

  2. Accept His invitation now, Matthew 11:28-30

  3. Now is the day of salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2