On the Heart

I Sam. 16:7

"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."

God was instructing Samuel on the reasons for His choice of a new king. The first king, Saul, was chosen because he looked the part. He was a "handsome, young man," in fact more handsome than any other man in Israel, and "from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people" as well. But in spite of this, his track record was not good. He was plagued by disobedience, fear, willfulness, and blame shifting. All of those things might work with men, but not with God. The final straw was in the case of the Amalekites whom he was to destroy utterly. When Samuel came to him, he claimed to have done what God had commanded, but Samuel could heart the bleating and lowing of the livestock. He knew that the Amalekite king was there. When confronted, Saul said the he feared the people and obeyed their voice. Really...I think not. Saul no doubt thought if he asked for pardoned, Samuel would do it. But not this time. Samuel said, "For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king of Israel...The Lord has torn the kingdom from you this day and has given it to a neighbor."  With God. obedience is not an option! The Lord delights in nothing as much as in obedience.

Who was this neighbor? Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse where he began going through son after son. Of course, when he first saw Eliab, he thought this must be the one. He looked the part! But God's choice was not the likely one from man's point of view, it was the youngest son who was still out keeping the sheep. His father had not even brought him in for Samuel to see. When David came in from the fields, Samuel took his oil and anointed him. "And the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward." What was David like? It says that he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and handsome. Later when he was chosen to be Saul's musician and armor bearer, he was described as "a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech,and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him."  Perhaps, the most important thing is that the Lord was with him. He was chosen by God not on the qualifications of his appearance, but on the priorities of his heart. God looked on his heart and found what delighted him: obedience.

Father,

Keep my heart tender and obedient. Take away my concern over the opinions of others and appearance. Let me see You in all that I do, think, and say.

In Jesus name,

Amen