TO CHEW ON: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people looks at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” 1 Samuel 16:7
For a long time Samuel felt sad about Saul and way he had turned out as king. One day God said to him, “Stop feeling bad about Saul. Today I want you to anoint a new king.” Then God told him where to go (Bethlehem) and which family the new king would come from (Jesse’s).
When he got to Bethlehem, he invited Jesse and his sons to join him and other people in offering a sacrifice to God. Then he asked Jesse to introduce him to his sons.
The first son, Eliab, was tall and handsome – just like a king. But God said, “Don’t judge by his height and good looks. I see his heart, and I have rejected him.”
The same thing happened when Jesse’s second son met Samuel, and the third, and the fourth, all the way to number seven.
“Is this all the sons you have?” Samuel asked Jesse.
“There’s one more,” Jesse said. “He’s the youngest and he’s tending sheep.”
“Get him,” Samuel said.
When David, Jesse’s youngest, son got there, Samuel saw that he was just a sunburned kid. He didn’t look like a king at all. But God said to Samuel, “He’s the one!”
Then Samuel poured oil on David’s head as the person God had picked to be Israel’s next king.
PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to have a heart that pleases You. Amen.
MORE: Inner versus outer
Many people judge us by how we look on the outside. They decide whether we’re worth getting to know and have as a friend by how beautiful or ugly we are, if our clothes are in or out of style, if we’re smart or slow, fun or serious. But those things aren’t all that important to God. He focuses on the appearance of our hearts.
Spend a few minutes thinking about how your heart looks to God. Are you full of love for Him? Do you want to please Him and do what He asks no matter what? Or are you full of yourself and determination to have your own way?
No matter what you find, God can change your heart so your attitudes and actions become more and more beautiful to Him.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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