I Samuel 16

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I Samuel 16:7, 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 look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

In this chapter, we see Samuel anoint David to be king.  Young David was God’s choice for the next king of Israel.  What’s interesting here is that all the obvious choices are rejected by God.  God sought the youngest son of Jesse, the shepherd boy, the lyre player.  I love the language in today’s focus verse, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  As humans, we judge others by their appearance, their speech, their abilities, their job, even where they’re from.  Without really knowing a person, we judge and criticize them (I see this happen all the time inside the church.) 

But God could care less about any of these attributes!  God cares about the heart.  Are we loving?  Are we kind?  Are we obedient?  How could we be different as a body of believers if we ONLY looked at the heart? 

If you didn’t read through the whole chapter, I encourage you to do so.  It’s fascinating to see how God orchestrates events to bring Saul and the newly anointed David together.   Be sure to check it out.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, We are judgmental people.  Help us look at people through your eyes.  In Your Name, Amen.