Outward Appearances
. . . man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
In 1 Sam 16, David is formally introduced in the Old Testament. However, although David appears in the story in 1 Samuel, he was mentioned much earlier. In Ruth 4:17 we read, “The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son!’ And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” The story of Naomi is a story of preparation. Naomi lost her husband and sons but gained a lifelong companion and friend in her daughter-in-law Ruth. When they returned from Moab to Bethlehem, Naomi’s losses had made her bitter. But, when Ruth married their near kinsman Boaz, their son Obed brought Naomi renewed hope—and even more, made her the great-grandmother of David, Israel’s greatest king.
However, when the Israelites asked for a king, to be like other nations, God accommodated the people and gave them a man who was physically imposing like the other nations had (1 Samuel 8:5 & 9:2). But because Saul’s first years as king were marked by faithlessness and disobedience, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king (1 Sam 16:1-13). When Samuel saw Eliab, the oldest son, he assumed that God had chosen him to be king because he was physically impressive. But God challenged Samuel’s thinking: “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v 7). God had chosen David to lead His people (v 12).
When evaluating people’s ability and suitability for His purposes, God looks at character, will and motives. He invites us to be attuned to see the world and people as He does—focusing on peoples’ hearts and not their outward appearance or credentials.
Bible Reading
Bible:1Samuel 16:1–7.
Prayer
Dear God, please help me not to evaluate people based on their appearances. In Jesus name. Amen.
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