For great part of my
life I had lived as a “people pleaser”: What would people think of me if I …? Would
they like me better if I …? Even trying to follow what was considered modern
and of good principles according to this world’s standards was
overwhelming! This same pattern of
thinking had made me focus on the outside of people, which of course lead me to
great mistakes and suffering!
Today we find Samuel
making a similar mistake as he is following God’s instructions to anoint the
man who would take Saul’s place as king. God said: “Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.” (1Sa. 16:1) “6 So it happened, when they had come, he looked at Eliab
[the eldest son] and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed
is before Him.” 7 But the Lord said
to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees
not as man sees; for man looks [b]at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (16:6-7)
God looks at a person’s
thoughts and intentions (16:7).
(1)
It
was a statement of fact. Man
looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Even the
best of men will look at the outward appearance. Samuel was guilty of it
right at that moment. We must understand that we can't read the secrets of
someone else's heart, and we often do only judge on outward appearance.
"The world is full of idolatries, but I question if any idolatry has been
more extensively practices than the idolatry of the outward appearance."
(Blaikie)
(2)
It
was an exhortation to godly thinking. God was telling Samuel, "Your natural
inclination is to only judge on outward appearance. But I can judge the heart
that you can't see. So look to Me, and don't be so quick to judge a person only
on their outward appearance." Samuel needed to know his natural
inclination to judge only on outward appearance, but he didn't have to
give into it. He could seek the LORD and seek God's heart and mind when looking
at people.
As we continue reading
we find that: “10 Jesse had seven of his
sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has
not chosen [any of] these.” (16:10)
Eliab and the seven
oldest sons of Jesse were perfect potential kings as far as the flesh is
concerned, but they were ALL rejected by God! God didn't want a king after the flesh. God
looked for a different kind of king, a man after His own heart (1 Sa. 13:14).
Then Samuel asks
about a missing son (16:11):”Jesse replied, “There is still one left,
the youngest; he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and
bring him; because we will not sit down [to eat the sacrificial meal] until he
comes here.”
"So small was
David in his father's esteem that it wasn't considered necessary to include him
in the family when the prophet of God called them to sacrifice." (Redpath)
And there he
was, keeping the sheep, apparently a simple job, but he was being faithful in
small things and obeying his father.
"David was none
of your strutting peacocks who cannot be content unless all eyes are upon them;
he sang God's praises as the nightingale will sing in the dark when no human
ear is listening and no eye is admiring. He was content to bloom unseen,
knowing that the sweetness of a renewed heart is never wasted on the desert
air. He was satisfied with God alone as his auditor, and he coveted not the
high opinion of man." (Spurgeon)
“Keeping the
sheep took a special heart, a special care. It meant you knew how sheep
needed the care and help of a good shepherd. It meant that you knew you were a
sheep and God was your shepherd.” (Psalm 23) (Redpath)
Once I surrendered my
life to Jesus, He made me understand who I was in Christ (Col 2:10, 3:9-14) and
that He was whom I had to serve and please (Psalm 2:10-12)! God often chooses
unlikely people to do His work, so that all know the work is God's work, not man's work. He wants to
work in a way so that people regard His servants as they regarded Samson: they
wondered at the secret of his strength (Judges 16:5). It is all about God and
His Perfect Plans!
Remember: "You
may not be intellectual or well thought of in your family circle; you may be
despised by others for your faith in Christ. Perhaps you had only a little
share in the love of your parents, as David did. But remember that those who
are rejected of men often become beloved of the Lord." (Redpath)
Blessings!!
Mari
