Monday 28 Oct 2019

October 28: 1 Samuel 16:4-7

Key Verse: 1 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.”

Devotion:
Samuel was sent to anoint David to be the next king and told to take a heifer sacrifice with him so Jesse (the father of David) would know he was coming in peace. This was because there was a great respect for the prophets at that time by many of the people; they would fear their coming in case their past sins were going to be uncovered! If you have ever been in great debt or have done something terrible in your past, then you know what it is like to live in fear of someone coming to find you out!

After things settled down a bit, Jesse was asked to bring his sons before Samuel so the Lord could show Samuel which of the sons was going to become the next king. So, as was the custom, the eldest son was presented first. Samuel was sure this fine young man would be the one chosen to be king because of his outward appearance – just as Saul was chosen to be the first king because of his outward appearance!

But God had other plans and indicated to Samuel this son was not the one, telling him not to look at the outward appearance but to look at the heart; this is what God was doing. We have a saying which is: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We do tend to look at how things or people appear and make an initial judgement accordingly – this is not what God wants from us.

God wants us, just like Samuel back then, to look at what is on the inside because the appearance can be so deceptive. Take a bit of time to see what people really are like and don’t pass them by just because they do not fit into your description of what is good! God knows what is in people’s hearts and is not bound by their looks. We don’t always have that privilege because we can be persuaded by appearance so easily.

Points to Ponder:
What was your first impression of some of your friends?

Will you allow God to guide you to the right people?