1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 1 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Billy Crystal played a character some years ago on SNL called Fernando, and he had a segment called Fernando's Hideaway. His ket line always was to say, "It is better to look good than to feel good!" How sad that some people actually believe that and make judgments about people based on appearances. This classic story of the selection of the second king of Israel has at its key, the verse captioned in the heart above. The first king, Saul, was selected and a telling part of that story was that Saul was handsome and shoulders taller than the rest of the men in Israel. (1 Samuel 9:2). The same is expected in this second selection of Israel's successor to Saul. The household was identified as that of Jesse, and the prophet Samuel arrives thinking that the logical choice would be the oldest and/or handsomest, but God speaks,"Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
Praise God for that! Our outward appearance, our height, our weight, our wrinkles, pimples, age spots, etc., matter not to God; God looks on our heart. Our hair length or hair style or lack of hair does not change God's love and opinion about us - it is strictly what is in our heart. The heart of the boy David was pure, for David knew and loved God and sought to know more about God in every opportunity that he had. So, when it came time for choosing the second king, this time God wanted a person with a heart for Him.
How is it with your heart? Do you love God and seek to know God more and more every day? Who knows? You might just be selected to do something special for God. You looking good on the inside?
PRAYER: Loving God, re-make my heart to be like Yours. Fill my heart with Your love, compassion and joy. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
