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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.’ 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. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)
There's a popular tv show on right now that judges not on appearance but on another quality. For many of the contestants on The Voice, they love that aspect of it. Four judges sit with their back to the singer, and the chairs they sit on are designed to not allow any peeking. They must concentrate on the voice. If they like what they hear, and would like the singer to be on their team, they press a button, the chair turns around, the floor in front of the judge lights up with the judge's name, and the singer knows that this judge wants him/her. Have you ever been in a situation where you hoped you would be judged not by looks but by character or ability? This is the essence to today's reading. God rejects Saul as king of Israel, the prophet Samuel mourns this for he had come to love Saul as king, but God sends him to the house of Jesse to find the new king. Samuel goes under a false pretense to that area for fear of Saul and his anger. He comes to Jesse of Bethlehem and asks to see his sons. The oldest one is Eliab, tall and handsome, the prophet thinks this is he! (Remember that Saul was among the tallest in Israel and was chosen as king). But hear the interesting word from God:"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." Wow! God knows our heart and what's in our heart counts. Remember Jesus said later, that it was not what goes into our mouth that defiles us, but what comes out of our mouths; for that reveals what is in our hearts.
The parade of sons continued until all the older ones were seen. None of them were the one. The prophet asks the dad if there were any other sons, and Jesse said the youngest, or as the Message version says, "the runt." The youngest was tending sheep and had missed out on the barbecue. But Samuel said to call for him, for they would not sit down until all were present. Now, the writer describes David's appearance as being "ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome." And he was the one. The thing that counted before the Lord were not his eyes or cheeks, but David's heart.
That begs us to ask the question what is in our heart. I would pray that in our heats would be seen the love we have for God and that we have for others. Oh that our hearts would reflect compassion and mercy for all people. Oh that our hearts be filled with God's grace enough to share with others. Oh that our hearts would reveal a hunger for God and the things of God. That is what counts before the Lord.
If we're not happy with what is in our heart, we can ask that it be changed. The same boy whose heart was pleasing to God would later write, "create in me a clean heart, O Lord," meaning that he knew God had that power and grace to change our hearts for the better. Cancer had weakened the heart of my dad's uncle, and as he lay dying, he told his wife, "Eva, my heart may not be working great, but it's filled with love for you, and my heart is yours." May it be that ours as well, be filled with love for God and God's people, and may it always be known of us that our heart belonged to God.
PRAYER: Loving Father, fill our hearts with love for You and for Yours. Fill it with all that pleases You and serves You. May we live a life that gives us away as being Yours. This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
