“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.‘” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV)

Image courtesy of olivetree.com

King Saul was rejected by God due to his grave misconduct, arrogance and disobedience. Now God tells Samuel to go the house of Jessie who could very well be the leading man of the important families somewhere in Bethlehem to anoint the next king. Samuel almost made a huge mistake by thinking that Eliab must have been God’s anointed (v.v.1-5).

God immediately corrects Samuel’s thoughts, he is not to focus on the outward characteristics of man or the height – physical features which had characterized Saul. The heart is more important for God than man’s physical attributes. He is concerned with people’s inner being.

We too should make it as our instrument in appraising a person’s worth. We should look at people the way God sees at them. May we muster enough courage to change the way we treat people.

References:

Bible Bateway. biblegateway.com

MySword for Android. Riversoft Ministry, 2011-2019.

Olive Tree Bible Software. olivetree.com

Zondervan NASB Study Bible. Grand Rapids Michigan, 1999.

Published by Pastorbluejeans Unplugged

Friend of a Jewish Carpenter. View all posts by Pastorbluejeans Unplugged