“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on the countenance (face), or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: For the Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This verse is a reminder to Samuel when he went to Bethlehem looking for God’s choice of the person who would replace Saul as king of Israel. Samuel first looked at Jesse’s oldest son Eliab and all of his oldest sons, but the Lord told him that none of them would be his choice. Samuel found God’s choice in verse 11: “And Samuel said unto Jesse, are these all of your children? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down until he comes.” When David was brought in, Samuel could see that he had the right person. David was a nice looking fellow, but all doubt was gone when the Lord told Samuel: “Arise, anoint him for this is he.” The lesson here is that God sees beyond all that the world sees to the heart. This reminds us that the Lord looks beyond the physical to the spiritual. When Samuel looked at all of the sons of Jesse, he instinctively thought that the future king would be a grown man, but God knew better. The Lord had seen David at work with his father’s sheep and he noticed that David was a brave person, and that he was the only choice to become the king of Israel. Of course, what the Lord saw in David proved to be true. This was proved to be true when in the next chapter of First Samuel David challenged the gigantic Goliath. David’s concern was that this man was challenging the “armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:26) God knew that this was how David thought, and it proved to be true of David throughout his career as king of Israel. As we know, David was not a perfect man, but he was a man who had the heart of a king. When we think about the men and women that God would use as His servants, we usually think it is someone who has been involved in church work all of his, or her, life. This is sometimes true, but is also true that God calls people who were not thought to be “missionary material.” The fact is that God looks on the heart, and knows what his servants are capable of doing even before they are aware of it. Who would have thought that Miss Lottie Moon who stood four feet eleven inches tall, would be called to serve in missions in China. But she was called to live the rugged life in China, and had the heart that it took to do the job. It is possible that God needs something done in your church or your community and He knows your heart and He knows that you can do what He wants of you. You might think that there is certainly someone better qualified than yourself, but God knows your heart. When you feel the tug of God to take the challenge – take it. He knows your heart. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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