What impresses you?

Samuel thought he knew what a king looked like.

God had sent him to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. When Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, walked in, Samuel was impressed. He apparently was tall and had the appearance of a king, because Samuel immediately thought,

“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.”

But God said no.

“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.”

Then God explains something about Himself that Samuel needed to remember:

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

This is a lesson we would all do well to learn.

We understand Samuel’s mistake because we make it all the time. We naturally judge by what we can see. Someone appears confident, successful, intelligent, attractive, or put together, and we form an impression. Someone else seems awkward, unimpressive, or unsuccessful, and we form a different one. It’s not a coincidence that the vast majority of political leaders and even leading actors and actresses are tall and pretty good looking.

Sometimes we even do this to ourselves. We compare our appearance, accomplishments, abilities, homes, careers, or families with someone else’s and decide what that says about our worth.

It reminds me of Susan Boyle on Britain’s God Talent from several years ago. (see the video embedded below). No one was impressed with her when she walked out on stage. They judged her by her appearance, but were they ever wrong. Everyone was impressed with her when she walked off the stage having sung “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables beautifully.

But God sees what we cannot.

One by one, Jesse’s sons pass before Samuel, and one by one God says no. Eventually Samuel asks whether there are any sons left.

There is one.

David is so unlikely to be chosen that no one bothered to bring him to the gathering. He’s out watching the sheep.

Yet he is the one God chooses because of his heart.

God even said David is,

“A man after [God’s] own heart.”

This doesn’t mean David had a perfectly pure heart. The rest of his story makes that abundantly clear. David would commit terrible sins and desperately need God’s forgiveness. His hope was never that God looked inside him and found someone without sin.

Rather, God saw what Samuel could not see. He had a heart that loved God, even if imperfectly. And, according to His gracious purpose, God chose the unlikely shepherd to become king.

And through David’s family, God would eventually give Israel another King.

Jesus also didn’t look like the king people expected. He came in humility, born into an ordinary family. Isaiah had foretold that the promised Servant would have no outward majesty that would make people desire Him. Eventually, people would look at Jesus hanging helplessly on a cross and see only weakness and defeat.

But God was accomplishing salvation.

That’s worth remembering when appearances seem convincing. We see only a small part of the picture. God sees what is hidden, knows what is true, and often works through people and circumstances we would have overlooked.

So we don’t have to measure ourselves or others merely by what can be seen.

We can leave the judging of hearts to the One who actually sees them.

Let’s pray…

Heaven Father,

I am often too quick to judge by what I can see. Forgive me for measuring myself and others by outward appearances. Teach me to see people with humility and grace, and help me trust Your wisdom when Your ways are different from what I would expect. Thank You for sending Jesus, the promised King from David’s line, to save me.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.