Good Morning Friends,
Saul and his family had been rejected as king and now God sent Samuel to anoint the man who would become king upon Saul’s death. God instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem, to the family of a man named Jesse and anoint one of his sons as king. God told Samuel to go without further instructions promising, “I will show you what to do.” (1 Samuel 16:3)
When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesse and his sons he was immediately impressed with Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab. He said, “Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." And the Lord replied to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:6-7)
God and man have different ideas about what to consider impressive! Consider what kind of men and women the world admires. The men are impressive in outward appearance: they carry themselves with confidence, they exude leadership, they have style, they are handsome. And outward appearance is even more the defining feature of women who are admired by the world. It is the beauty of a woman that usually attracts the world. But God is much less concerned about what a person looks like, about his or her outward characteristics, and much more interested in what it going on inside the person’s heart. Character matters most to God!
The seven oldest sons of Jesse went by Samuel and not a single one was chosen by God to be anointed as king. When Samuel asked if there was another, Jesse indicated that only one remained, the youngest. He was out in the fields taking care of his father’s sheep. When young David arrived before Samuel, the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” (1 Samuel 16:12) And when Samuel had anointed David, the scripture says, “And from that day the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” (1 Samuel 16:13)
God had identified the next king. Not a tall, powerful, man of impressive physical features, but one whose heart was right before Him. That’s the kind of person God calls to leadership in His work. That’s the kind of person we should seek when we look for leaders to follow. Outward appearances can be deceiving, it’s the heart that matters – it matters to God and it should matter to us, too. Character counts most!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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