Enamored with Wrappings

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Verse 6  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.”

    We take a bit of a time hop again and find Israel had begged for a king other than God and when God gave them one it turned out he wasn’t all they had hoped he would be and since he had not followed God as a leader, it was time for God to choose another leader.  Because Samuel was God’s chosen prophet he was being sent to anoint God’s choice.  This placed the prophet in a sticky situation as the reigning king was not likely to be happy if he found out the prophet was obeying God in a way that meant the royal line of Saul was ending.

    Saul had been chosen because of how “kingly” he looked.  The people were happy about God’s first choice because he looked the part.  They had a king who was tall, handsome and strong.  He was the image others could see when they thought of Israel.  The outside of the king was pleasing to all that saw him, but God was seeing the inward parts of the king.  The parts which loved self over God, and his own wants and desires over those of the Lord of Israel.  A king who was happy to receive all the praise for himself instead of pointing the people to God.

    When Samuel spotted Jesse’s first son he was sure this handsome young man was the one God had sent him in search of, but God told him no.  Maybe Samuel had momentarily lost sight of the reason for his mission.  It wasn’t to anoint a replacement as much like the current king as possible.  No, he was supposed to anoint the one whom God had chosen to rule over His people.  The prophet needed to wait and listen to God as he met each of Jesse’s sons.

    Throughout the feast Samuel meets more of Jesse’s sons and while he sees qualities he thought would work, God kept saying no.  By the time son number 7 came around Samuel had to be thinking he had misunderstood something along the way.  How could all of these young men seem fitting and yet none of them be right?  Out of desperation he asked Jesse if there are any more sons hiding somewhere.  Since the boys had been getting younger and younger, Samuel had to be wondering who could be left.

    A shepherd boy.  God had chosen the youngest and it wasn’t because of what he looked like on the outside.  It was because God knew his heart.  It was a heart that would love God and obey Him.  Just what God desires of all His people.

Making It Personal

    Do you view yourself by what you look like on the outside or maybe what you do for a living?  How do you want others to see you?  How do you think God sees you?

Making It Personal Kids

    How would you describe yourself?  How do you think your friends would describe you?  How do you think God describes you?

Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for seeing the truth about who we are.  Give us eyes to see the truth about ourselves and those around us.  Help us to be people who look at a person’s heart instead of their outer wrappings.  In Jesus’ name, amen.