Today’s Word Is APPEARANCES

Have you ever been told, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts?” Well, from God’s perspective, that is true, as you will see in a moment. But people in our world don’t always operate that way.

There is a lot of judgment going on around us that is based on appearances. God looks at your heart, your motives, your faithfulness, and your obedience to his guidance in both small practices and large adventures.

God sent the prophet Samuel to the town of Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, to select the next king of Israel. There were seven sons in attendance at the screening session, but there was an eighth son, David, who was not invited by his father to be part of the ceremony. Apparently, the others seemed like more obvious choices for the job. The oldest son was presented first, as the customary and obvious candidate.

“When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1^st Samuel 16:6-7)

One at a time. each son was examined by Samuel and rejected by the Lord. On Samuel’s insistence, the most unlikely candidate was fetched from his job of keeping the sheep. And God whispered to Samuel that this was the one, the next king.

Do you remember choosing up sides for an activity in school, be it sports on the playground or a project team in the classroom? The captain would often select based on popularity or friendships. Had the teacher been the captain of the team, the choices would likely have gone differently. The teacher would have used different criteria. Likewise, God does the same in the kingdom, and the condition of the heart is primary.

Did you ever wonder why David’s father, Jesse, didn’t send for him in the beginning? Either he did not recognize his son’s gifts, or maybe he thought he would look foolish to bypass all the older boys in David’s favor. The gossip would have been cruel … “Did you hear Mr. Jesse proposed that his puny little shepherd boy should be the new king?! How embarrassing for his older brothers! It makes you wonder if the old man has his head on straight!“

Or maybe, just maybe, God had hidden in David a kingly character too unlikely for anyone to detect. After all, this was going to be only the second king ever for Israel. The first king (Saul) was still in office and making a mess of it, although he was chosen by popular vote of the people, as by far the best candidate. God had tried to talk them out of the whole king idea in the first place, hoping they would let God be the king!

What does all this tell us? First, we need to let God take the lead in our decision-making. As we listen to his Spirit, he reveals factors we never thought of. And in the process, we gradually learn more about how God thinks.

Second, if we want to go on God adventures, we should remember that he is going to look at the inner character (the heart) of those he calls to kingdom assignments. That means guarding our hearts and constantly working on our own integrity and faithfulness.

Finally, just as God sent the prophet Samuel to find a king, so may we be honored when God uses us to call forth the gifts of someone, even though others may wonder what we see in that person. How exciting it would be to tell someone what God sees in them and that God may be calling them to serve in the kingdom. In so doing, we could become known as someone who brings out the best in those around us … and who does not judge them by the world’s biased standards.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark