Do You See What I See?

Do You See What I See?

Bible Blast: Read 1 Samuel 16:4-13

The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

The people of Israel told Samuel, the prophet who heard from God, that they wanted a king to rule over them. God reluctantly told Samuel that he would provide a man to be king. Then he sent Samuel to meet Saul and make him Israel’s first king.

Saul started out pretty well, but soon he made bad decisions. Finally, God told Samuel that he had someone else lined up to be the next king—one of the sons of a man named Jesse.

Now, Saul is recorded as being the tallest, most handsome Israelite, so it’s possible that Samuel assumed the son who most resembled Saul would be the one God had chosen to be king. But God said: “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

So which son of Jesse did God choose as Israel’s next king? Jesse brought seven of his sons in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these. Do you have any more sons?” Jesse told him that he had one more son, the youngest. The Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one; anoint him.” Samuel took oil and anointed, or set apart, this young boy named David to be king over Israel.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? That’s basically what God was telling Samuel. When our Creator looks at you, he doesn’t just look at your cute haircut, your new glasses, or your sweet boots. He looks past all of that right into your heart. Of course, God created you and loves how he shaped you, but when he assigns different gifts, talents, and jobs to you, he doesn’t take into consideration what you look like. He focuses on what’s going on in your heart.

Girl Gab: Does it make you feel comforted or worried to know God sees right into your heart? Do you ever feel as if God would only choose “pretty people” to do really important things for him? Ask God to help you see people as he sees them. Ask him to help you see the hearts of other people.