“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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7
Samuel was the prophet of the LORD who was instructed to anoint the king of Israel. In choosing the man to be the nation’s king, Samuel was directed by the Holy Spirit to the house of Jesse; a man who had many sons. Both Jesse and Samuel spent some time discerning who the LORD wants to be king. Jesse and Samuel screened the candidates of Israel’s throne using human eyes; they looked for the smart looking and warrior-fit son to be king; but the LORD rejected all 7 that were presented to Samuel.
So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” (1 Samuel 16:11)
Left with no choice, they resorted to the ‘last choice’, the 8th and youngest son of Jesse who was definitely not his father’s favorite. The youngest son was only a young shepherd boy who was not even invited by the father to be presented to Samuel. As soon as the young shepherd boy was presented, the LORD spoke to Samuel: “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” (1 Samuel 16:12)
Little did Samuel and Jesse know that God’s ways are a lot different from man’s ways: That when man looks at external standards and appearance, God looks at man at the heart. So when Jesse saw his youngest son’s appearance as a shepherd boy whom nobody can be proud of, God looked at the shepherd boy’s heart and saw a king. True enough, David, the young shepherd boy, rose to save Israel from the Philistines and became, without a doubt, Israel’s greatest king.
When people saw a shepherd-boy in David, God saw a king. Do we listen to man’s opinion? Or God’s?
Today, we need not worry whether our Father in heaven will reject us or not; for he sees us not by our human appearance. When Our Father looks at us, He doesn’t see us in the ugliness of our sins (Hebrews 8:12). Instead, God sees the beauty and the perfection of His Son, Jesus Christ, who went up to the cross so He can cover us with His blood. So worry not for being a ‘nobody’, fret not for having not accomplished anything, and condemn yourself not for fumbling in life because when God looks at you, He sees only Jesus! Thank God for the cross!
* Image taken from deviantart – Lars VanDe Goor