Daily Bread

AN ORDINARY MAN

G - et into God's Word
1 Samuel 16:1-7

'The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord .' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord 's anointed stands here before the Lord ." 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." '

R - eflect into God's Word

We people often look for an outward appearance of a person. We judge them by only looking at them and base our perception on their looks.

On choosing a leader, or might be someone to rule in a small organization, we tend sometimes to look at someone's outside appearance as a basis of our choices. Sometimes, if we don't want their impression at first, we had an instinct that they were not that good.

David, son of Jesse, was an ordinary young man, the youngest in his family. He was seemingly an insignificant shepherd on the hills of Bethlehem (vv. 11-12). Yet God saw his heart and had a plan for him. King Saul had been rejected by God for disobedience. While the prophet Samuel mourned Saul's choices, God called Samuel to anoint a different King, one of Jesse's sons.

When Samuel saw the handsome, tall Eliab, he naturally thought, "surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord" (v.6). However, God's strategy to select a king was much different than Samuel's.

But the Lord said to Samuel, "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"
(v.7).

O - bey to transform

May this be a reminder that we should not look at someone's appearance. Only God knows their hearts so don't judge someone by only looking at them. Who knows, that someone we might think can't do anything is someone who called by the Lord for his greater purpose.

W - restle in Prayer

Ask God for a heart that doesn't look for someone's appearance. May we be reminded of how God looks at our hearts and how He prioritize what is in them.


#GodLooksOurHeart

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https://my.bible.com/bible/111/1SA.16.1-7

(c) Our Daily Bread, Page 11, 2nd paragraph, 1st and 2nd line of 3rd paragraph.