When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” 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.”
I Samuel 16:6-7
David was not the likely one to be chosen. His older brothers all had more qualifications than he did from a worldly perspective. But, that is not how God chose to work. He had a different plan.
The world looks at the external. They see appearance and height and think they know what is right and good. Samuel thought this was the case as soon as he saw Jesse’s oldest son Eliab. Things haven’t changed much in three thousand years since David’s time. The world still looks at these things. The strongest, the fastest, the smartest, the best dressed, the best car, the best house…… It’s always the comparison in an effort to find the best whatever it is that is being looked for. But that was not God’s vision.
It’s so easy to fall into the world’s ways of thinking. What externals are most enticing to you? What are your standards? Are you impressed by the most weight lifted, the toughest tackle, the best closing speed, or the tightest spiral? Are you seeking meaning and prestige through your involvement on the team? Unfortunately, we all fall into the trap from time to time, but it is not an accurate assessment of value.
“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them.” We need to develop new vision. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to let go of our patterns of judgment and see with new eyes. God doesn’t look at the externals, He looks at the heart. In David’s case, He saw the desire to be obedient and passionately know God’s truth (see yesterday’s blog).
How can we see desire? One way is to look at what someone values most by the ways that the person spends their money and time. (Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. -- Matthew 6:21) This is particularly successful when examining yourself. Where is your heart? Examine where the evidence points. Ask God to adjust your vision and your desires to see things His way.