The Lord Looks At The Heart

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

– 1 Samuel 16:6-7  

Do you ever feel like even as much as you try, you can never live up to this world’s standards?  You always feel awkward like you can never quite fit in!  You don’t have many close friends.  You don’t look like a supermodel.  You’re not popular.  You don’t have a lot of money.  You’re not influential!  If you had 7 other stronger brothers in your family, you would more than likely be the weakest one left behind outside tending the sheep!  Well, that’s exactly what happened to David son of Jesse from Bethlehem in the Bible…  You see, David was the smallest of all his brothers and when his family got invited by the renowned prophet known as Samuel, he was left behind in the field to tend the family’s flock of sheep while the rest of the family attended Samuel at an appointed sacrifice.  The Lord had sent Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem to purposefully find and anoint the next King of Israel to succeed King Saul.  When Jesse’s sons appeared before Samuel at the sacrifice, he saw Eliab and thought that surely the Lord had chosen him as his anointed!  Yet the Lord’s response was not at all what Samuel expected…  The Lord told Samuel not to look at Eliab’s appearance or his physical stature, because He had not chosen him!  Rather, the Lord told Samuel that He does not see as man sees because man looks at the outward appearance, but He looks at the heart!  Samuel went on through all 7 of Jesse’s sons, passing up every single one, until he reached the last… and the last was not there!  Samuel asked Jesse if he had anymore sons and Jesse said that the youngest son was not there, but was out tending the sheep!  So Samuel had them send for the youngest and would not sit down until he arrived!  David arrived with ruddy handsome features and the Lord told Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”  Amazing!!!  If the Lord cared more about David’s heart than anything else, then he cares more about your heart today!  You may feel like you will never fit in with this world, but remember… the Lord has called you out of this world and has set you apart!  In the same way, David never fit in with his family or the world’s expectations of him, but the Lord called him out and set him apart as the King of Israel!  Do you want to be set apart by the Lord today?  Just know that the Lord looks at Your heart!