1 Samuel 16:7: “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.’”

May 25th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

God instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as king. When Samuel saw Jesse’s first son, Eliab, he said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” Eliab must have appeared very impressive, but God hadn’t chosen him and told Samuel not to look at his outward appearance. He had chosen David. It’s interesting that David’s father Jesse completely left his youngest son out of the family gathering. It seems Jesse thought so little of his son that he didn’t even feel David worth considering. But God looks at the heart; He is heart-sighted, and He knew that David had a heart for God.

The life of a man will reflect what is in his heart. Human sight and understanding are very limited and are bound by our past experiences. So it’s easy for us to miss a thousand other possibilities. Proverb 14:12 warns us: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” That’s why it’s so important that we maintain a heart that is constantly listening to the Lord. Even the prophet Samuel missed it, making a very human judgment and mistake when he saw Eliab. However he kept a “listening heart” that was open to receiving correction from the Spirit of the Lord.

We must be careful not to allow any feelings of human inadequacy to hold us back from serving the Lord, whether it comes from others or ourselves. God does not need us to have great talent; He needs us to have a heart of surrender, willing to serve Him.

“LORD, we surrender afresh to You this day, in Jesus’ name.”