1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
“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.”
There are varying opinions with biblical scholars over whether Jesse had seven or eight sons, as one record in 1 Samuel 16 in the Old Testament mentions eight, and the other record in 1 Chronicles 2:13-15 mentions seven. It is entirely possible that one son passed away, but there is no contradiction in God’s Word; of this we must be sure. The record in 1Samuel 16 tells us that God sent Samuel, the prophet, to anoint David as the King of Israel. By all outward appearances, Jesse thought that any one of his seven sons would be the one that Samuel might choose. They were older, taller, and muscular looking men, but thank goodness God doesn’t look at us in the way that we look at each other. He looks at our hearts.
I can’t help but think of the many single women that are holding out for a man that fits their image of how he ought to look. They have it down to complexion, height, build, and level of facial attractiveness. If a man shows up, and he looks significantly different than the image they have in their minds, he’s relegated to the ‘not a possibility’ column with all due haste.
We often talk about this being a tough one, because physical attraction is important in a marital relationship, but it’s not the principal thing. Some of us make it so. It boils down to a matter of priorities, and God sets those. He values your spiritual growth and the spiritual growth of your future spouse more than any other thing. And He tells us very straightforwardly in Matthew 6:33(NKJV), “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” If we don’t hold what God thinks is important at the top of our lists, we will continue to attract the very opposite of what is best for the path God has laid before us.
Heavenly Father looks at the heart, because Proverbs 4:23 tells us that the issues of life spring forth from the heart. If our hearts are out of alignment with the Will of God for us, we run the risk of not being satisfied with the choices we make. It’s just that simple. We’ll be in a constant state of discomfort because our real self, the spirit ‘you’, has been betrayed by our wrong choice. We must be fully persuaded that the only way to honor the Christ in us is to be guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we please God and live through Christ. God wants us to be pleased with the person that is to be our partner, but our faith that He will not disappoint us with His presentation is a must. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Lord Sees It Differently”, written by FACM, Finding A Christian Man.Com ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
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