“He Sees What the Heart Is”

Appearances can be deceptive. What a person is on the outside does not necessarily reveal what he or she is on the inside, deep in his or her heart. Human beings judge from outward appearance. God looks beyond outward appearance as is clearly revealed in 1 Samuel 16:1-12. God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse the Bethlehemite to anoint one of his sons who was to be king after Saul. Arriving in Bethlehem, Samuel arranged for Jesse and his sons to share a sacrificial meal. When Eliab, the eldest son entered, Samuel was struck by his appearance (verse 6). God, however, sees things differently. He said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance and at the height of his stature for I have rejected him” (verse 7). God was not impressed by how tall or how handsome Eliab was. He looks past outward appearances to where true beauty can be found.

Jesse had one more son after Samuel had looked at those with Jesse. David, the youngest, was pasturing the sheep (verse 11). So David was summoned from the fields and came before Samuel. Then God told Samuel to get up and anoint him, for that is the one God wanted (verse 12). David was anointed and it was his heart that made him truly acceptable in God’s eyes (1 Samuel 13:14).

God is not swayed by external appearance. It does not matter to Him how tall you are or whether others see you as handsome or pretty. It is what you are inside, in your heart, that matters to God. For it is up to you to cultivate the kind of qualities that will make you beautiful in God’s eyes!

Bro Samuel Marita

Bro Samuel Mariita (Nairobi, Kenya)