"Do not judge from his appearance...Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord sees the heart."
During this time in the Israelites' history, the Israelites had grown weary after hundreds of years of persecution. Despite the best efforts of the judges who were their protectors sent by God, the Israelites felt weak compared to other tribes. They became convinced that anointing a king and becoming more like other tribes (moving from a "theocracy" to a "monarchy") would make them stronger. At first, Samuel was very hesitant because he was afraid the people would no longer turn to God. However, God guides Samuel during this difficult transition.
In this story, God gives the prophet Samuel the task to go to Bethlehem to the family of Jesse. What is interesting about this story is that of Jesse's 8 sons, God chooses David, the youngest. If you were to examine the Old Testament stories, you would learn that the eldest son was traditionally the one to receive special blessings and the inheritance of the tribe from his father. However, similar to what we see in earlier Bible stories, God's plans don't always follow the rules of tradition!
There is a great quote that goes perfectly with this story...
"God does not call the 'qualified'. He qualifies the called!"
Always remember that God's plans are bigger and more perfect than our own!
Reflection:
When was a time that you made a judgement about someone based on their appearance? How have you seen God use surprising people to do His work? Has God ever called you to a task that you thought was too big? How did you grow from that experience?
