1 Samuel 24:1-7: Look Beyond

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance,(M) but the Lord looks at the heart.”

"...The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

This is important. This is one theme that reoccurs in 1 Samuel phrased in different ways. This is significant not only in the narrative of David's rise to power but also in our lives today.

The smallest person here, the most delicate person here can be used by God to carry a car across the road if that is what the Lord needs. The person here most known for their rough exterior and exhausting lifestyle could be chosen and equipped by God to win a beauty pageant as high profile as Queen Esther's for His purpose and Glory. The one of us in this room who has had the least opportunity and experience with the education system can be used by God to educate the most educated people in the world. It is true. God can do anything with me and with you.

When has God used you to do things that are extraordinary and completely out of the realm of your experience, training, and ordinary expectations?

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