BACKGROUND
Saul had lost the kingdom, and the LORD told Samuel to anoint the new King of Israel. Samuel thought that, surely, Eliab was God's choice; but God told Samuel not to look at the outside appearance of the future king for "man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." So, the LORD led Samuel to anoint David, the shepherd boy, and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.
Sadly, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit plagued him. In a strange twist, the very person who was to take his place as king, David, played the harp to soothe him and cause the evil spirit to leave.
The Scarlet Thread of Redemption
One of Jesse's son had to be King because God knew that Jesus would be descended from the "root of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:1-5, 10, Romans 15:12) and be a "son of David" (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 1:1, 12:23, 21:9).
REFLECTION
I love the fact that God sees not as man sees, and He looks at our hearts. The first time I read this in high school, I decided, then and there, that I would never take inordinate amounts of time on my physical appearance, but I would take COPIOUS amounts of time for "spiritual grooming."
Proverbs 31:30 says "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
APPLICATION
How much time have you been taking on your "spiritual grooming" lately?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that You see through right to our hearts. Help us to spend time cultivating a heart for You alone. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Dorothy (a member of the 2007-2010 Bible Book Club) wrote me with the words to this song that are so appropriate for today's reading!
Words and Music by Ray Boltz and Steve Millikan
One by one Jesse's sons
Stood before the prophet
Their father knew a king
Would soon be found
And each one passed
Except the last
No one thought to call him
Surely he would never
Wear a crown
CHORUS
But when others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king
Even though your life seems filled
With ordinary things
In just a moment He can touch you
And everything will change
When others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king
One by one problems come
And dreams get shattered
And sometimes it's hard
To understand
But things like chance
And circumstance
They don't really matter
Our Father holds tomorrow
In His hands
CHORUS
Well it wasn't the oldest
It wasn't the strongest
Chosen on that day
And yet the giants fell
And nations trembled
When they stood in his way
CHORUS
1 comment:
I miss Dorothy! I am going to write her to find out where she has been lately. I don't see her at church anymore!
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