Who might we be overlooking

This morning’s verse is:

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.”
1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

I love this historical narrative from the appointment of a son of Jesse to be King of Israel.When studying this part of Israel’s past, we find that the people had chosen Saul as their King because of their own preconceived notions about things like appearance and height — and that God allowed them to make a poor decision instead of consulting Him and trusting in God’s appointment alone — but that Saul proved to be a bad King, and turned away from the Lord, and was rejected by the Lord. And the Lord told the prophet Samuel that a new King would be appointed, and that it would be a son of Jesse, and told Samuel to go to Jesse and that God would reveal which son it would be.

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”
1 Samuel 16:1 NLT

Samuel came into the town and was performing a purification ceremony and sacrifice so that it would not yet be clearly evident to the people why he was there and what he was doing. And Jesse and his sons were invited. As the sons of Jesse arrive, Samuel looks at them and we see him make the same mistake that the people had made in choosing Saul, and this is where our verse this morning comes from:

When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord ’s anointed!” 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.”
1 Samuel 16:6‭-‬7 NLT

Samuel, because he was an imperfect man, fell into the same trap — he judged with his eyes. If Samuel had made the decision with his own judgement and conscience, showing preference to his own poor choice for a king, he would have also overlooked and the people would have missed out on the opportunity of God’s chosen King. And even Jesse, the father, had overlooked David and left him tending the sheep in the field.

In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
1 Samuel 16:10‭-‬13 NLT

Such a beautiful reminder that God knows better than us the true value and right appointments of His people. When people measure and compare by outwardly measurable metrics alone and do not consult with the Lord — the resulting appointments are out of order, skewed, and aren’t best.This should have us asking ourselves — who am I showing potential treatment towards in my life — and as a result, who might I be overlooking?And what idols and distractions and temptations have my attention that could be laid aside so that I could have Christ as King, the perfect and best?Have we overlooked and rejected Christ because of the desires of our flesh, the desires of our eyes, our ot of our own pride — we should know that this is the root of all sin, and we should repent, and seek God’s counsel instead.

It doesn’t matter what I say or what they say, but only matters what YOU SAY oh, Lord.

Lord, help us to consult with you constantly, to pray without ceasing because we are walking with you. Guide or every decision not by or flawed and biased measurements and reasoning, but by your perfect revelation. Amen.

Our related Sticky Situations devotional this morning: