Daily Devotional for Wednesday 1st November
God sees our hearts
In chapter 16, we see God has decided who will be the next king. And God says to Samuel, come on, let’s go! Why are you still grieving about Saul? I have the new king I want you to go anoint. God is getting on with it.
Isn’t it interesting that God is ready to move on, but Samuel is still grieving about Saul and his failure? How often do we get stuck in life, either mourning over our failure or sin, kicking ourselves for messing up, and we can’t move on to life with God after that? A pastor once said, we’re like little children who have fallen down in a mud puddle and are upset about it, are having a little temper tantrum in the puddle, while Father God is saying to us, “I know. I forgive you. Take me hand, stand up, I’ll clean you up. Let’s walk together down this path.” We could be skipping down the path holding Father God’s hand, but we are too self-absorbed and can’t see the bigger picture.
God has our best in mind and the bigger picture. He’s big enough for that!
Samuel’s first thought is, I can’t go anoint a new king! Saul will kill me! Samuel knew Saul and was justifiably concerned.
And God gives him a strategy. He tells Samuel to take a heifer with him and say he’s come to Bethlehem on priestly business, which was true. And that while he was there, he would anoint the new king whom God would point out to him, one of Jesse’s sons.
So Samuel goes, and the people in Bethlehem receive him gladly once they realize he’s there on normal visit, not because he’s come in judgment for a wrong (vv.4-5), which was part of his priestly function.
And we come to a beloved passage, where God teaches Samuel how to look at people. When Samuel asks God if one of Jesse’s sons, Eliab, is the one, here is what God says:
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
God looks at our hearts; He is concerned with who we are, not what we look like. Our hearts, our attitudes and motivations, are seen by what we say and what we do. They can’t really be hidden, and certainly not from God.
Saul looked like a king, but he didn’t act like God’s king.
David, the one God wanted Samuel to anoint as the next king, was a simple shepherd, but one who had learned a life lesson of trusting in God and he, too, would show by his actions against Goliath that he cared for the LORD’s name enough to defend it.
Time to reflect…
We don’t have to be afraid to bring our hearts to God. He loves us, and He’s paid the price for us to have clean hearts before Him, washed by Jesus’ blood, and God the Spirit wants to dwell in our hearts. Let’s take some time to offer God our hearts, and ask Him to wash us clean, take our hand and lead us on.
Pause to pray…
Dear Father God, Thank You so much that you love us! Thank you for the redeeming, cleansing work of Jesus on the cross for us! Please, Father God, take my heart and make it a pleasing place for You to dwell. Move me to allow You to be Lord over every area of my life and heart. And use us for Your glory, we pray, in Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
