Old Testament Promises
A Five Minute Devotiomnal
The video shown below is the devotional from January 18th, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News.
INTRODUCTION
Presently, Today’s Good News is doing a series on Old Testament Promises. The focus of today’s lesson is 1 Samuel 16:7 which involves the subject of outward appearance. Before looking closely at that verse, I want to share a non-Biblical story to help us get the right perspective on this topic.
One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church wearing clothes that were ragged and worn, though they were spotlessly clean. The church was in a wealthy area and the attire of the congregation reflected that. No one welcomed the old cowboy or even sat near him. As he was leaving, the preacher approached him and said, “Before you come back, please ask God what He thinks would be appropriate attire for you to worship here.” The old cowboy said he would do that. The next Sunday, he showed up wearing the same ragged clothes. Once again, the congregation completely shunned him. This time, when the preacher approached the old cowboy, he said, “I thought you promised to ask God what He thinks would be appropriate attire for you to worship here. “I did,” replied the old cowboy. “What did He tell you?” asked the preacher. The old cowboy answered, “Well, sir, God told me that He didn’t have a clue what I should wear. He said He’d never been in this church.”
Have you ever been to a church like that? I have and I’m very thankful that Calvary Chapel Rosarito is very much the opposite. I hope and pray that it always will be. But, the story does give us a very clear illustration of how judging by outward appearance can be so wrong.
Now, let’s take a look at today’s Scripture to see what it has to say about outward appearance and to see what we can learn from the promise that Scripture holds.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
GIVE US A KING!
These are instructions God gave Samuel as He sent him to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s Sons to replace Saul as King. Before Saul, when Israel was straying from God, He would send nations to conquer them, to get their attention, then He would send a Judge to save them. When Samuel was getting old, he intended to set up his Sons as Judges, though they did not walk in his ways. But the Elders of Israel rejected that, insisting that they have a King, like other nations. That displeased Samuel but, in 1 Samuel 8:7, God told Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” And, in verse 9, He went on to say, “However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” When Samuel gave that forewarning to the people, he gave them a long list of negatives that they could expect from having a King rule over them instead of God. At first, Saul’s reign went well for the people, as he sought to obey God’s will. Eventually, though, he ruled according to his own will and God’s forewarnings came to pass.
THE KING’S APPEARANCE
When Samuel anointed Saul as King, it was obvious that his outward appearance played a part in Saul being accepted as King. No doubt, warning against making that mistake again is a goal of 1 Samuel 16:7. But, greater than God’s warning to “not look at … appearance or … physical stature” is the promise included in the reminder that, instead of that, “the Lord looks at the heart.”
THE KING’S HEART
In following the instructions of 1 Samuel 16:7, Samuel anointed David as King. What are the first things you think of when you think of King David? Goliath? Bathsheba? Absalom? For me, first and foremost I think of him as “A man after God’s own heart”. But what does that mean?
We know that it doesn’t mean that David was morally better than everyone else. Bathsheba, who we just mentioned, is a great example of that. The meaning that can easily be missed from man’s point of view is that David had a heart that was willing to be compliant with what was on God’s heart. That included choosing David as the first ruler to sit on the throne of God’s everlasting kingdom, foreshadowing Jesus in many ways. His life pointed forward to the Messiah, the Son of David, who would come to be our Savior and King. That is the great promise included in the reminder that, “the Lord looks at the heart.”
GOD’S HEART
And, that promise holds a great lesson for us about how we can be men and women after God’s own heart. It doesn’t mean that we are sinless but that we are seeking after God, that our hearts are open and submissive to God, and that when we do sin, like David, we confess and repent. Our hearts really matter to God. And, if we truly become men and women after God’s own heart, He can and will use us, as He did David.
And THAT, is Today’s Good News.
