1 Samuel 15:1-16:23 Prejudice is simply prejudging a person before we even get to know that person. We often make up our minds that we are not going to like a person simply because of his outward appearance. God warned Samuel when he went to anoint a new king of Israel not to look at the outer appearance of the man. He instructed Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Jesse. As each of Jesse’s sons passed by, Samuel knew the Lord had not chosen any of those seven sons. He asked Jesse if all the sons were present, and Jesse told him that the youngest was tending the sheep. His name was David. When David appeared on the scene, he was very good looking and had a beautiful countenance. God, however, did not choose David because of his outward appearance. He chose him because He knew David’s heart. David had a heart after God.
Psalm 113 tells us that God humbles Himself to see the hearts of men. It is an awesome thought that God sees and knows what is in my heart. What is so amazing is that when He looks into my heart and sees the potential for sin that is there, He still loves me. I had a vision once of the face of Jesus, and as I looked into the eyes of Jesus, I was overwhelmed with His compassion for me. First His eyes were like fiery laser beams that penetrated my whole being, and then His eyes were like dove’s eyes—tender and full of compassion. Yes, He knows my heart, even the dark parts of it, but He still loves me. When He sees the dark parts of my heart, He longs to shine the light of His love into those dark areas and grace my heart with His love. He wants me to confess my sins to Him so He can forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
Jesus also warns us not to look on the outer appearance of people. He tells us that the scribes and Pharisees looked good on the outside, but on the inside they were rotting and decaying. He calls them whitewashed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones. God is not interested in the outer physical appearance. He is interested in the inner person of our souls. However, in the Law no priest could come into God’s presence that had a deformity of any kind. He was to be faultless in appearance. Thank God we now have Jesus, our High Priest, who is perfect inside and out. We now stand in His righteousness before the Father, not our own.
When David was anointed to be king of Israel, God knew even though David might sin, he would always repent and turn his heart to the Lord. A perfect heart in God’s sight is one that desires to go God’s way every day. David wrote this: “I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart” (Ps. 101:2).
Let this be your prayer today.
READ: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10
