7But 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.”
Many of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day were entirely self-focused. Specifically, they were consumed by their outward appearances and their wealth. That’s why, throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus made it a point to rebuke them and correct their lines of thinking. For example, He said to His disciples shortly before He told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that we have been studying together this week in Luke 16, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God” (verse 15). These were strong words from Jesus, weren’t they? The Pharisees liked to look good in front of everyone. They also falsely believed, as we learned in the weekend message, that wealth resulted from good works and good standing with God. Imagine their surprise as Jesus then told the parable we have been studying about a rich man who had many earthly possessions and treasures, who died and faced punishment for the way he had lived his life, and the poor man, Lazarus, who also died and was honored by God in his death.
So far in our study of the parable Jesus told in Luke 16, we have seen two completely different characters: one is a rich man who remains unnamed, and the other is a very poor man named Lazarus, who begged at the rich man's gate. Here is where the parable gets interesting. In this parable, the rich man and Lazarus both die, but they go to two completely different places. The rich man goes to “the place of the dead,” an eternity separated from God, filled with torment. Lazarus, on the other hand, died in right standing with God and had an eternity with Him forever to look forward to. This outcome would have shocked religious leaders, who believed that wealth was a byproduct of God’s favor on their lives. What Jesus communicated in this sermon, as we heard during the weekend message, was about far more than “wealth is bad.” What Jesus revealed through this parable is that God does not look at outward appearances. What matters to Him is the state of our hearts, and clearly Lazarus’ heart was right with God while the rich man’s wasn’t.
We are reminded throughout Scripture that God is concerned with matters of the heart, not outward appearances, but perhaps the best-known place in Scripture where this teaching appears is 1st Samuel 16. In this passage of Scripture, the prophet Samuel was sent to the household of a man named Jesse to anoint the second king of Israel. Jesse had a lot of sons, eight to be exact. At first, Jesse sent his oldest son, and upon seeing him, Samuel thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed” (verse 6). Maybe his looks, strength, or ranking among the brothers led Samuel to this conclusion. God responded by saying, “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” (verse 7). Six more sons approached Samuel, but none of them were the man whom God had chosen to be king. Ultimately, the youngest son, David, a shepherd boy, came before Samuel, and God said, “This is the one; anoint him” (verse 12). David would have been the least expected son of Jesse to be chosen to be Israel’s next king, but God saw that he was the young man for the job as Israel’s next king, not because of his stature or his ranking among his brothers, but because of his heart for God.
My friend, still today, God is concerned about matters of the heart. He is infinitely more concerned with our hearts than the way we look, the clothes we wear, the titles we hold, and the amount in our bank accounts. May we follow in David’s example and have hearts that beat after and follow Him alone.
Moving toward action
For the next few minutes, knowing that God is concerned about the state of our hearts, pray the prayer of David found in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” As you pray, ask God to help you have a heart that reflects Him and Him alone.
Prayer Prompt: Use this prompt to guide you as you pray.
“God, as I seek to have a heart that reflects You alone, search me…”
Going Deeper
1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 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.”
2 But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
“Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”
4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”
5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.
6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”
7 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.”
8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea,[a] but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 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.” 11 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.”
12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.
And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”
13 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.
Translation notes (1)
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