TUESDAY 1 Samuel 16:1-13
• In verses 6-7, Samuel looked at Jesse’s oldest son and thought, “This must be the one.” But
God said, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” What factors do you look at when choosing
friends, a place to work, a church to attend, or even a mission project to support? What
would it mean for you to base your choices on “the heart”?
• Jesse, told to bring “his sons” to meet the prophet, left David home, and seemed hesitant to callhim even when Samuel asked. Have you ever been an outcast, as David seemed to be here?
How can God turn even unfair experiences to good purposes?
Response by Don Foster:
God felt sorrow over the way Saul had begun to stray from his directions. Thus, God decided that what Israel needed was a new king. A king with whose heart the Lord was pleased.
The outward appearance of Saul had been important to the people of Israel when he first became king. However, the outward appearance of a person cannot predict whether someone will faithfully obey the Lord. Such actions come from the “heart”, which in the Scriptures refers to a person’s inward moral and spiritual life.
When Jesse took his sons to meet Samuel for the selection of a new king, he left David at home as an outcast. To God, David was the right person for kingship. When Mary and Joseph decided to begin the next part of their lives together as a married couple, they would begin as outcasts. To God, they were the right parents to raise and protect His son until Jesus could come into his own.
Mary, Joseph and David had a strong inner moral and spiritual belief since they were doing God’s will. Neither David nor Mary and Joseph would remain outcasts for long.