To Jesse and his sons, Samuel declared, “The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (16:7). And so, “Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.’ And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him, for this is he’” (16:11-12).
Paul wrote, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). Always it has been so, and always it will be. Saul, with all his might and armor and training, would not kill Goliath. But the small shepherd boy, with a stone, would. Saul, with all his good looks and worldly acclaim, would not rule Israel wisely. But a shepherd, with a heart after God’s own heart, would.
Our God measures man by His standard divine,
For He sees underneath every outward design.
He looks past possessions and costly attire;
He studies the heart, every thought and desire.
Our God does not judge by how tall we may stand,
Or how much we possess, or the rank we command.
His gaze goes far deeper to things that endure;
He honors the man who keeps his heart pure. -- Jamie Turner (1993)