Faithful Living

"Leave the body alone, go after the soul."

God looks into the Heart

God addressed Samuel: 'So how long are you going to mope over Saul? You know I’ve rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your flask with anointing oil and get going. I’m sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I’ve spotted the very king I want among his sons.'

'I can’t do that,' said Samuel. 'Saul will hear about it and kill me.'

God said, 'Take a heifer with you and announce, ‘I’ve come to lead you in worship of God, with this heifer as a sacrifice.’ Make sure Jesse gets invited. I’ll let you know what to do next. I’ll point out the one you are to anoint.'

Samuel did what God told him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the town fathers greeted him, but apprehensively.

'Is there something wrong?'

'Nothing’s wrong. I’ve come to sacrifice this heifer and lead you in the worship of God. Prepare yourselves, be consecrated, and join me in worship.'

He made sure Jesse and his sons were also consecrated and called to worship. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, 'Here he is! God’s anointed!'

But God told Samuel, 'Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.'

Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, 'God hasn’t chosen any of these.' Then he asked Jesse, 'Is this it? Are there no more sons?'

'Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.'

Samuel ordered Jesse, 'Go get him. We’re not moving from this spot until he’s here.'

Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health — bright-eyed, good-looking.

God said, 'Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.'

Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.' (Selected Verses of 1 Samuel 16, MSG)

How interesting to note when Samuel sees the eldest son of Jesse, he determines in his mind that surely God will choose him. Jesse presents all seven of his sons to the prophet in order of their birth, and God rejects them all. In the end, it is the youngest, the 'runt of the litter,' that God chooses. And as a bonus, David also happened to be extremely handsome! God saw beyond his physical appearance and He directed Samuel to anoint him king, solely on the basis of what was in his heart.

Why is it that appearances by and large drive the human condition? It is Satan who has caused the human eyes, through his deception of our minds, to mislead us for centuries. People go for looks but God is relentless in seeing beyond the temporal. His gaze focuses on the eternal … our very heart-n-soul. His attention and desire are in what truly makes us, us — not mere physicality.

Wikipedia defines the soul as, 'In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief in 'an immaterial aspect or essence of a living being,’ generally applied to humans, called the soul. In lay terms, the soul is the spiritual essence of a person, which includes one's identity, personality, and memories that is believed to be able to survive physical death.'

Looks are so fleeting. Why? Because we all know our bodies don’t stay youthful. At a specific future point in time, all of us will leave our earthly tent behind when God will transfer our address to Heaven or to the holding cell of Hell.

A paradigm shift in taking the attention off the physical and placing it on the spiritual is so counter cultural. The condition of our heart and soul is of much greater importance to the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

So, my friends, maybe it’s time that we start seeing with different eyes! What? Are you suggesting, Joe, that I place a higher priority on the unseen, but demonstrably visible, attributes of a person’s persona? Yes! Don’t blame me. God came up with this litmus test first, and all the credit goes to Him!

Your soul is the only thing leaving this earth when you die … for the believer and unbeliever alike. To put it bluntly, your soul is the only thing of worth to our Creator. If God values our souls, maybe we should too.

Let’s all do a better job of cultivating better attitudes of cherishing and pursuing the souls of our brothers and sisters above everything that the Adversary will throw at us. He is hell bent on destroying us as we pull our eyes away to the physical trappings of this world that will all rust and wear out.

If God selected the 'runt' from the field shepherding the sheep to lead the chosen people of Israel, He can certainly use all of us to accomplish great things for His Kingdom!

Joe Wagley is a Realtor and broker in Lenawee County. He is the owner of The Wagley Group Real Estate Advisors in Adrian and Manitou Beach. He can be reached at?517-265-6000?or at [email protected].