1 Samuel 16:7

Inquire Within

Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7.

Supposing somebody came to this town today and announced that they had been sent to elect, from among the boys and girls, a king or queen to reign over a new country, what excitement there would be!

If the choice were to be left to the boys and girls themselves, I wonder who would be picked out. Would it be the boy who was biggest and strongest, or best at games, or head of his class? Would it be the girl who was prettiest, or cleverest, or most popular?

But supposing the stranger announced that there was to be an examination of hearts, and that the boy or girl with the best heart was to be selected, I wonder again who would be chosen. Some of those whom we should have put near the top of the list would be away down at the bottom, and some decent sort of boy of whom nobody took much notice, or some plain-looking, awkward, shy, little girl, would be at the very top.

Now something like this once happened in Bethlehem about a thousand years before Jesus was born there. Only people did not know it was a king who was being elected; they probably thought that Samuel was choosing a pupil for his School of Prophets.

It happened like this. Saul by his pride and disobedience had forfeited his right to be king over Israel, and God sent Samuel to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, to choose a new king from among his sons.

So Jesse made his sons pass in order before the prophet. First came Eliab, the eldest. He was a fine, big, strong man, and when Samuel saw him he thought, “This is just the very man to be a king, and to lead the armies of Israel to victory.” But God said to Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Then came Abinadab the second son, and Shammah the third. The fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth, and the seventh also passed by; but always the answer was the same “Neither hath the Lord chosen this”

At last David was sent for to the hills where he was tending the sheep. His father had not thought it worth while to summon him: he was just a boy, and did not count. But when he appeared, God said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he.”

You know what a splendid king David afterwards made a king brave and faithful, the best that Israel ever had. You also know how, later, Eliab showed that he had a petty, jealous nature quite unworthy of a true king. And you remember that it was David, the shepherd lad, not the strong warrior, Eliab, who fought Goliath.

I suppose if we had been in Samuel's place that day we should have made the same mistake as he we should have thought Eliab the best man to fill the position of king. It is so easy to judge by appearances, and so difficult not to do so.

Perhaps you have a friend who is clever, or witty, or happy, and you think he is just first-rate; but if you could see his heart as God sees it, you might find it very black. And perhaps you have another friend who is rather unattractive. He doesn't shine, and he isn't very good company. For all that, he may be the very best kind of friend, sincere and true the kind that will stick to you through thick and thin.

Remember it is not always the birds with the finest feathers that have the sweetest song. The peacock and the parrot have gorgeous plumage; but when they really show what they can do in the way of uplifting their voices, the first thing you want to do is to put your fingers in your ears. The blackbird, and the thrush, and the nightingale, and the lark have very plain dull coats; but when they begin to sing the air is filled with their melody and the world seems a sweeter fairer place. And it isn't always the people who look grandest or greatest who are the truest and best.

A surly old baron was once travelling in Sweden. Now in some parts of that country where it is very rough and hilly people still travel by stagecoach, just as they used to do in this country before there were railways and trains. And here and there along the road are inns where their tired horses can be changed for fresh ones so that they can get along faster.

One day this surly old nobleman arrived at such an inn and immediately demanded fresh horses in a gruff and rude way. The landlord said he was very sorry he had none to give him, and that he would just have to wait till his own horses were rested.

As he was speaking, a pair of beautiful horses were brought out and hitched to a carriage where sat a little quiet-looking gentleman. The baron was very angry. He asked the landlord what he meant by telling him he had no horses when he had this pair, but the innkeeper replied that the horses had already been ordered by the gentleman in the carriage.

Thereupon the baron approached the insignificant little gentleman. “Look here, my man,” he said, “give me those horses and I'll pay you well for them.” The other replied quietly, but firmly, that he required the horses and that he was just about to start. At this the nobleman began to fume. “Why,” he muttered to himself, “this fellow surely cannot know what an important person I am!” And aloud he said, “Perhaps you don't know who I am? I am Field-Marshal Baron George Sparre, the last and only one of my race.” The other smiled, quite unperturbed. “I am glad of that,” said he, “it would be terrible to think there might be more of you.” And in another moment he was gone.

When he had disappeared the landlord turned to the churlish nobleman. “That,” said he, “was the Bang of Sweden!” You can imagine how the baron felt, but it was too late to undo the mistake he had made the mistake of judging by appearances.

There is just one thing more I want you to remember. Very often we are judged by our outside. Other people estimate us by our appearance, or our manner, or the things we say and do, but God judges us by our heart. He looks right into it and He sees things that our nearest friends don't see. He knows how hard we tried to be good that time we failed. He knows what it cost us to keep our temper when it was sorely tried. He knows what it meant to be true and straight and unselfish when we were tempted to be the opposite. And He knows, too, the splendid men and women we are able to become if we will let Him take possession of those hearts He can see so well, if we will let Him rule there.