A L M A C I A S

THE LORD SEES THE HEART

In 1 Samuel 16, we find a very interesting account which shows to us that God does not see man as man sees man. In this chapter we learn how Saul had shown his true colors. Saul was not the kind of man that he was at the beginning of his reign. The Lord was no longer pleased with Saul as King of Israel. The Lord decided that King Saul should be replaced by someone better than he. We read in 1 Samuel 16:1,2, "And the Lord said unto Samuel, how long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it , he will kill me. And the Lord said, take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord."

Samuel knew how dangerous it would be for him to go to the house of Jesse to find a replacement for King Saul. But it was God¹s will that Saul not continue as king over Israel. If Samuel were to be asked by anyone, especially King Saul, regarding his business in Bethlehem, he was to say that he was going to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. After all, that is exactly what he did in many places.

As soon as Samuel arrived in Bethlehem, he called Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice. It would be here that Samuel would select the king from among Jesse's sons, but who would it be? How would Samuel know who the Lord wanted as king? It has been said many times that a book should never be judged by its cover, but still some will form their opinion by what they see on the outside. As the sons of Jesse passed before Samuel, he looked on their countenance and their height, thinking that the outward appearance is what is most important when choosing someone for a position of great responsibility. Even though our outward appearance is important, the Lord told Samuel not to look at the countenance or the height of Jesse's sons to determine which of them was the proper man to replace Saul as king. The Lord told Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. The Lord was interested in the inner man, not the outer man. The kind of inner qualities a man possesses is important to the Lord. What we might pretend to be before other men is of very little value to God. Let us always remember this in our own lives ­ that although we might be able to pretend to be what we are not before others, it is impossible to fool God, for He sees us as we really are.