The Lord Looks on the Heart

Out on the hills above Bethlehem, a boy is watching his father's sheep. He has no idea that, down in the town, a prophet with a horn of oil is refusing to sit down until he arrives.

Samuel was grieving. King Saul had turned away from God, and God had rejected him as king. Samuel could not stop mourning. Then the Lord spoke. “How long will you mourn for Saul? Fill your horn with oil and go. I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen a king among his sons.” Samuel was afraid. “If Saul hears about it, he'll kill me.” So God told him to take a young cow and go to offer a sacrifice, and to invite Jesse to come.

When Samuel arrived, the elders of Bethlehem came out to meet him, trembling. A visit from the great prophet could mean trouble. “Do you come in peace?” “In peace,” said Samuel. “I've come to sacrifice to the Lord. Get yourselves ready and come with me.” And he made sure Jesse and his sons were there. The first son to come forward was Eliab, the eldest. He was tall and handsome, every inch a king. Samuel looked at him and thought, surely this is the one.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don't look at his appearance or how tall he is. I have not chosen him. The Lord does not see the way people see. People look at the outside. The Lord looks at the heart.” So Jesse called his next son, Abinadab. “The Lord hasn't chosen this one either.” Then Shammah. “Not this one.” One after another, seven of Jesse's sons walked past the prophet. And to each one the answer was no. Samuel turned to Jesse. “The Lord hasn't chosen any of these. Are these all the sons you have?”

Jesse hesitated. “There's still the youngest. He's out looking after the sheep.” It hadn't occurred to anyone to fetch him. “Send for him,” said Samuel. “We won't sit down to eat until he gets here.” So they waited. At last the boy came in from the fields, glowing with health, with bright eyes and a handsome face. His name was David. And the Lord said, “Get up and anoint him. He is the one.” So in front of all his brothers, Samuel took the horn of oil and poured it over David's head. And from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Then Samuel went home to Ramah. David, it seems, went back to the sheep.

Meanwhile, the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Bible says an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. His servants had an idea. “Let us find someone who plays the harp. When the darkness comes on you, he can play, and you'll feel better.” One servant knew just the person. “I've seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem. He plays well. He's brave, he speaks wisely, he's good-looking, and the Lord is with him.” So Saul sent for him. Jesse loaded a donkey with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat, and sent David to the palace. Saul liked him very much, and made him one of his armour-bearers. And whenever the darkness came over Saul, David took his harp and played, and Saul found relief. The future king was serving the old one, and no one at court knew it.

What did David's harp actually look like? The Hebrew word is kinnor, and it was not a big standing harp. It was a lyre: a small wooden frame, light enough to carry, with strings stretched across it and plucked by hand. Ancient images from across the region show players holding instruments like it. The Bible says David played it with his hand. Later, Israel would remember him as the sweet singer of Israel, and many of the psalms carry his name.

The Lord Looks on the Heart. You'll find it in First Samuel, chapter 16. Everyone in that room was looking at height and looks. God was looking somewhere else. So here's the question to carry with you. If God looked at your heart today, what would he see?