“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
When it comes to people, you can’t always go by what you see. Looks, as it is said, can be deceiving. What appears on the outside is not always an accurate representation of what is on the inside. That was the case when it came to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. He said of them, “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27). In other words, on the outside they seemed righteous and pure, but on the inside they were full of evil thoughts and intentions.
It works the other way as well. Sometimes that which looks weak and worthless on the outside is strong and worthy on the inside. That was the case when it came to David in comparison to his brothers. The context of our verse for today is the Prophet Samuel’s search for a worthy alternative to King Saul. Samuel thought that David’s tall brother Eliab was the Lord’s anointed, but the Lord spoke the words of our verse for today in response to Samuel. Something must have been wrong with Eliab’s heart and the Lord, who is concerned above all with the heart, rejected him. David, in contrast, was the youngest son and his father Jesse had not even bothered to call him to stand before Samuel. Nevertheless, the Lord looked at his heart and chose him.
So what does this mean for us? Since we can’t look directly at the heart of anyone to see what is in there, are we vulnerable to making wrong decisions when it comes to people? We need to know if our friends are true, if the person we are seeing is the one we should marry, who to do business with, who to vote for, and if our pastor is the real deal. Is it all up for grabs? Are life decisions nothing more than a gamble on the best odds?
No. For, like Samuel, we have the Lord to help us. We may not be able to see the inside, but the Lord sees everything. When we stay in touch with the Lord, when we refuse to get caught up in appearances, when we ask the Lord to guide us, we can be assured that He will show us the way.
By John Huisman
