1 Samuel 9:2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
1 Samuel 16:11-13 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. (12) And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. (13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
In our text today, we see the choosing of two kings: first Saul, then David. As I read these two choices, what stood out to me was not only how different Saul and David were, but how differently each were viewed. Everyone looked at Saul early on and thought, "He will be such a wonderful king, look at how tall and strong he looks." And when it was time to choose the next king, Jesse never even thought to bring out David because he was so young and smaller than the others.
Yet, we know that it was David who was the superior king than Saul. Why? 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
This reminds me of the fact that last Monday I had to go to the eye doctor. After my exam, I was told that I had a slight astigmatism and would need a new prescription. I went to the doctor because I recognized that my eye sight was getting worse. (Must be a sign of old age!) Unfortunately, we often fail to realize as Christians when our "spiritual eyes" start to become unfocused. Every now and then, God needs to give us a visual correction.
Israel needed a visual correction in choosing the next king. Saul was head and shoulders over everyone else, but we see where that choice led them. If Israel wanted to go a different direction, then they needed to make a different choice. Reminds me that it was Albert Einstein who said that, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
If we want to change our spiritual direction and to begin to do more for Christ, we may need to ask God to give us a spiritual vision correction today.
1 Samuel 16:11-13 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. (12) And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. (13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
In our text today, we see the choosing of two kings: first Saul, then David. As I read these two choices, what stood out to me was not only how different Saul and David were, but how differently each were viewed. Everyone looked at Saul early on and thought, "He will be such a wonderful king, look at how tall and strong he looks." And when it was time to choose the next king, Jesse never even thought to bring out David because he was so young and smaller than the others.
Yet, we know that it was David who was the superior king than Saul. Why? 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
This reminds me of the fact that last Monday I had to go to the eye doctor. After my exam, I was told that I had a slight astigmatism and would need a new prescription. I went to the doctor because I recognized that my eye sight was getting worse. (Must be a sign of old age!) Unfortunately, we often fail to realize as Christians when our "spiritual eyes" start to become unfocused. Every now and then, God needs to give us a visual correction.
Israel needed a visual correction in choosing the next king. Saul was head and shoulders over everyone else, but we see where that choice led them. If Israel wanted to go a different direction, then they needed to make a different choice. Reminds me that it was Albert Einstein who said that, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
If we want to change our spiritual direction and to begin to do more for Christ, we may need to ask God to give us a spiritual vision correction today.
God's word is our constant -- when we view it and attempt to adjust it to our lives instead of the other way around, we do need adjustment!
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