1 Samuel 16:6-7 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
God had told Samuel to
go to the house of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, to anoint the new King of Israel
from among his eight sons (1 Samuel 16:10-11). When the sons of Jesse were
passing by Samuel, He thought Eliab had to be the Lord's choice for King. As
the story continues, we find that David was not among the seven sons passed by
Samuel. This exclusion would indicate that Jesse did not think as highly of
David as his other seven sons. Samuel was judging Eliab by his appearance, as
Jesse judged David not to be fit to be among the group presented to Samuel.
When Samuel had seen the seven sons of Jesse and had made his choice, he asked Jesse if that were all of his sons, to which Jesse replied, there was the youngest, David, who was watching the sheep. So, when Jesse brought David before Samuel, God told him to anoint this one because he is My choice.
First, Jesse made a mistake that many parents have made down through history. Jesse did not hold an equal admiration and approval for all his children; he may have seen David as a servant instead of a son because while the rest of the sons were at the house to meet Samuel, Jesse had left David out in the fields working.
Secondly, this lesson benefits all who have judged someone by their appearance rather than who they are, in their hearts. When we see someone with tattoos covering most of their body, body piercing, or multiple colored hair, how many of us have not looked at that person with less than the respect we should have shown them. We all have our ideas of a normal and acceptable dress and appearance. As humans, we sometimes tend to have boundaries on what we accept on either side of that normality. Many people have some form, even if ever so slightly, of a prior conception of how people should dress and act. When we come upon something or someone outside of that preconception, we tend to judge them on our prejudgment or predisposition.
John 7:24 tells us to "stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."
As we can see in the previous verse, Jesus is not telling us not to judge but to judge correctly. We should then judge on the actual merits or demerits of action, not from a first impression that stems from a prejudice rooted deep in our hearts. Instead, our judgment should be gauged by what is from the heart and spirit of the other person. It might be possible for us to acquaint ourselves with that person, believing the very best about that individual, especially when there is no proof to the contrary.
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