The Lord Does Not See as Man Sees--Day 127 Through the Bible

                                Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, 
                                          the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. (I Corinthians 2:9)

I Samuel 16 opens with God asking Samuel how long is he going to mourn for Saul?  God has rejected Saul from reigning over Israel and He tell Samuel to fill his horn with oil in preparation for anointing the next king of Israel.  Samuel evidently feared Saul's anger, however God gave him a plan and reassured Samuel that He would show him how to go about this.  The elders of Bethlehem "trembled" at Samuel's coming, but he assured them his mission was peaceable.  Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice he was preparing to make.

There comes a point in our lives when it's time to move on.  God is always working to bring about His purpose and plan. In order to serve God and be in His will, we must deal with grief, disappointment, heartbreak, and other emotions, and move on to greener pastures with God's direction and guidance.  Having our "horn filled with oil" is a beautiful analogy.  We need to begin each day by drawing near to God and being filled with His word and with the Holy Spirit in preparation for meeting the challenges of the day. We need a sufficient supply of "oil in our lamps" in order to be light and salt in our culture. God says He will gladly give His Spirit to those who ask--how often do we ask?  This passage also reminds us to consider our attitude toward God--do we stand in awe of Him and "tremble" at His word--or do we have a flippant attitude toward our Creator?

Samuel proceeded to review the sons of Jesse and wait for the Lord to indicate which man He had chosen as Israel's next king.  This passage sends a clear message that God does not look at people or things the way man does. God chose none of the strong specimens of men that presented themselves before Samuel.  He cautioned Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature. . . for the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart".  This should motivate us to desire to have a heart like David's. Oh, to hear God describe us as a man or woman "after His own heart"!