God Looks On The Heart
It was time to appoint a new king. Because of his disobedience, King Saul was dethroned and Samuel was instructed to appoint a new king. In Bethlehem, there was a man named Jesse who had sons. Samuel went to examine Jesse’s sons to see if any of them was fit to be the new king. One of the sons was named Eliab. When Samuel saw him he believed that he was a perfect fit for the king’s throne. However, God said: “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” (I Samuel 16:7). It was not Eliab who became the new king, but David. God knew that David had the right kind of heart and that he would do His will (cf. Acts 13:22).
From I Samuel 16:7 we learn that people have a tendency to judge others by their outward appearance. Even Samuel, prophet of God, judged Eliab based on outward appearance. Our judgments are often based on things such as beauty, clothing, money, occupation, educational background or race. We may see a very attractive, articulate woman and conclude that she must be confident and happy, or we may see a man who has a prestigious educational background and is paid a six-figure salary and judge that he is a great person, someone who would make a good friend. But these judgments based on outward appearance may be very wrong. A woman who is striking in appearance may have low self-esteem; a man who is “successful” may be dishonest and immoral and therefore would not make a good friend.
The text also teaches that in contrast to our judgments based on external things, God looks on the heart. The “heart” is the inner man, the soul, the real person. God does not care about a person’s job, looks, skin color or education. Rather, God is looking at who we are on the inside. We can all put on a clever disguise and hide from others who we are in heart, but God has full and complete knowledge of every heart. No amount of make-up, money, earthly possessions or accomplishments can hide from God who we are in our hearts (Hebrews 4:12).
Since God knows our hearts, it logically follows that we should keep our hearts. Solomon wrote, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). To “keep” the heart is to keep it pure from all things which would corrupt it—evil thoughts and desires, deceit, improper motives, jealousy and envy. In view of these things, determine to keep your heart with all diligence . . . God is looking at it!
