1 Samuel 8:4-5, says: “So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’"
The fact that Samuel’s sons did not follow the Lord is a whole other story in itself. But for now, let’s concentrate on the fact that the people rejected God as their king and wanted to be like everyone else. They wanted to be "normal."
1 Samuel 9:2 says: “Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.”
We can surmise from this verse that Saul certainly “looked” the part of a king. He was tall, dark and handsome. He appeared commanding and capable from the outside, but was he really? Several verses later, Samuel gives the news to Saul that he has been chosen as the first king of Israel. He responds by saying: “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
Sounds like a little bit of insecurity. I can understand that the news was shocking and perhaps he didn’t feel deserving of such a high calling. But, as we read further, we see more of his character emerge. In chapter 10, Samuel has all the tribes of Israel come forward so that the Lord can indeed give them what they “want.” In verses 20-24, it says this: “When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, ‘Has the man come here yet?’ And the Lord said, ‘Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.’ They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.’’
If you keep reading the story of Saul you will find that his inner being was not lined up with his outer package. Because he looked “kingly” the people assigned him more value. In Lies Young Women Believe, lie #7 is “Beautiful Girls are Worth More.” Somehow, some way, in our society, we’ve come to believe that. We can look at someone, and in just a few seconds, sum them up. We may even treat them a certain way because of our perception of them. We also apply this extremely dangerous logic to our own selves. When we believe lies about who we are based upon our own or someone else’s perception of us, it leads us into bondage. Proverbs 23:7 NKJV says this: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” If you think too highly of yourself, so you are. If you think too lowly of yourself, so you are. We MUST have a proper perspective of who we are so that we can break this bondage of judging and being judged for who we appear to be on the outside.
By all means, take care of your temple: exercise, eat right, get your hair done, and buy yourself something with bling from time to time. But ladies, take heed! The real treasure of who you are lies within! Spend twice as much time in prayer, in bible reading, in serving others, in being gracious, in loving those who are unlovely, in showing hospitality, in showing Christ to a lost and hurting world…
God illustrated this point beautifully to the Israelites. Saul looked amazing but he failed miserably as king. His insecurities became his downfall. We all know the story. The Lord rejected Saul as king because he did not have a heart for Him; he did not spend time cultivating his inner man. After some time, the Lord told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as the next king.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 shows us that even Samuel fell prey to the belief that outer appearance mattered but the Lord set the record straight. “So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
Jesse had eight sons. David was the youngest, the least, if you will. He was the most inexperienced and the most unlikely to become king. He would not have been the "normal" choice. But, he was a man after God’s own heart. He was not perfect, in fact, far from it; but he had a heart for God. Don't you just love the fact that God uses people that society would call unlikely and those who aren't normal to do great things for Him? He assigns value based on what's in our hearts and our willingness to serve Him.
True and lasting beauty comes from the inside and there is no way to keep it there. What is on the inside will show forth on the outside. Let’s get out there and be true beauties today!
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