People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
During the annual National Football League Draft, professional football teams choose new players. Coaches spend thousands of hours evaluating prospective players’ skills and physical fitness. In 2022, Brock Purdy was the last—262nd—pick and labeled “Mr. Irrelevant,” the nickname given to the last football player selected. No one expected he would play in a game during the upcoming season. Just a few months later, however, Purdy led his team to two playoff wins. The reality is that team executives don’t always do an effective job identifying potential. And neither do we.
In a familiar Old Testament story, God sent the prophet Samuel to select the next king of Israel from among the sons of Jesse. When Samuel looked at the men, he was swayed by their physical appearance. But God said to him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height” (1 Samuel 16:7). Instead, God led him to choose not the oldest or tallest but the youngest and seemingly least relevant choice—David, who would be Israel’s greatest earthly king.
Why do we often do such a poor job evaluating people? Our passage reminds us that “people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7). When we’re asked to select someone to be on a work team or serve on a volunteer committee, we can ask God to give us wisdom to make choices based on qualities valuable to Him.
When have you felt “irrelevant”? How might you see people from God’s perspective?
Heavenly Father, please give me insight to see others as You see them.
INSIGHT
There’s no mention of how David’s brothers felt about his public anointing by the prophet Samuel in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:13). A bit later, however, we gain a glimpse of his eldest brother Eliab’s resentment when David visited the frontlines of a standoff between Israel and the Philistines. Eliab “burned with anger” at his youngest brother (17:28). He said, “I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle” (v. 28). Eliab likely regretted those words as David soon made history by slaying Goliath (vv. 41-51).