Devotions
Rev Gav
Inside
1 Samuel 16.1, 6–13
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Reflect
A tiny bit of back story…
King Saul would eventually kill himself because his kingdom was falling and his sons had died in battle. He feared the disgrace of being captured, and after being mortally wounded by Philistine archers during the Battle of Mount Gilboa, he took his own life by falling on his sword. From the spiritual worldview of the Israelites, he died because he had bypassed and offended God by consulting the ‘witch of Endor’. It’s all a bit ‘Game of Thrones’ isn’t it?
So… a new king was going to be appointed and, before the reign of Saul ended, God sent Samuel to a guy called Jesse who paraded seven sons before him, but all were rejected. Finally, the youngest son was brought forward and his name was David, and Samuel anointed him as God’s chosen king to be.
In this Bible passage is one of the most famous sayings found within Judaism, “People look at the outward appearance, but the God looks at the heart.” (NLT) This theme was expanded by Jesus when he said, “A good person produces good things from what is stored up in a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from what is stored up in an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6.45)
It is what is inside of us that matters.
Some people spend a lot of time trying to keep their physical and mental bodies in good shape. They diet, they exercise, they take medication, they take mental health days, and they meditate, but the Christian also spends time working on their character. Their goal is to become more Christ-like; to have a heart like Jesus. Yes, reading scripture, daily devotions, and saying prayers have their place, but it is time spent with God that truly changes us. When we are open to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit transforms us from the inside out, and we become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. Like bread dough, we simply need to sit in God’s warmth to rise.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be all of those things! Today, as well as reading this and saying the prayer, take a few minutes to simply be. Perhaps close your eyes and takes some deep breaths. Invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill you, inspire you, and transform you into the likeness of Christ.
Pray
Holy God
So fill me with
your Holy Spirit
that I am transformed
on the inside.
May my thoughts
be your thoughts.
May my words
be your words.
And may my actions
be your actions.
This day and forever.
and then