Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…
Understanding important truths from the Bible….
OUTWARD APPEARANCES
1 Samuel 16:12, 7 ESV
12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
7 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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
We find in the scriptures three times that Moses was a beautiful child, Ex. 2:2; Acts 7:20; Hebrews 11:23. We are told of the stature of the giants who opposed Israel up through the time of the Kingdom. We are told of the physical appearance of Absolom. He was the most handsome man in Israel in his day, 2 Samuel 14:25. We have no description of Samson, but we may wonder about his physical appearance also.
That which we can determine is that outward appearance of either a man or a woman whether handsome, beautiful, or plain is not what determines their true value. Moses and David were handsome and were beautiful as well to God. Ruth was a beautiful woman and virtuous as well. Bathsheba was beautiful and at least in her early life was lacking in virtue.
The true worth of anyone is determined by their devotion to God. Neither the appearance nor the greatness of their service can ever make one any better than their heart. Hebrews 11 has determined that once and for all. Whether it is Noah building an ark for the salvation of his family or Abraham looking for a city,it is faith in the promise of God that will avail.
When Eliab, though tall and comely, is rejected and David, handsome in appearance, is anointed it is not their appearance that matters. David could write repeatedly, “I love the Lord”. How unique this is in the Scriptures. Look and pay attention to how few times anyone else says this.
This is not to say that there was a single Old Testament or New Testament saint that does not love the Lord. It is to say that it flows neither so freely nor so convincingly from anyone else as it does from David.
Is it any wonder God says of David “I have found in David a man after my heart.” Acts 13:22. God’s love for David is reciprocated by David as fully as any man, the Lord Jesus excepted, could return God’s love.
When all David’s warts are noted, he will still be found to be “ruddy” and “handsome”. I love David, he is my Bible hero – no apologies!
Application:
- Physical appearance is neither a help nor a hindrance in serving God.
- Serving God must be an act of love.
Thank you, Mr Fitzhenry, this was very well said. I'm a huge fan of David also, and through John Eldredge's book "Wild at Heart" I gained a deeper appreciation for the love that God had shown David.
ReplyDeleteHow hard it is to resist the lure of worldly appearances and especially worldly success! I reflected this morning on the fact that St Joseph would probably not make the Top 10 List of innovative or game-changing carpenters in history; yet few were as faithful as he was to God's plan. And in contrast, we drive ourselves to be game-changers in the workplace today, driven by glory or profit or merely a sense of self-achievement.
Thanks again for a great post.