Looking On The Heart

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.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NRSVUE)

Such a great story behind this verse. God sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint a new king. Of course, the people already have a king – Saul. But God is moving forward and looking ahead. When Samuel arrives in town and meets Jesse's first son, the prophet is convinced this must be the next anointed king of the nation.

We aren't told precisely why this son is so appealing. Is he tall or handsome or well-spoken? Does he have a degree in government? All we know is that Samuel feels good about him.

But God does not see as Samuel sees. God is not concerned with appearances. God sees the heart. And God chooses the son who Jesse didn't even bother to bring in from the fields.

God chooses the one who isn't being considered in the first place.

The Lord Is My Shepherd (Rutter)

The Old Testament and Lent

When my wife, the regular preacher in our family, announced to her congregation that she was preaching from the Old Testament for Lent, she was met with concern from one retired minister and current congregant that this practice might result in leaving Jesus out of Lent altogether. The minister was asking, I suspect: How can we arrive at the cross on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday without our typical journey with Jesus through the gospel stories of the Lenten season? She wanted the season's usual themes of preparation and repentance to originate solely from Jesus's life.

How could the Old Testament help us on our Lenten journey?

Yet, what emerged for the congregation, as each Sunday’s Old Testament story accompanied us on the Lenten journey, was an unexpectedly refreshing experience of the season. The story of the Garden of Eden, with its profound reflection on disobedience, resonated especially well during Lent. Abram’s call became a call for us all to move to new places as we await Easter. Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones was met with great anticipation as we pondered a God of restoration and resurrection. The Old Testament helped us arrive at our celebrations of Good Friday and Easter Sunday with a renewed expectation of God's participation in our world.

A Benediction (Or Miscellaneous Thoughts)

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