Our opening scripture gives God’s reprimand to Samuel when he was asked to anoint a king at the house of Jesse in Bethlehem. Samuel looked at the stature or outward appearance of the elder sons of Jesse and thought they were the chosen ones. To his surprise God said He had not chosen them. He said to him what we read in our opening scripture about Eliab, Jesse’s eldest son, “Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”. This shows you that it is possible for men to choose what God has rejected. It was a wakeup call for Samuel the prophet of God. God’s judgments are different from the judgments of men. People judge and make conclusions based on what they have seen physically or what they determined through scientific means. On the contrary God looks on the heart. This doesn’t suggest that God doesn’t care about physical appearance. It just means God’s primary and principal focus of judgment is the heart and not the flesh. The heart’s condition comes first in God’s consideration of judgments.

Jeremiah 17:9 gives us relevant insight: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” There are those who have been deceived with beautiful attires and smooth talks which were a camouflage of inner wickedness. The Lord Jesus warned about false prophets who parade in sheep’s skins yet they are dangerous wolves within (Matthew 7:15). It is important that you rely on God’s wisdom through His Word and the

Holy Spirit to make judgments or decisions which are right in His eyes. The Holy Spirit is your helper to lead and guide you in all truth (John 16:13). He searches and knows the hearts of all men. When you trust Him, you will not be beguiled by masqueraded appearances.