The LORD Looks at the Heart

Truth is absolute. 

Then there is this individual practice of truth within every human being. It’s that sort of honesty even to oneself. In its maximum benevolence, it’s called integrity. In its most poisonous opposite, we pathologize our own lies as truth. And right smack dab in the middle, we find the majority of the human race. A weeping face beneath a smiling mask.

The first book of Samuel (ch. 16) records that in 1024 BC, God called his prophet out of mourning for the rotten king Saul and to the town of Bethlehem in order for David, a lowly shepherd boy, to be anointed the new ruler of Israel. This was done for a very specific purpose: to reassert the authority of God’s preference over man’s.

“But Samuel asked, ‘How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.’

‘Take a heifer with you,’ the Lord replied, ‘and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse [David’s father] to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.’”

Notice how YHWH does not respond to Samuel’s fear. Instead, He simply continues His instruction as He knew Samuel’s heart. He was a man who, though imperfect, was about his Father’s business. God knows our hearts. He knows when to be gentle and when to push us. Even our current fears are of no consequence to God’s confidence in our hearts surrendered to Him.

“So [naturally] Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. ‘What’s wrong?’ they asked. ‘Do you come in peace?’

‘Yes,’ Samuel replied. ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.”

In studying this passage, I wondered why the LORD told Samuel to bring the heifer for sacrifice. While prayerfully writing this, the Spirit gave me this thought (though perhaps, as usual, there is greater depth to be found). The curious detail of the town elders approaching Samuel trembling suggests there was some kind of anxiety historically and commonly associated with the prophet’s presence. What better way to calm Israelite souls than a humbling ritual which renders all men equal before the almighty God? The LORD’s presence always brings peace–a good thing to remember during times of discernment and when testing the spirits.

When Samuel and Jesse’s family arrived at the altar of sacrifice, the Bible says the prophet was certain the second he saw Eliab (the eldest brother of David) that he was the one God would choose to succeed Saul. However, check out how the LORD–the true King of the universe–replied to the thoughts of his prophet:

“‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

What a profoundly explicit revelation on the character of our Creator. With Samuel it could be exegetically deduced, but here we see God telling us plainly through the historical account of David’s origin story. Our aforementioned protagonist was subsequently sent for and chosen by YHWH as made evident by the fact that “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.”

So while many a sermon and study highlight (and nobly so) the apparent quality of David’s heart, I want to take a more presently applicable angle. Of course it’s always good and relevant to look at the many examples of what God describes as good–a principle ultimately satisfied in the life of Jesus. But let’s not forget the fact that biblical history is indeed our history! The minutes you’ve graciously spent reading this relatively insignificant article are already a part of the same past as some of the most timeless events in the human saga.

This means that the same LORD who looked at the heart then looks at the heart today! God knows your heart. He sees the tears pooling behind our porcelain facades. He shakes His head at our fleshborn bitterness and grins warmly at any Spirit-forged faithfulness found within us.

So while the world may never know who you really are, know that the LORD who formed you by hand in your mother’s womb has known you since before the world was formed. That sounds like a good enough reason to talk to Him. And even better is it a reason to listen. Seek the still small voice of God. Then He will look at your heart and say like he did for David, “This is the one.”

May His face shine upon you and His will be done :) 

–Cristian