Our simple T-shirt logo had a scripture reference on it: 1st Samuel chapter 16 verse 7. No doubt you've heard it quoted: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart."
The context of this statement is the story where the prophet Samuel is sent to anoint a new king to replace King Saul, a man who feared the people more than he feared the Lord. All that Samuel knows when he sets out is that the new king is one of the sons of a man called Jesse. Jesse lived in the town of Bethlehem and he actually had eight sons. So Samuel had to go there and find out which of the sons was to be the new king.
Now, several of Jesse's sons were rather impressive looking: tall, handsome, strong and muscular…. just the sort of guys you could imagine as a future king. So you can imagine Samuel's consternation when seven sons passed before him, one after the other, and God kept saying, "No, this isn't the one." That's the context of those words that were spoken directly by God Himself: Don't judge by his appearance or his height… People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16: 7)
And, of course, we know the end of the story. David was the chosen one, - the one who, fifteen or twenty years later, became the second king of Israel. But he didn't look like a king at this point; he just looked like a kid. The Bible doesn't tell us exactly how old he was, but the Hebrew word used is na'ar. This word, which means "youth shaking free," was used to describe a pre-teen boy who was not yet old enough to go to battle. Na'ar could describe a boy as young as three or four… or as old as eleven or twelve. But probably not any older than twelve. Once a boy was thirteen or fourteen, and old enough to go to battle, the Hebrew word used to describe him was bach'ur, which means "ripened warrior."
When we read the story in the next chapter, of how David went out to face the giant Goliath (see below), we often imagine a teenage boy of seventeen or eighteen. But the Hebrew word in chapter seventeen is also na'ar. Probably David was only eleven or twelve years old; that's why he hadn't gone to the battle as a soldier, and so his father was able to send him with some food for his brothers. This also explains why the kid was unable to walk when Saul gave him his heavy armour to wear. (1 Samuel 17 vs 38 - 39) He wasn't big enough or strong enough, because he was just a pre-teen boy. And yet he was the one God had chosen to be the future king.
In telling us the story of Samuel's visit to Jesse and his sons, and especially in giving us those words in 1 Samuel 16: 7, I believe that God was drawing our attention to a very important principle for our lives. As human beings, we will always be tempted to look at the outward appearance. It's so easy for us to form an opinion of people based on what they look like: whether they're tall or short, fat or thin, young or old, well dressed or poorly dressed. We tend to judge people by all sorts of external standards: like their accent and education, the kind of house they live in, the sort of job that they have; whether they're rich or poor, sporty or nerdy; whether they wear the latest designer clothes and have the latest model of smartphone; whether they're good looking or just seemingly "ordinary." But God doesn't look at the things people look at. It might be, sometimes, that we need to remind ourselves to look beyond the externals and truly allow ourselves to see the heart and the character of the person.
In choosing the theme, "Get Real," for that Johannesburg camp, we were reminding the young people - 21st century young people who care so much about their "image" and about being "cool" - that such externals are not really the most important thing in life. What really matters is who we are on the inside: whether we are people of integrity and courage, generosity and faithfulness, kindness and humility… These are the things that matter most in God's eyes, because He doesn't look at the external and temporary trappings of our lives; He looks deep within us to find the character qualities that honour Him and that will be with us for eternity.You see, it's not as if David didn't have any of those external qualities. We read later that he did have many accomplishments: he was courageous, he spoke well, he was good looking and he was a very gifted musician. But what's even more important is a characteristic that someone speaks of him in ch 16 vs 18: the Lord is with him. Our talents and skills aren't unimportant: it was David's courage that equipped him to be a mighty warrior, and it was no doubt his musical gifting that equipped him to be a songwriter/psalmist and worship leader. His eloquence and good looks were no doubt part of what made him a popular king. But we know from God's words to Samuel that these were not God's primary reasons for choosing David to be king. What really mattered was the heart: the fact that he knew God and that God was with him.
And so, later on, when we read about David's kingship, we discover that his heart and his skills were both needed in order for him to do a good job as king. Psalm 78 vs 72 tells us that David led the people with integrity of heart (that's what comes first) and also with skilful hands. Yes, both are needed, but there's no doubt at all about which matters most to God.
