Daily Devotion for August 28, 2024

 

Devotion:

For an audio version of this devotion, click here.

Read 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7.

In today’s scripture, the prophet Samuel is called by God to go to Jesse’s family in Bethlehem to choose a new king that will replace Saul as the king over Israel. You see, Saul has disappointed God and God decides that a change must occur. Samuel tells God that he is frightened to go against Saul, but God convinces Samuel to confront his fear and go anyway. So, Samuel does as God commands. He goes to Jesse and invites him and his household to the sacrifice that he was offering to God. As the sons approach the site of the sacrifice, Samuel spots the oldest son, Eliab, who is tall, strong, and good looking. Samuel thinks that “yes, this must be the one.” But God told Samuel, “no, he is not the one. You look upon the appearance, but I look at the heart.” Samuel proceeds through all of Jesse’s sons who are present at the sacrifice and God rejects them all. So, Samuel asks Jesse if all of his sons are present. When Jesse tells him that David, his youngest son, is tending the sheep, Samuel tells Jesse to send for him. He may be the youngest and the one that tradition considers the least worthy of honor, but God tells Samuel that David is the one who is chosen to follow Saul as King. 

All too often we let the outward appearance of a person cloud our judgment of their fitness for a task. We have seen this recently at the Paris Olympics in the story of Stephen Nedoroscik, the Rubik’s Cube solving, Clark Kent style glasses wearing, self-described nerd whose specialty was the Pommel Horse. In fact, that was his only element and his placement on the men’s US Olympic Gymnastics team was controversial. But Stephen, like David, proved that outward appearance does not define a person as he gained a bronze medal in the individuals (only the fourth for the US since WWII) and anchored the team bronze medal in gymnastics for the first time since 2008.

The bottom line is that God sees us for who we truly are, not how the world might see us. And what God sees in us may well exceed what the “conventional wisdom” sees in our possibilities.

Personal Worship Option:

Pray: O God, help us to see the possibilities of the people around us. Help us to see beyond the faults that are evident on the outside and see the truth that lies within. For you, O God, have looked beyond my faults and saw my need and my potential. Amen.