The owner gave you the first choice. Staring at the eight
newborn pups, you must decide. Do you choose the most attractive? The
healthiest looking? The quietest? The friendliest? What will be the deciding
factor?
King Saul failed miserably in obeying God. For that reason,
God told Samuel to anoint a new king from Jesse's household. When Samuel saw
Eliab, the eldest, he thought, Surely this is the Lord’s anointed. But
God rejected Eliab and told Samuel not to judge the candidates by their
appearance because He was more interested in their hearts. One son after
another in order of their ages came before Samuel, and after the seventh one,
Samuel told Jesse the Lord had not chosen any of them and asked if these were
all his children (v. 10–11). Jesse replied there was still the youngest son
taking care of the sheep. He sent for David, and as he stood before Samuel, the
Lord said, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he.”
God didn’t choose the eldest, tallest, or best-looking son
for Israel’s next king; instead, the youngest one who had the right heart to
lead His people. David was a shepherd; a good shepherd knew the sheep under his
care and would lay down his life for them. In the fields, David learned to
trust God for his safety as he killed lions and bears to protect his father's sheep.
He was a good shepherd who loved God, and with his shepherding experience, who
better would care for God’s sheep?
You may have been overlooked like David, being an unlikely
choice. But God knows your heart and has a plan for your life too. Trust Him and
His timing, and when He calls you to a task, be willing to serve. A young
shepherd boy did. He became a great and noteworthy king and ancestor of Jesus,
the long-awaited Messiah. God called him “A man after His own heart” (1 Samuel
13:14). Trust Jesus to care for you; the Good Shepherd who knows you by name
and gave His life for you (John 10:11, 14). Will you be a man (or woman) after
God’s own heart? The choice is yours.
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