Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:13-15, The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
I would like us today to recall what happened in chapter 16. Samuel was at the home of Jesse, per God’s direction and command, to anoint the next king. In doing so, Samuel had the opportunity to meet all of Jesse’s sons. As Jesse brought them to him one by one, Samuel made his own judgment of who the Lord would choose, but the Lord made it clear that He sees more than man’s outer appearance. As we read the names of Jesse’s sons in this chapter, it serves as a valuable lesson for us in our walk with Jesus. Like Samuel, we have a tendency to judge people, who they are, or what they are like, based on what we perceive of them. We apply our own prejudices, regardless of how they were developed in our minds, to a person based on what we see with our physical eyes. I too have been guilty of this, only to be surprised or disappointed at what the truth was about certain people. The danger in doing this is that we do this in judging who we want to model our spiritual walk after. It is true that God calls us to encourage one another and be an example for one another. Titus 2:6-8 instructs us, “Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.” In 1 Corinthians 11:1 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” There is no doubt that we need godly role models, and we should strive to be godly role models. However, we must be very careful that we not take our eyes off of Christ when it comes to who we should model our lives after. I have seen, in far too many cases, that many of us have put people on a pedestal, because of what certain people portrayed in public, in Christian circles, or at the church building, only to find out that they were just as flawed as we are. Some have even left the church and Christian fellowship as a result. From a human perspective, Samuel, if left to choose, would have probably chosen one of these three brothers to be the next king, based on his initial observations. Here, they have an opportunity to shine, stand up, and prove themselves; yet, they cowered just like everyone else. When we put our trust in man to be our greatest example, rather than turn to Jesus and see His example from the Scriptures, we will always find ourselves in a position to be disappointed; as sooner or later a person’s true character and flaws will be seen. The Bible tells us that we fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). John 1:14 tells us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” In other words, we fall short of Jesus, and not one another, as Jesus is who we are to measure ourselves by. Again, I want to make it clear that we can look to others as examples and we can be examples, for the glory of God, but our ultimate Example to follow is Jesus and Him alone.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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