God looks at the heart

“God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

We look at Saul’s kingship and see an important lesson God is teaching. The first king of Israel, Saul, is known for losing the kingship to David because of his disobedience to God. We see why his Kingship was taken away and his character flaw when we read the scriptures, “And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” So the Lord said, “Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage” (1 Samuel 10:21-23).

He was about to be anointed king and he was hiding by the baggage! It seems as if he was a little fearful of the people. So why did God choose him? This was to be their first King and we see from this verse, “he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.” (1 Samuel 10:21-23). A shoulder upward is one foot, so he was one foot taller than the tallest among the people.

Saul, though tall in stature, still needed a little help from God for the people to follow him. The Spirit of the Lord comes over Saul, he prophesies with the prophets and the people said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 10:10-12). Another time the Spirit of the Lord comes over him, he tears a pair of oxen apart and sends the pieces to the twelve tribes saying, if you do not come I will do this to you. This helps him rally the people against the Ammonites. Saul loomed above the people, strong, heightened in stature, a great first King of Israel, one whom the people would follow. However they still were a little fickle in following this first king and he was fearful of them.

The people had gathered to fight the Philistines but on the seventh day the people started leaving. God had told him He would be there in seven days and to not do anything without him, but fear of the people overcame Saul and he disobeyed God. “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling… So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:11-12).

His second disobedience seems to be a test, told by God to kill all the Amalekite people and their livestock. The Amalekite king and the good livestock are kept alive, as spoils of war. He is king not something he really needs, but something the people would want. When confronted he tries to justify it by saying it was for sacrifices to God. God replies obeying me is more important than “burnt offerings and sacrifices”. Saul admits he disobeyed because he feared the people, “I have indeed transgressed the ^[^l^]command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice” (1 Samuel 15: 4).

“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
“For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.”

(1 Samuel 15: 20-26)

Saul feared the people and listened to their voice, his character flaw, so God sought out a man who would obey him. “Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

God appointed Saul king, a king like the other nations, someone who looked the part, tall in stature. However God was teaching them a lesson. When Samuel called in Jesse's sons to appoint a new king, “when they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7).

Samuel thought Eliab would be appointed king, he was looking at the external, as looked like a king, heightened in stature like Saul. However David, the ruddy little shepherd boy thought not worthy to be king by man, was chosen by God, because He looks at the heart. "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all I wish" (Acts 13:22).

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