God Looks at the Heart

We have started a series at Faith Community Church exploring the life of David, second King of Israel. He is one of a handful of individuals mentioned repeatedly throughout the Canon. We will delve into the lessons this prominant man presents throughout the summer months.

The Bible says David was a man "after God's own heart." This is such a loaded descripter I will need to dedicate an entire future post to it. Let's just say part of what it involves is an extreme compliment.

The first mention of David is in 1 Samuel 16. God has rejected Saul as king and sends Samuel to anoint a successor. The words of verse 7 form the challenge of this passage, "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart."

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart.

Pretty is as Pretty Does. 1 Peter 3 was a favorite text in my conservative holiness home church. Preachers loved to pound the prohibitions listed there into the ears, and hopefully the hearts, of young women. No jewelry, no braided hair, etc. Peter's admonition is not so much concerned with these externals as it is a challenge to the internal adornment of persons.

But our view of things and that of the LORD differs. We need to refocus.
So...what would our character "look" like if we spent as much time getting ready internally as we do fixin'up our outsides? What would we do to improve our internal "beauty routine" each day? What would we have to do internally or we would not leave the house?

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart.

Prejudice is appearance-based. James 2 forbids favoritism in the community of Christ-followers. He specifically sights giving priority to persons who appear to have wealth and discriminating against those who appear not to have it. How many different ways does prejudice manefest itself in our society? We make decisions about how we will relate to persons based not on who they are or our knowledge of them individually. Rather we act based on stereotypes and with little real knowledge of the person. Like a trauma center of a hospital, triage determines treatment. What would be different in our lives if we saw persons as God does--character, intention and so on? How can we make first impresstions last determinants in our treatment of others?

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart.

No only does the shift from looking at outward appearances toward looking at the heart mean Pretty Is as Pretty Does and Prejudice is Appearance-Based, it also means Looks Can Be Deceiving. Saul had been chosen as the first national king of Israel primarily due to his kingly appearance. Literally, he was "head and shoulders" taller than others. He appeared humble when he hid from the crowd among the baggage. But the reality was Saul was vain and weak of character. He was also mentally unstable. In a personality driven culture we need to focus more on the substance of a person and his or her positions rather than their presentation. Repeatedly we are warned about wolves in sheeps clothing, false teachers who appeal to our hubris or comfort zone yet lead us astray from the one true Faith.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart.

The Picture of Dorian Grey illustates the importance of looking inward as well as outward. Dorian, a handsome and hedonistic young man, makes a wish that a painted portrait of him would age rather than he. Finding the wish has come true, he pursues a life of sin and evil. With each act his physical appearance does not change, but the portrait becomes more marred and aged. In the end, while trying to cover up his bad behavior by stabbing another man, he accidentally cuts his portrait. He is found later, a withered old dead man.

We may try to disguise our inner selves. We may try to hid our inner selves. But we must begin to see ourselves as God does, to place more value on the beauty of a Christ-like character, to participate with the Spirit in the transformation of ourselves into persons of integrety.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance. The LORD looks at the heart.