Others See a Shepherd Boy, But God Sees a King

I Samuel 16:1-13 talks about the time when God chose David as King of Israel.

Samuel looked at all seven of David’s brothers as they passed by. God told Samuel that none of them was the one he was to anoint as the next king, and he told Samuel something of critical importance:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 (New International Version, NIV).

What’s sad about this account is that initially David wasn’t even presented by Jesse, his father to Samuel- he wasn’t even considered. It was only after Samuel asked if there were any other sons that Jesse called David in from the fields where he was tending sheep. Yet, he was the one God chose to be anointed as king.

Others may have not considered you, may not know you, or even remember you. However, God knows you. And He knows how to bring you from the field in which you are laboring to the right place at the right time with the right people. God will honor you publicly for serving Him privately. God will choose, anoint, and appoint you for what He has for you.

David was the eighth son presented to Samuel- the last one. In the Bible, the number eight represents new beginnings. The Lord has a new beginning for you. The Bible says that the last shall be first. God gave David a new beginning and brought him out of the field into a place of recognition; from the back to the front. And He can do the same for you and me.

The Lord knows how to bring you out of where you are into the place He has for you. So, keep serving faithfully, and when the time is right, He will promote you. He knows your faithfulness and your potential, and He will bring His plans for you to pass.