“For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7

My daughter had recently moved into a new home, so before my husband and I visited her, I laid out some items I thought she could use. I put them in a kitchen trash bag and set it by the garage door. When I noticed my husband picking up the bag, I assumed he was putting it in the truck to take with us. After we arrived at my daughter’s, I asked my husband if he had unloaded the items we had brought from home. He said he did not know anything about these things. In further questioning him, I learned that he had thought the bag was garbage and put it in the trashcan!

A few days later, I was cleaning an apartment that had just been vacated. Under the kitchen sink was a full laundry-detergent container, which I took home to use right away. However, when I opened the container, it was full of a smelly, brown liquid. I had brought home a container of used motor oil! I was reminded of the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” It is also true that you cannot tell what is in a container by its packaging!

Today’s focus verse is from the account of how the Prophet Samuel, at God’s direction, went to Jesse’s home to find Israel’s next king. First Eliab, Jesse’s eldest son, was brought before Samuel. He was a good-looking man, and Samuel thought he would surely be the Lord’s anointed. However, God told Samuel that He does not see as man sees, because man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. Each son was considered, but God had not chosen any of them. Then David was called—a shepherd boy and the youngest of the brothers—and the Lord told Samuel to arise and anoint him. God knew that David had a heart toward Him, and that was what Israel’s next king would need most of all.

If we can mistake the contents of a garbage bag or a laundry-detergent container, then we are certainly capable of mistaking the character or intentions of another person. We must be careful about judging people by their appearances, because as humans, we cannot know what is in their hearts. Only God knows the thoughts and intents of each person’s heart, so we had better leave the judging up to Him.