Unlikely Candidates

Sometimes we feel like we can see God's logical plan unfolding before our eyes. It is usually about this time that God turns things on their head and surprises us by revealing He had completely different intentions. God is a God of surprises. The selection of David as King is a good example of this found in 1 SAMUEL Ch 16 v 1 - 13.

• David was the youngest of eight boys. When Samuel came to select a son of Jesse David didn't even make the initial procession!
  
  
• It is easy to think we understand what God is doing. Even the wise Judge Samuel was fooled by the outward appearance of Jesse's eldest boy.
  
  
• v 7 concludes with a saying worth remembering; "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart". Few will have the discernment to judge your heart, but we will know it ourselves.
  
  
• David initially missed the sacrifice as he had work to do. The boy was a shepherd and he was looking after the sheep. We can see parallels in this to Jesus the Good Shepherd who was born of the line of David around 700 years later.

We have no control over our birth order, gender, race or lineage. Esau was older than Jacob, but sold his birthright to him (GENESIS Ch 25) and he became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Moses was abandoned as a baby (EXODUS Ch 2) yet went on to lead Israel out of Egypt and Jesus was born to an unmarried virgin (MATTHEW Ch 1) and yet has had more influence than any person in the history of the world. There are numerous stories in the Bible of God using unlikely people for great things. Perhaps we have our own excuses today? We would do well to remember the lesson from David's calling; God looks only at our heart.