Day 145

1 Samuel 16:1-17:37, John 15:1-16:4, Psalms 67:1-7

Enter David stage left and a huge era opens for Israel. Saul is still king but that is just for now, this “little boy” will not only slay a giant (wait for tomorrow) but will also lead Israel in a very big way.

Very early on in the hunt for David, we come face to face with the nature of God and what he looks at. The oldest and most powerful sons are wheeled out for Samuel but then v7 “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This can be both a blessing and a challenge for us. In terms of the challenge we might look at our own hearts and ponder what the Lord sees in there, are the contents of our hearts an offering pleasing to the Lord? It is also a blessing: whatever other people throw at us, whatever the world thinks of us, how we look, what we wear, well none of that matters to the Lord, for he just looks at our hearts.

I loved the indignation of David as well, “who is this Philistine who defies the armies of the living God” (v26). David knows his God, David knows the power, majesty and wonder of “the living God”, and he just can’t quite believe that this Philistine dare to even challenge them. If we think about the heavenly realm, if we think about the things that we have read about having the whole host of heaven at our disposal, then we can see David’s point. The breadth of the armies of heaven could be stood behind you and yet just remember who God used, who it was who actually picked up the stones and took aim. God can use each and every one of us, even the youngest and smallest.

In the vine we see the family of God, for we are the branches within this heavenly family. Placing David (the smallest) within this family, there is a place for all God’s people. This is a family marked by love, where the perfect love of God flows through all the members. Even the weakest is loved and has a place. This is the blessing that he gives us, this is what it means to have the face of Good shine upon us (Ps 67:1)

Where are you in this family? Feeling loved or feeling lost? Feeling 9ft tall or feeling 9 inches tall? Love is there for all od us to see and claim. It is a love that cleansed our hearts and made us equal. Remain in his love today.