God cares about who I am on the inside.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The way something looks on the outside doesn’t always tell the true story about what’s on the inside. A book could have a really boring cover, but could be a really exciting story. A new dish you try at a restaurant could look normal, but taste really bad. A celebrity might try to show the world that their life is perfect, when really everything is falling apart. What are some other things that might appear one way, but if you take a closer look, yourealize they’re not what you thought?
Today, we’re looking at a story from the Old Testament of the Bible. God sent the prophet Samuel to the town of a man named Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel. God had chosen one of Jesse’s eight sons to be the king. So, Samuel met Jesse and his sons. When Samuel saw Jesse’s oldest son, who was a big, strong, grown man, he thoughthe looked like a king and surely must be the one that God had chosen.
But God had different plans. He told Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? As people, we tend to judge people based on what we can see, but the Bible tells us that God cares more about our hearts and who we are on the inside than He does what we look like on the outside.
Samuel went on to meet seven of Jesse’s sons, but none of them were chosen by God to be king. Finally, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons. “‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse replied. ‘Buthe’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.’” (1 Samuel 16:11)
Jesse hadn’t even bothered to bring his youngest son, who was still a teenager, to meet Samuel in the first place. He must have thoughthe was young and unimportant next to his brothers. But when they finally brought the youngest son to Samuel, God told him, “This is the one; anoint him.” (1 Samuel 16:12) So, Samuel anointed the young man. Anointing was a sacred ceremony that involved pouring oil on the head, marking the person as special and set apart.
Jesse’s youngest son was named David, and he would go on to one day be a great king
Conversation Starters
- What are some things that are actually different from what they look like?
- Why do you think God cares more about who you are on the inside than what you look like?
- When was a time when you judged someone or something based on looks and turned out to be wrong?
- Why do you think God cares more about who you are on the inside than what you look like?
- What are some things you are tempted to judge others quickly about? How can you look beyond those things to see who people really are?
- Which do you think you prioritize: how other people see you or how God sees you?
Go Deeper
Open 1 Samuel 16:1-13 in BibleGateway (NLT)This week, read 1 Samuel 16:1–13 with your child. Explain that even Samuel,
who was supposed to be God’s
representative to the people, didn’t
fully understand what God was looking
for in a king. Why do you think no
one thought David was an option to
become king? Why do you think God was looking for something different than what the people were looking for? Share with your child some things you admire about them that aren’t based on their appearance or how others see them.