Did The Rules Just Change?

Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.  He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people. (1 Samuel 9:1-2 NASB)

When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him."  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:6-7 NASB)

There are times when I think I have the methods of my Master all figured out, and decide to move ahead with confidence that I know what He would choose in a given situation.  Thee are times when this is warranted, and there are times I'm totally missing it.

The people of Israel decide to accept the Gibeonite deception in Joshua because they don't consult God, they figure they know what He would say.  Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael is another good example.  It happens, and better people than I have done it.  But it still causes problems.

Here, Samuel is about to anoint the next king of Israel, and when Eliab walks in, he 'appears' to be the obvious choice.  He is probably a lot like Saul in appearance.  So, why wouldn't God choose him?  Isn't the standard like before: head taller than everyone else, most handsome, choice specimen?

Samuel is corrected here by God and told that actually God is weighing the heart, not regarding the appearance.  So my question here is, 'Is this a new standard?'

In other words, was God using appearance back in 1 Samuel 9 when Saul was chosen, then figures that this standard didn't work, so now decides to look at the heart first.  Somewhat like learning to buy a car: 'Better test drive first, should have done that last time and it cost us.'

It's my opinion that the rules haven't changed.  I suspect that even with Saul, God was looking at the heart.  I brought out clues prior to this that Saul had the characteristics of a good king, Saul just chose not to live out those character traits.  I still believe that God was choosing someone with the 'right stuff', but one who chose to use the wrong stuff also present.

So, today, when I look around me, what I see can be deceiving.  The character of the person can be difficult to see sometimes, and clearly judging by appearance is to miss my Master's standard.  I can compare what I see in who my Master uses with someone I think He'll choose, but I can't see as my Master sees.

So, when it comes to other people, while I may have my preferences, prejudices, and preconceived standards; it is the voice of my Master I should be seeking rather than my own counsel.  That's hard.  I consider myself a decent and good judge of character.  That's not enough.  It's not obedience.

This is one of those places where I don't need to wonder if I should wait for my Master or assume He's given me enough information to move ahead on my own.  He hasn't.  I don't have the information.  When it comes to other people, I am to PRAY!  How hard is that? 

I wish I could say it was easy, but I'm not that wise in this area.  I'm only learning now that I may be able to judge who I trust and who I don't, and my Master is fine letting me do that and learn at my own pace about other people.  But when it comes to someone He might be using, He does not want me 'figuring it out'.

So, once again, I need to check my pride at the door, slow down, and consult with my Master.  When I'm involved with assessing others who may or may not be someone my Master is going to use, I need His sight, His insight.  That may seem obvious, but it's something I'm still learning.