And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13 NASB)God had already clarified for Samuel that what God was looking for in the chosen one was found in the heart. Yet when David walks in, what we get is a picture of what he looks like. In a Mediterranean world of dark hair, he's a redhead with beautiful eyes; not the 'manliest' of descriptions. But he's a youth, so we can forgive this.
Regardless of what God looks at, the biblical record still relies much on the visual. This is an important literary feature, because this would resonate with the readers/listeners more than describing David's 'heart'. That quality that caught the eye of God is not described, it's shown in the account of David from here on.
I don't think the literary quality of this account is appreciated very often, because there are other elements that simply defy such an assessment. Like the way the editor juxtaposes different literary accounts with little transition or sense of timing; or even of contradiction. We can be very critical of the accounts because of these things.
The problem with being so critical (and I am one of the biggest culprits), is that the view is missed of the beauty of the writing. Because I don't like the arrangement of the garden, I miss the impressive flowers in each section. When chapters 16 and 17 are read together (and then on from there), this chapter seems strangely misplaced. That shouldn't lead me to miss the excellence of the story at hand.
Really, it's not chapter 16 that seems at odds, it's elements of chapter 17 (lots of elements of chapter 17). This account seems to dovetail nicely with chapter 18 and forward; but chapter 17 can't be left out either since the event is repeatedly referenced.
So, a boy with red hair is chosen to be king. The last redhead we encountered (Esau) was rejected. Obviously it's not the hair. He has beautiful eyes; a quality in guys often prized by women (one with which I was never accused). But neither of these qualities trigger the selection by God, it's his heart.
What I learn from this is a little beyond the 'judging by appearance' lesson of last week. Here I learn that, while my Master looks at the heart, I can still regard the appearance and take note of such qualities. Ironically, I do anyway. I would have to deny that I do in order to claim that I too look at the heart. Such a claim would be silly since the only way I have of judging such is to get to know someone over time, and even then I couldn't really be sure. It's not likely that my Master wants me to take such time to qualify someone He has chosen.
But once my Master has informed me that He has chosen someone, even in the midst of honoring that choice, I can still look at the appearance. Sometimes this is important, the first impression, the initial part of getting to know someone, and one of the most memorable characteristics of people.
So it's okay to look at someone. It's not the grounds for 'judging' or evaluating them or their value to my Master. But what someone looks like is part of what my Master has made. I suppose that my struggle comes with I take what I see and give it too much importance. When I'm using my standard instead of my Master's standard, then I've taken my Master's place as Judge; a dangerous place to be. When I judge by what I see that's exactly what I'm doing.
So it's looking at appearance, but keeping what I see in its proper place. It's not 'balance', it's submission (yet again). I can look, but only to learn, not to 'judge'. I wonder how much of a person's story of their life with our Master can be 'read' in what they look like. It probably varies greatly. I bet it's a 'good read' though.
