Looking on the Outside
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Author: Pramila Barkataki (Uttar Pradesh, India)
Author: Pramila Barkataki (Uttar Pradesh, India)
Friday 21 August 2026 © The Upper Room.
When I went to the shop, I requested a clean-looking gas cylinder for our home stove.
The manager obliged, and I was happy to receive a bright red cylinder that looked almost new. When I connected it to the gas stove at home, a hissing sound warned me that gas might be leaking.
The smell of gas confirmed my fear. I went back to the store to exchange the cylinder for another one. This time I did not worry about the look of the cylinder. I got an old rusty cylinder, but it did not leak and I was satisfied.
Often we place a high value on outward appearance, which does not necessarily reflect the inner state of an item or a person. Saul was a handsome person; but after he was made king of Israel, his heart turned away from God’s commandments. Later, the spirit of God departed from him. God told Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as the next king of Israel.
When he saw Eliab, Samuel thought he was the one God had chosen; but the Lord said that God looks not on outward appearance but on the heart. As a result, seven of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel and none was chosen.
Finally, David was anointed king of Israel. It wasn’t David’s appearance that caused God to choose him; he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).
Prayer: Dear God, let us see as you see, looking not on outward appearance but on the heart. Amen
