Devotion Corner

1 Samuel 9:2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

The people of Israel had been led by God’s chosen Judges for centuries. The last of these Judges was Samuel, and when the people saw his sons were not fit for the task of governing, they called for a king like all the other nations surrounding them. Rather than trusting that God would raise up a suitable leader, as He had done every time prior to Samuel, the people of Israel clamoured for the worldly security of a king.

God warned the people of the foolishness of their request, but when they still demanded a king, He allowed their request. God gave them exactly what they wanted, an imposing figure of a man who would demand worldly respect. Saul literally stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the land, a prime physical specimen the people could marvel at with wonder and admiration.

Yet the Lord God does not marvel or admire the outward man. Instead, He looks on the heart of a man, and sees what fallen, mortal men cannot see (1 Samuel 16:7). He sees hearts that are humble, obedient, faithful, temperate, merciful and just. Oftentimes, such hearts are found in those who appear unremarkable under worldly inspection. They may be small statured, physically fragile, softly spoken and meek in their ways. Yet these are the lives that God looks upon and sees a figure ready to be moulded into glorious service of His wondrous and perfect will. A will that is rich in mercy and good tidings to men. A will that has brought eternal life to repentant and humble hearts through faith in His Risen Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a great comfort to know that God does not measure a person in the manner we fallen, mortal people measure each other. For to stand head and shoulders above the masses in this life through strength and power of the self, is a glory that soon fades, just as Saul found out in later years. Yet to stand head and shoulders above the fallen masses through the Spirit of God, that is a glory that will reach its fullness in the splendour of the eternity, never to fade away. Amen.