To Judge or Not to Judge
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A big part of County Fairs is the animal judging. We never had animals that were nice enough to show at the fair. So, my 4-H experience was in photography, archery, model watercraft, and such like. However, I love walking through the animal barns here and at the State Fair, looking at all of the different animals. Though you might see 10 bulls, no bull is the same. Each bull has a different ribbon based upon how the bull looks: the build, the muscling, the gait, all sorts of different physical criteria. I enjoy watching the judging of animals. Since I never showed an animal, I can enjoy watching the process. The judge examines all of the animals and orders the animals in a comparative way based on their physicality.
It is a fascinating process!
What the judge does to those animals is a lot like what we do as humans to each other.
There is a story in Bible that is a lot like an animal judging ring at a County Fair. tells us of a time when King Saul of Israel had disqualified himself from being king. He had disobeyed God, showing that his heart had never been following God. Well, Samuel, a prophet of God, was told by God to anoint someone to be the new king of Israel. From this story, we see a difference between ourselves and God, and probably a ways that we should change what we do.
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
From this story, we see a difference between ourselves and God.
A difference exists
A difference exists
Lets read and see a difference:
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
Well, in this passage
We judge others by appearance or action
We judge others by appearance or action
As humans, we naturally look at what we see and we judge people based upon what we see. Samuel is a prime example of this in this passage. He is sent to choose the next king of Israel, and he is intent on finding someone that looks and acts like a king. Picture the mostly manly and strong man that you can find, someone who holds himself with strength and authority: this was the man that Samuel was looking for. So, he grabbed his judge clipboard with all the physical things he was looking for, jumped on his donkey, and headed to Jesse’s house. After Jesse answered the door and Samuel explained why he was there, they set up a judging ring and the boys started strutting their stuff.
We pick up the story in :
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
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When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
Can you picture all of these young men walking around, trying to act the most kingly. Samuel is looking at them all, making check marks next to good qualities, jotting down notes: Eliab has good height. Abinadab has nice muscles structure. Shammah holds himself like a king. Samuel is comparing and contrasting. He has ordered them according to Blue, Red, and White. He is about to give the champion ribbon: the one who will make the best king. He turns to Eliab and is about to present him with the kingly anointing, when God stops him. So, he moves on to the next boy, according to his comparative checklist. Down the list he goes, and though they all would have met Samuel’s list in some way, they do not meet God’s list.
We as humans judge each other by what we see. And, boy, do we hold onto that judgment.
We see someone who has different skin color, and immediately we put them into a certain box. Perhaps it isn’t skin color, but an accent or a cultural difference. It’s human to differentiate. We all do it. We see someone who is dressed a certain way and we judge them. We look at their hygiene, and we judge them. We look at what they like to do. We look at their mannerisms. We look at their actions. And we judge them.
We are the Fair judgers, with the clipboards, and we give people ribbons based on what we see. We judge others by appearance and action.
God judges by the heart
God judges by the heart
God judges by the heart
God judges by the heart
God said to Samuel
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
I have to say this very carefully: God doesn’t judge someone based upon what they look like or what they do. God judges people based upon their heart. Now, our heart often influences what we look like or what we do. But, God only looks at the heart.
The Israelites are a case in point. We know that God gave the Israelites some strict laws on how they were supposed to act, and how they were supposed to worship him. Well, it got to the point that the Israelites were doing all the things they were supposed to do in worshiping God, but their hearts were far from God. So, God didn’t accept their worship, their sacrifices. God was looking at their heart, not their actions.
Here, God was looking for a king who had the right heart. That is why he skipped over the visually qualified candidates, and turned to the youngest: David.
So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
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God says that David is the one who will be king. Why? Well, we already admitted that God was looking at David’s heart. He had been searching for one who was “after his own heart.” We will see that David is this person:
After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
David was not perfect. We would see this if we had time to read all that he did. The most notable was that he committed adultery with a married woman, and then killed her husband in order to cover up the affair. Nasty man!
So, David wasn’t perfect, to put it lightly. To be truthful, if he was our neighbor, we probably would put up a big fence and have nothing to do with him. If this is so, why does God say that he is a man after God’s own heart?
Because, David knew that he was not perfect and he depended on God’s mercy alone. He wasn’t proudly trying to live a perfect life, seeking to be justified based upon his actions or his opinions.
Listen to the words of David, the cry of his heart:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
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David knew that he was a sinful man, ever since he was a baby. He desired mercy for his actions, and he turned to God alone for that. He desired a pure heart, and he turned to God alone for that.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.
A Change Should Happen
A Change Should Happen
So, what should we do with this information, here at the Antelope County Fair.
We are all human
We are all separated from God
We should stop judging others by appearance or action
We should stop judging others by appearance or action
We are all in need of God
We are all in need of God
No matter who you are, everyone has judged someone based upon what we see, whether it is someone’s appearance or someone’s action.
Oh, she shouldn’t be wearing that. What does that tell us about her character? Insert whatever word you want here.
Has he never been to a dentist? He has no self-respect.
Oh, can you believe what he said?! He is so proud.
I can’t stand the way she acts. She thinks she is better than everyone else.
Did you hear what he did? No one in their right mind would do that. That isn’t how we do things.
I could go on in so many other scenarios, but I won’t. We look at someone, like a judge looks at an animal, and we make a judgment based upon their looks or their actions.
We need to stop doing this!
But,
Deep down inside, we are all the same. We are all human, made in the image of God. We all have inherent worth because of this. We might look different, have different interests, react differently, act differently, but our heart condition is the same. We need to judge based upon that.
How do we do this? Instead of writing people off based upon their appearance or actions, we need to sit down and talk with them. We need to get to know them, their heart. Then, we can judge based upon what is inside rather than outside.
The heart is what matters. Which brings me to the next change that should be made:
We should stop living like God accepts us based on appearance or action
We should stop living like God accepts us based on appearance or action
We are supposed to stop judging others based upon what they look like or what they do because God doesn’t judge us on those matters. They don’t affect how God views us or accepts us. He is looking deeper: at our hearts.
We might rejoice because of that. We might say, “I’m good then! I have the best of intentions with what I do! Give me the Champion ribbon, God!”
Unfortunately, Scripture tells us differently.
Verse about deceitfulness of hearts.
Verse about sin
Verse about how our actions can’t save us
Verse about God’s grace in Christ
Verse about God’s acceptance of us in Christ
Appeal to know him!