A Few Thoughts on 1 Samuel 16:7

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV - 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."

Our outward appearance

We may think ourselves as the most ugly person ever: we have ears on stalks, bulging eyes, crooked smile, skin that looks like a pizza, huge nose, and ugly feet.

What does God look at? The heart.

Examples of Failures

• Saul: 1 Samuel 9:2 NIV - Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
• Absalom: 2 Samuel 14:25 NIV - In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him.
• A beautiful person with a dangerous personality: Proverbs 31:30 NIV - Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Examples of the good heart

• David: 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV - 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."
• Lord Jesus: Isaiah 53:2 NIV - He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
• Paul: 2 Corinthians 10:10 NIV - For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."

What God knows:

• A person’s thinking and inner person: Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
• Religious people who trust in themselves: Luke 16:15 NIV - He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.
• The inner self: 1 Peter 3:4 NIV - Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

What God wants us to know and do:

• Judging people according to truth: John 7:24 NIV - Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
• Making judgments according to appearance: 2 Corinthians 10:7 NIV - You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.
• Outward beauty often leads to pride: Ezekiel 28:17 NIV - Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

Be encouraged! Real friends, family, and co-workers appreciate your person more than your looks.

God looks at the heart, so we need to develop our heart.

• We are getting older but getting higher quality: 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV - Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
• We need the truth, tell the truth, and live the truth: Colossians 3:9-10 NIV - Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
• Recognize that the outward, valued so much by some, is of little worth to God: Luke 16:15 NIV - He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.
• We need to pray for and live this: Galatians 5:22-23 NIV - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 6:1-4

A1 Scripture

(Ephesians 6:1-4 WPNT) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise—“that it may go well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

A2 Outline

B1 Children obey your parents

C1 It is right

C2 It is commanded

D1 First commandment with promise

D2 "Honor your father and mother"

D3 "That it may go well with you, and you may live long on the earth."

C3 Greek

D1 The word for obey is G5219 ὑπακούω hypakoúō. It means

E1 Literally, to hear under

E2 We understand it as listen to be able to follow instructions, so as to obey.

F1 The wind and sea heard the Lord Jesus and calmed (Matthew 8:27).

F2 People listen to and obey fleshly lusts (Romans 6:12).

F3 People listening to and obeying the Gospel (Romans 10:16).

E3 It is translated obey and listen (Acts 12:13).

D2 The word for honor is G5091 τιμάω timáō.

E1 Literally, to assign a value to. The Lord Jesus’s assigned value was only 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:9).

E2 It is used to honor God, parents, widows, and all people (1 Peter 2:17).

E3 The Lord Jesus honored His father in John 8:49, so I should be proud of my dad (proud in a good sense).

E4 Some dads are not worthy of honor because they are abusive.

B2 Fathers

C1 Do not provoke your children to anger

D1 Provoke is

E1 G3949 παροργίζω parorgízō. It means to make angry, bitter, going from a calm state to wrath.

E2 In English: to deliberately try to make someone angry (Source).

E3 Examples

F1 1 Samuel 20:30-34 NRSV Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan. He said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? (31) For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." (32) Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" (33) But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him; so Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to death. (34) Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, and because his father had disgraced him.

F2 1 Samuel 1:6-7 NRSV Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. (7) So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.

F3 1 Kings 16:33 NRSV Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.

D2 What are the most common ways we as fathers do this? Here’s a helpful list from Lou Priolo.

1. Lack of marital harmony
2. Establishing and maintaining a child-centered home
3. Modeling sinful anger
4. Habitually disciplining in anger
5. Scolding
6. Being inconsistent with discipline
7. Having double standards
8. Being legalistic
9. Not admitting you’re wrong and not asking for forgiveness
10. Constantly finding fault
11. Parents reversing God-given roles
12. Not listening to your child’s opinion or taking his or her ‘side of the story’ seriously
13. Comparing them to others
14. Not making time ‘just to talk’
15. Not praising or encouraging your child
16. Failing to keep your promises
17. Chastening in front of others
18. Not allowing enough freedom
19. Allowing too much freedom
20. Mocking your child
21. Abusing them physically
22. Ridiculing or name calling
23. Unrealistic expectations
24. Practicing favoritism
25. Child training with worldly methodologies inconsistent with God’s Word

C2 Bring them up (cherish them to train them) them in

D1 Nurture (education, instruction) of the Lord

D2 Admonition (calling attention to, mild rebuke, or warning (Thayer’s) of the Lord

B3 Our motive:

C1 Our motive is to please God in doing what is right.

C2 Teach by our life, example, and guidance self-control and expecting it from the children. Included in this would be to learn to sit still so they can learn in church, school, etc.

B4 Instruction of the Lord

C1 Instruction is constructive criticism with encouragement.

C2 "You have done well, but here is a few tips of doing better."

C3 Verses

D1 1 Corinthians 10:11 NRSV These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

D2 Titus 3:10 NRSV After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions.

B5 Of the Lord

C1 The Lord's way. The way God educates and instructs.

C2 Parents are to teach their children how to be the type of man or woman God wishes.

C3 With the help and approval of God.

A3 Applications

B1 God is our example of how to live.

B2 God wants us to be successful as He defines it.

B3 God children to be successful as He defines it.

B4 We must be consistent in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

B5 Our home should be God centered, then spouse centered (after the child turns 2), but not child centered. Your spouse is more important than your child.

Advent for 25 Dec 18

Luke 2:6-11 NRSV  While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  7  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  8  In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  10  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  11  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

Messiah was born. The holy angels knew, the shepherds knew, the wise men knew, Joseph knew, Mary knew, and what about us? Do we know? I pray it is so. Be thankful that our only hope was born.

Advent for 24 Dec 18

Luke 1:26-35 NRSV  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,  27  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  28  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."  29  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  30  The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  31  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  32  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  33  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."  34  Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"  35  The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

Be thankful for Mary who was, according to the creed: yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer.