1 Samuel 16:7

Context

After God rejected Saul (chapter 15), he commanded Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem and anoint one of his sons (16:1). When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse's firstborn, he thought that this was the man who would be king, but God told him not to consider his appearance or height and spoke the words of verse 7. After all seven sons had passed before Samuel, the youngest, David, who had been keeping the sheep in the field, was summoned and anointed (16:11–13).

Earlier, Saul had been introduced as one who "from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people" (9:2; 10:23). The verse thus stands in contrast to the first king, who was chosen on the basis of outward appearance. The word "heart" translates the Hebrew levav.

Interpretation

• As God's criterion for choosing: The verse is read to mean that God calls people not according to the appearance, age, or rank that human beings value, but according to the heart. It is connected with the description of David in Acts 13:22 as "a man after mine own heart."
• As a lesson on how to judge others: The verse is applied as an ethical teaching that believers, too, should not judge people by their appearance or social standing. It is read together with the prohibition of partiality in James 2:1–4.
• As a picture of God who searches the heart: Because God knows even people's hidden motives, the verse is read as both a comfort and a warning (Jeremiah 17:10; Psalm 139:23).

Questions Concerning Application

When the verse is used to mean that "all that matters is a sincere heart," regardless of outward conduct, some point out that Scripture considers heart and conduct together (Luke 6:45). It is also noted that immediately afterward the text describes David's appearance: "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to" (16:12). This is taken to mean that appearance itself is not the problem; rather, appearance should not be made the criterion for choosing.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the verse is frequently used in youth sermons addressing lookism, in exhortations ahead of the election of church officers, and, through the expression "God who looks on the heart," in both representative prayer and personal prayer.

Related Passages

• 1 Samuel 16:11–13
• 1 Samuel 9:2
• Jeremiah 17:9–10
• Acts 13:22
• James 2:1–4