Thursday June 11th, 2015 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." (verse 10)
I had always thought of God as the perfect rule maker and the perfect rule follower. As time has passed I’ve become aware that many of the rules I thought God had made were in fact rules that society or the church had made. Most shockingly, I’ve had to admit that even Jesus didn’t always follow the rules that the established authority made.
The rules for kings were clear: lifetime job, succeeded by firstborn son. But in choosing a successor for Saul, God does not follow the supposed protocol. God looks outside Saul’s family to Jesse’s family. But God does not choose Jesse’s firstborn or his next six sons. Finally, Jesse’s youngest is brought in fresh from the field, a smelly young boy who is good looking, with beautiful eyes. He, David, the least likely candidate, was God’s chosen.
What has God chosen us for? God seems to pick unlikely people to fulfill powerful roles in God’s kingdom. Maybe it’s time to think outside the box, to break a few rules as we look for the greater purpose that God might be calling us to fulfill.
Lord God, open my eyes to what is possible and lead me to serve you where I thought I couldn't. Amen. — SB
Contributed by God Chooses Surprising People
I had always thought of God as the perfect rule maker and the perfect rule follower. As time has passed I've become aware that many of the rules I thought God had made were in fact rules that society or the church had made. Most shockingly, I've had to admit that even Jesus didn't always follow the rules that the established authority made.
The rules for kings were clear: lifetime job, succeeded by firstborn son. But in choosing a successor for Saul, God does not follow the supposed protocol. God looks outside Saul's family to Jesse's family. But God does not choose Jesse's firstborn or his next six sons. Finally, Jesse's youngest is brought in fresh from the field, a smelly young boy who is good looking, with beautiful eyes. He, David, the least likely candidate, was God's chosen.
What has God chosen us for? God seems to pick unlikely people to fulfill powerful roles in God's kingdom. Maybe it's time to think outside the box, to break a few rules as we look for the greater purpose that God might be calling us to fulfill.
