Wednesday, September 18, 2019

“But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, The Message Bible)

[We are delighted to announce the safe and healthy arrival of our granddaughter, Amelia Susan Costa, on September 12^th, a daughter for Katie and Gary Costa and a sister for Spencer. Double yeah!! 

                Groan! Another federal election campaign has begun.

                Not that I don’t appreciate my freedom to vote, but I cringe at the political rhetoric that has begun, especially the attack ads on TV. You hear so little about actual policies, platforms and plans but too much about how the other party or candidate is not worthy of our votes. It is far worse in the United States when it comes to attack ads, really vicious and over-the-top. But I confess that when political ad come on TV I either mute them or change the channel.

It has become very hard to make a well-informed decision based on the information we get through the various media sources. So much of it is slanted one way or another. We have found out that social media can be manipulated and abused. We need to be very cautious before we believe anything we read or see. Elections seem to be more about personality and popularity or lack thereof than making choices based on realistic and fundamental platforms and policies.

The cynical among us don’t believe anyway in the promises and platitudes that rise up over the election period. If one politician says that the sky is blue, it seems almost mandatory that the other candidate will say that the sky is gray. Politics seems to be only about winning, no matter how. Campaigns seem based on pragmatism and appealing to the lowest common denominator, and creating the worst impressions about the other party, leader or candidate as successfully as possible.

When Israel needed a new king, Samuel was tasked with looking over the sons of Jesse for credible candidates. The first seven sons would have seemed to have all the best credentials – strong, handsome, battle-tested, confident, experienced in the ways of the world. But Samuel kept working down the line and couldn’t find the ideal candidate among the young men. He asked Jesse if he had any other sons.  Yes, he did; the youngest, so young that he hadn’t even been invited to the party but had been relegated to tending the sheep out in the wilderness.

He was the least and the last. But he was the right One.

He was not without some appealing physical features – her had beautiful eyes – but this was not why he was chosen to become the next king.  Perhaps God appreciated that David was not yet a finished product like his militarized brothers. It may be that God saw in David a project, someone to develop, shape, reform and prepare to be the sort of leader that God’s people deserved and needed.

So this shepherd boy eventually became the King that became a model for all future kings; some who failed miserably, others who succeeded better. David’s kingship, at its best, became the ideal for Messiahship and influenced how we interpret Jesus. Not bad for a shepherd boy! David was far from perfect but his love for God and the people was still an indelible part of his leadership.)

Through this incident and by God’s words we are reminded there is more to a person that their outer appearances. We should not be judge people based on their looks, the colour of their skin, the shape of their eyes, the clothes they wear, the gender they are born with, their age or nationality. It’s what is on the inside that matters far more. What makes them tick? Are they good people? Do they care about others? Do they practice what they preach? Have they a strength of character, values and principles that speak louder than looks?

We need to get beyond the superficial and shallow criteria which we may tend to use in our relationships or understanding about others. It is about what is in the other’s heart that should transcend our reactions and responses to other people. If we must judge  - and Jesus is quite clear that judging is a fool’s game -  the qualities we use are intrinsically found  in a person’s character and actions.

To paraphrase a credit card ad. It’s not about what’s in your wallet  but “What’s in your soul?”

Dale