Devotion:

God’s people, the Israelites, saw that all of the other nations around them had kings, and they wanted one too. Many times, what we think we want doesn’t turn out to be good for us. And so it was with the Israelites. Saul seemed like a good king at first, but soon he became proud, selfish, and wouldn’t listen to God. God determined it was time to select a new king for his people.

God sent his prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to meet with a man named Jesse, who was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. God promised to tell Samuel which of Jesse’s eight sons would be the future king of Israel. Samuel, much like us, looked at the outer appearance of each of Jesse’s sons and thought the biggest and the strongest would be the new king. However, God doesn’t see things the same way we do. God told Samuel that he doesn’t value the outside of the person, but he looks at the inside—the heart. God wants a heart that loves him, will follow his plan, and is completely his. Much to Samuel’s surprise, God picked David, the youngest and smallest of Jesse’s sons. Though David certainly wasn’t perfect, he loved and trusted God.

God worked through David to do some great things. And through David’s family, many generations later, a new King was born in Bethlehem. This baby didn’t look much like a king either. In fact, Isaiah 53:2 says, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” However, God’s plan is always perfect, and he sent a perfect King who would lead humbly, serve selflessly, and rule eternally (Philippians 2:5-11).