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Anyway, even though God himself was the King of Israel, the people of Israel wanted to be like all the other nations. They wanted a king they could actually see and touch. They wanted him to have a throne, wear a robe, wear a crown. I’m sure they got tired of explaining to surrounding nations, “We have a king; you just can’t see him.”
But God speaks to His prophet, Samuel, and tells him, “Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights”(1 Samuel 8:9).
And so, in the next several verses Samuel tells the people what God said.
“This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:11-18)
But even with Samuel’s warning:
“…the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, ‘Listen to them and give them a king.’” (1 Samuel 8:19-22)
So, the people of Israel began their search for a king, and they chose a man who was very impressive: Saul. If you want to go by externals, Saul was the guy, the obvious choice. According to 1 Samuel 9:2, he was tall, handsome, and probably dark. He appeared to have it together. My guess is that Saul was the kind of guy you would pick to marry your daughter if you are basing it on the things of this world.
Since he had all the markings of greatness, Saul was elected to be the first king of Israel. But by the time you get to 1 Samuel 16, God has absolutely had it with Saul, and it was because Saul made the classic leadership mistake. He thought that God had chosen him to be king because he looked like a king. He thought that God had chosen him to be the king because of his impressive pedigree. He thought that God had chosen him to be king because he had such incredible leadership skills, talents, and abilities. So naturally, when he became king, he relied on those things—looks, pedigree, leadership skills, talent, and ability—to get things done. And because he relied on his strengths instead of relying on God, he failed. Consequently, God decided that it was time for a new king in Israel and told Samuel to go down to the city of Bethlehem to the house of a man named Jesse.
When Samuel and his posse arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” He thought, “He’s tall, dark and handsome. He even looks like a king. This has got to be the guy.” In other words, Samuel was getting ready to make the same mistake the Nation of Israel made when they chose Saul to be king. He was basing the choice on the things that impress us.
But God says 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” (1 Samuel 16:7). In other words, the things that impress God are different than the things that impress us.
We have a really cool couple at Hope: Matt and Shannon. They’re the kind of couple that, like Saul, really stand out in a crowd. They’re both tall. They’re both young. They’re both attractive. They’re both in incredible physical shape. In other words, they’re both everything I’m not.
One weekend before a service, I was hanging out in the atrium when I spotted them. I walked over, struck up a conversation, and discovered why they stuck out so much: They were both models! Matt had been one of the lead male models for Abercrombie and Fitch and Shannon had starred in the first season of America’s Next Top Model, which led to a modeling career. I told them that I would love to hear their story. That evening, Shannon sent me an email which illustrated the kind of person for whom God is looking. Shannon wrote:
Ever since I was a little girl I had always dreamed of becoming a supermodel. The Lord totally blew my mind when He brought this desire to life. My passion for modeling was intense, but my love for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ consumed me like a raging fire. I had settled in my heart when I was a young girl that I would obey, follow, and serve Him at ALL costs. I had ‘non-negotiables’ in modeling. Things I would not do, no matter how much money or fame I would get from doing them. One of the things I decided was that I would save myself for marriage and my husband. The Lord tested me several times to see if my desire to please Him was greater than my desire to please the world. The Lord brought me face-to-face with lots of money, fame, notoriety, status, but by His amazing grace I did not cave. I knew those things wouldn’t satisfy the deep longing in my soul that was made for Him. I knew that He had opened the door in the first place, so I needed to remain faithful to Him. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. There is nothing worth selling your soul for.
I trusted God with my life. I knew He was real. I knew His power. I knew He could do more than I could ever imagine, if I would trust Him. It wasn’t easy trusting Him to bring my husband into my life because it seemed like He was taking forever! I chatted with God a few times about how long He seemed to be taking. I imagined Him smiling back while saying, ‘If you saw what I had in store, you would see it will be worth the wait.’ Little did I know the Lord would be sending me a man who also modeled and had the biggest campaign to date for Abercrombie and Fitch. He was featured in all kinds of magazines and had worked on shoots with supermodels including Adriana Lima and Elle McPherson. But do you know what stands out about him more than all that: It’s his character; it’s his humble heart; it’s his desire to please Jesus. My focus on his looks faded and his heart captivated me to the core. He gave up thousands of dollars because his desire to please the Lord was greater. And if I wasn’t blown away already by the Lord, I was about to be. Come to find out, Matthew had saved himself for marriage too! Here you have a male model that has girls just throwing themselves at him all the time, but he is choosing to wait. I could never put into words how much that meant to me. All of those prayers, lonely nights, agonizing days, were swallowed up with joy. We were able to give each other something on our wedding night that we chose to give no one else. I had always imagined that the Lord wrapped me like a beautiful package. Where the bow was perfectly placed, it hadn’t been tossed around, and the edges not torn. I wanted to be that perfect package for my spouse.
The Lord had His watchful eye on us both. He had His guiding hand on our lives. Not because we are something ‘special,’ but because we CHOSE to keep Him first no matter what the cost. Serving the Lord will always cost you something, but it is always worth it.
I love that story, but it’s more than a great story. It’s a reminder that the things that impress God are different from the things that impress mankind. It’s a reminder that God looks into the heart and at the character of two young people who decide to put principle above money and worldly success. Why is that so important? Because what often causes us to question whether or not God can use us is that we tend to evaluate ourselves by a standard that God never established. God has a totally different standard. In other words, if you’re thinking that you are going to do great things for God because you have the talent, the resume, the degree, the pedigree, and the looks, you’re wrong. On the other hand, you may be thinking, “I don’t have many gifts or talents. I can’t sing or teach. I don’t have a degree. I’m not all that impressive physically. I have a dysfunctional family background. There’s no way that God could ever use me to do great things.” But God has an