He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. I Samuel 9:2 NRSV
Why wouldn't you want your royalty to look good and be literally heads above everyone else? How many magazines did Prince Charles ever sell before his first marriage? Then along came Diana....
Here we have one of the most tragic figures of the Bible. Yet, he looked the part of a king - he was handsome and tall. He stood out from the crowd. What a great king this was! But he lacked one crucial ingredient: obedience to God.
Now this same lack of obedience was a wide-spread disease for God's people as a whole, Samuel's own sons included. Good looks are not enough to gain God's favor. Being taller than everyone else is not going to win you over to God's side. Even having a religious parent is not enough. Obedience to God is what counts.
How good looking are you?
How much taller are you than the people around you?
How obedient are you being to God?
God, good looks and a great physique are great for everyone else. You desire for us to be obedient to you.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
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