Seeing Others Through God’s Eyes

Devotional

Day 1: Seeing Past the Tallest Cedar

When human eyes fixate on height, strength, or status, God’s gaze pierces deeper. Samuel nearly misses Israel’s greatest king because Eliab’s stature mirrors Saul’s – until God reroutes his vision. Our assumptions about leadership, worth, and capability often blind us to God’s hidden work in unlikely people. True sight begins when we release our checklists of impressiveness. The Spirit still whispers through ordinary faces and forgotten places. [54:50]

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
(1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

Reflection: When have you misjudged someone’s potential based on first impressions? How might their hidden story change your perspective?

Day 2: The Cookie Thief in Your Seat

Presumption paints strangers as antagonists until we find our own cookies in the bag. The airport story reveals how fear, bias, and entitlement distort our vision of others. Every snap judgment – whether toward a driver, cashier, or neighbor – risks stealing dignity. Healing begins when we wonder, “What do they see when they look at me?” [57:54]

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
(Matthew 7:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What recent interaction left you feeling defensive? How might the other person’s unseen burdens explain their actions?

Day 3: Threads and Thorns on the Flipside

A tangled embroidery back hides a golden crown. Corrie ten Boom’s cloth teaches us to hold both humanity’s chaos and divinity’s spark. God sees our knotted failures and royal potential simultaneously. When we fixate on others’ frayed edges, we miss the sacred image being stitched. Redemption unfolds when we turn the fabric over. [01:03:22]

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
(2 Corinthians 5:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels like a “messy backside” right now? What masterpiece might God be crafting beneath their struggles?

Day 4: Sheep Dung on the Chosen One

David’s anointing smells of pasture mud, not palace perfume. While brothers stand polished for sacrifice, God’s king guards smelly flocks. Our systems often promote the convenient, the available, the presentable. Yet Christ still crowns the absent, the working, the ones elbow-deep in life’s messy fields. [59:06]

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.”
(1 Corinthians 1:27-28, ESV)

Reflection: Who have you overlooked because their work seems ordinary? How might their daily labor be holy preparation?

Day 5: Lenses Smudged with Mercy

Reading glasses clarify pages but blur people. Our clearest vision of others comes through the smudged lens of grace – the kind that forgives our own cookie thefts. To see hearts as God does requires dropping our prescription of superiority. Each interaction becomes a sacrifice where we kneel to sanctify strangers. [01:04:13]

“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(Ephesians 4:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: What relationship needs the “blurry vision” of mercy today? How can you honor their heart before assessing their actions?

Sermon Summary

First Samuel 16 puts Samuel in a hard place. God has rejected Saul, but Samuel is still grieving the king he anointed and trusted. God sends him to Bethlehem, to Jesse’s house, and tells him that a new king will be found among Jesse’s sons. Samuel comes looking for somebody who looks like Saul, strong, tall, first in line, somebody who seems like the obvious choice.

Eliab looks the part. The oldest brother has the birthright, the strength, and the appearance Samuel expects in a king. But God stops Samuel right there: mortals look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. The text shows that Samuel, faithful as he is, still has to change his lenses. He has to learn that God’s choices do not always fit the pictures people have already made up in their minds.

The younger brothers pass before Samuel, one after another, and God says no. David is not even invited at first. David is out with the sheep, the youngest one, the one nobody seems to think should be standing in the room. Yet God calls for him, and David is anointed in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord comes mightily upon him. God sees a king where everybody else sees an afterthought.

The cookie thief story shows how quickly human eyes can build a whole story about another person. The woman sees a young man eating cookies and decides he is entitled, rude, and careless. But her own cookies are still in her bag. Her judgment says more about her clouded lenses than it does about him. The question that cuts to the heart is simple: “I wonder what he thought of me?”

The contrast between the mess and the masterpiece gives a picture of how God sees people. The underside of the needlepoint looks like tangled thread, a bird’s nest, something ready to be thrown away. But the other side reveals a beautiful crown of thorns. God sees the mess, the hurt, the weakness, and the sin, but God also sees the image of God, the gifts, and the calling placed within each child of God.

The call is to put on lenses of grace and faith. Many Davids are still overlooked, undervalued, and never given a chance. God calls the church to look with the heart, to resist snap judgments, and to see others not merely for the mess they carry but for who God created them to be.

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Key Takeaways

1. God looks deeper than appearances God does not deny what can be seen on the outside, but God refuses to let outward appearance have the final word. Samuel sees height, birth order, and strength, while God sees the heart. Faith requires a willingness to admit that human instincts about who belongs, who leads, and who matters can be deeply incomplete. [48:40]
2. Snap judgments distort other people The cookie thief discovers that certainty can be built on a false story. Prejudice often begins when a passing glance becomes a settled conclusion about someone’s character, motives, or worth. Humility begins when the heart asks, “What might I not know?” [57:29]
3. Every person bears hidden gifts David is left with the sheep because nobody expects him to be the chosen one. God sees gifts and callings in people who have been overlooked, dismissed, or never invited into the room. Grace trains the eyes to look for the Davids who are still standing at the edges. [1:03:22]
4. Grace sees mess and masterpiece The tangled underside of the needlepoint is real, but it is not the whole picture. God sees every broken thread in a life and still sees the beautiful work being formed. Christ calls believers to hold both truths together when looking at others: the mess is present, and God’s image remains.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[46:52] - Samuel Sent to Bethlehem
[48:40] - God Looks on the Heart
[50:05] - Changing the Lenses
[52:32] - David’s Overlooked Origin Story
[54:23] - Samuel Chooses by Appearance
[55:54] - The Cookie Thief
[57:54] - The Pain of Snap Judgments
[59:06] - David Is the Chosen One
[1:00:27] - Questions for Examining the Heart
[1:02:14] - The Mess and the Masterpiece
[1:03:22] - Looking for the Davids Among Us
[1:04:13] - See Others with New Eyes

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 16:1-13
“The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.” [46:57]

Observation questions

What was Samuel grieving, and what new task did God give him in response?
What qualities caused Samuel to think Eliab might be the right choice, and how did God correct him? [48:40]
How many of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel before David was called in, and where was David when Samuel asked whether all the sons were present?
What happened when David was anointed in front of his brothers? [49:33]

Interpretation questions

Why might Samuel have been drawn to Eliab’s appearance, strength, and place as the oldest son? What does this reveal about the kinds of qualities people often mistake for spiritual readiness or leadership? [54:20]
God does not say that outward appearance is meaningless, but that it is not the final measure. What might it mean for God to look on the heart, especially when choosing someone for a calling?
David was not initially invited into the room because he was out keeping the sheep. What does his absence suggest about how families, churches, and communities can overlook people with gifts?
The cookie-thief story turns the woman’s judgment upside down. Why is the question, “What might I not know?” an important way to resist unfair conclusions about another person? [57:29]

Application questions

Think about a recent moment when you formed a quick opinion of someone—on the road, at work, in a store, online, or at church. What story did you tell yourself about that person, and what information might you not have known? [01:00:07]
Who are the people you tend to overlook because they are quiet, younger, older, unfamiliar, different from you, or serving in a role that is easy to take for granted? What is one way you could notice and honor them this week? [01:00:47]
David was left with the sheep while his brothers were brought forward. Is there someone in your life or community who may be waiting at the edges and rarely given an opportunity? How could you make room for that person’s voice, gifts, or leadership? [01:03:36]
God sees both the mess and the masterpiece in each person. Is there someone whose failures, wounds, or difficult behavior have made it hard for you to see their God-given worth? How might grace change the way you pray for or speak about that person? [01:03:10]
When have you felt judged by your appearance, background, past, or circumstances? How might that experience help you grow in empathy toward someone else who may feel unseen or misunderstood? [01:01:09]
What “lens” most often shapes your first impressions—fear, past experience, politics, social status, age, race, success, or something else? What practice could help you put on lenses of grace and faith in the coming week? [51:32]

Sermon Clips

28s

#GodSeesTheHeart

“That's how God sees us. God sees both the mess and the masterpiece. God sees right to our hearts. God knows the good things and the bad things about us, but most of all, knows that we are God's children. That each and every one of us have gifts given by God, and we are called to use those gifts and more importantly to try to see those gifts in others.”

35s

#SeeThePotential

“Because here's the thing friends, there are lots of David's out there. There are lots of people that are overlooked and and undervalued. There's lots of people who have gifts but are never given a chance. There's lots of people that are called that don't even know they're called yet. But as children of God, when we can put on those lenses of grace, those lenses of faith, when we can try with all our hearts to look at the heart of others. Then and only then can we see each other for who we truly are.”

42s

#ChooseEmpathy

“Somebody that honked the horn when I accidentally cut them off, right? Who made those snap judgments against me? Because see what all these questions do is they help us to have a little bit more sympathy, a little more empathy, help us to look at the hearts of each other and realize we all have a story that we're living. They help us to try to take those lenses off and and see each other with new eyes. To see each other not just for the messes that we are, but for the good things that we are too. The the image of God and the children of God that is deep within each and every one of us.”

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