The Body and the Approval
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)
Picture a tall, skinny teenager who gets called weak one too many times. He trains for years and finally builds the body he wanted. And he still feels like that skinny kid. The approval he was chasing never lands.
When our worth is tied to how we look, it can’t rest. Bodies change. Muscles shrink, injuries happen, age comes for everyone. Solomon’s word for chasing things that won’t last is vanity: “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”
God has never measured us that way. When Samuel looked at David’s tall older brother and thought he must be the one, God said, “for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
Train because you are grateful for the body God gave you, not to earn approval it can’t give. The approval you need comes from the one who looks at the heart.
Read it yourself
Read 1 Samuel 16:6–13. Who did Samuel assume God had chosen, and who did God actually choose?
What approval are you chasing through your body or appearance?
Lord, you look on the heart. Help me care for my body out of gratitude, and find my worth in you. Amen.