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Verse:But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7
Whether we like it or not, we are judged by our appearance —by our height and weight, how we look and dress, and how we work and behave.
Furthermore, as stated by the theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow, “Facial appearance translates to judgments of character.”18 However, as important as good looks might be, we must never forget that “appearances can be deceptive” and that “first appearance deceives many.” When the Lord sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king over the house of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1–13), the prophet was very impressed with the appearance of Eliab and even said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!” (verse 6). But the Lord warned Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (verse 7).
Even Uriah Smith (1832–1903), widely recognized as the dean of prophetic interpretation in Seventh-day Adventist circles, failed in a similar matter.
When the first automobiles pulled into Battle Creek, Michigan, some frightened horses bolted, injuring a woman. Convinced that the problem was the appearance of the vehicles, Smith designed a wooden horse’s head to attach to the front of automobiles. On April 11, 1899, his “Design for a Vehicle-Body” was patented as US D30551 S for a term of seven years. But his invention did not work as expected.
It turns out that the horses were scared not by the shape but rather by the noise of those early horseless carriages. Hasty judgments can prevent us from seeing the inner beauty of people. Often behind an unattractive face, there is a loving heart and a shining personality. Much more important than our outward appearance is the aesthetic of a character that resembles the image and likeness of our Creator and Redeemer.
And, if we could see all human beings through Christ’s eyes, we would view them not as what they already are but as what they can still become if transformed by His amazing grace (Philippians 3:12–16).