Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!
We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!
The Passage
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Unfading Beauty of Legacy!
1 Samuel 16:7 English Standard Version (ESV)
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.”
The Questions
1) What is the greater context of this passage?
2) What comparison is made between how man sees and how God sees?
3) What does the word “heart” mean in this passage?
The Findings for Intention
1) In this passage Samuel the high priest, is searching for who will be the King of Israel. He has traveled to Bethlehem where God has told him to invite Jesse and his sons. One of Jesse’s son will become the anointed king. Samuel instructs Jesse to bring each one of his sons before him. Each time Jesse sees physical strength and stature but God says no. When there is only one son left, a shepherd boy, the youngest of Jesse’s son, David, God says this is the one. The one that you, and even Jesse his father, thought as not even a possible candidate, he is the one I have chosen. God saw David’s heart and he was eventually anointed king!
2) The writer of Samuel says that man sees differently than God. We, as humans, see physical features, the outside of others. When God looks, He pierces to the depths of our very soul. He sees us and He sees our heart!
3) When I read the word “heart” I want to make sure that I am thinking right about how the writer is using it. I used Studylight to see the word in the original language and it does mean more than the physical heart or even our emotions. The word means the inner man, the mind, the will, the heart, soul, and understanding of a man. This is how God sees. He knows us intimately and fully!
The Everyday Application
1) God chose David over seemingly more qualified brothers. When Samuel, the high priest, saw David’s oldest brother, he thought for sure this was the man that God intended to rule Israel. God gently reminded Samuel that physical appearance alone does not leave a legacy that God desires. He looked at the heart of the man David just as He looks at our heart. He knows our desires, our joys, our heartbreak, and pain. He works in us and through us to leave a legacy that is pleasing to Him!
2) God’s ways are not our ways. He is in the habit of choosing the least likely to do the most profound things on behalf of His kingdom. He chose a shepherd boy to rule over the nation of Israel, but when people looked at David, they missed what God saw in him. People, and the standards of this world, do not define your character, your beauty, your heart, or the legacy you will leave for those around you. We, each one of us, make choices every day for who we will be and whose we will be. You decide your legacy because God has already chosen you Beloved to fulfill His purpose and to impact the lives of those around you.
3) “The Lord looks at the heart…” is a scary but thrilling statement. Scary because He sees me and my deepest thoughts and desires, which aren’t always pleasing to Him. In His grace, He molds, shapes, and redeems those thoughts and desires into something beautiful for Him. Thrilling because the God of the universe is intimately acquainted with who I am and He chooses to use me to leave an imprint for Him in this world!
I Can Do That!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!
The Community!
Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Beauty Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
The Tools!
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources. Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
The Why!
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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