(Audio)
He had a son named Saul, who was a handsome young man.
There was no other child of Israel more handsome than Saul;
he stood head and shoulders above the people.
We may not be particularly handsome like Saul. That may seem like a superficial qualification to be king. But we may feel ourselves to have even less to recommend us to the service of the LORD. He is building a Kingdom. Yet it is not how we appear on the outside that matters to Jesus.
People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (see First Samuel 16:7).
The LORD judges the heart. But what of those whose hearts are messy, broken, and sinful?
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
These are exactly the sort of hearts that the LORD seeks. They are hearts who are not convinced of their own righteousness. Because they are not, they are able to recognize the Divine Physician.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed Jesus.
We may feel utterly unqualified, ungifted, or useless. If so, perfect. We are exactly the sort of people for whom Jesus is searching. He himself qualifies the unqualified.
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, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (see First Corinthians 1:27-29).
What should this mean for us? It should give us the courage to be unafraid to come to Jesus, to follow him when he calls, even when our rational minds offer every reason why we can't. Nothing against our rational minds, but they don't have faith as a frame of reference. And we are called to walk by faith and not by sight (see Second Corinthians 5:7).
Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head;
he also kissed him, saying:
“The LORD anoints you commander over his heritage.
You are to govern the LORD’s people Israel,
and to save them from the grasp of their enemies roundabout.
The anointing we receive is more than that of Saul. We are made priests, prophets, and kings, sharing in the eternal Kingship of Jesus himself. On our own we would fail. But this anointing is the grace of the presence of the Trinity itself at work within us. If we yield to it failure is impossible. We are healed by the Divine Physician. We are made beautiful by the gospel.
O LORD, in your strength the king is glad;
in your victory how greatly he rejoices!
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