God's choice and man's choice

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16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.
16:7 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.

1Sam 16:6-7

In the above scripture, a great prophet of God called Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse to annoint one of Jesse's son as king. This man has eight sons and the first born steps in front of Samuel. Being the human he is, he looks at what he sees, the physical attributes of this young man and thinks he is God's choice. But God rejects him and gives Samuel his criteria for his own choice.
Man makes his choice from the outward appearance but God makes his choice from the state of the heart.

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That was a big lesson for Samuel that day and it is a lesson for us today. Sometimes, we blaspheme against God based on his choice of people to use. You find people say God can never use that person, that is not the spirit of God simply because the used vessel does not fit their criteria. That was what the pharisees and the Sadducees were specialized in doing and some people still do that even today. The ways of God are not the ways of Man and we should be careful when it comes to spiritual things lest you openly speak against God's annointed and receive a curse.

The same Eliab in the above scripture that was Samuel's choice was one of those who fled for their lives when Goliath challenged the soldiers of Israel but guess who stood up with boldness and faith in God? David, God's chosen.
God who looks at the heart knew that when the time will come for some one to do the Job, that man will be David and not his good looking brothers.

One important thing we must also understand is that God often does not choose the qualified.
Rather, he qualifies the chosen ones. Go through the bible and see all the great men that were used mightily by God and which one was really qualified for the Job at the time of their chosing?
Moses was not a good speaker, David was not trained in the ways of war ( he attended to the sheep), Gideon's family was the poorest in their tribe and he was the least in his father's house but God considered him a mighty man of valour, the very 12 disciples were fishermen and uneducated men in the things of God etc.

There are even men who in the Church who have been serving faithfully and desiring some spiritual gifts but it is not given to them. Yet, God will go out there, pick a thief, drunk, immoral person that man will consider unworthy cleanse him and pour these gifts on that person and use him mightily. You might think God unfair but he is not, he knows just who can do the work based on his close examination of the heart of man.

You might think a person so sincere and you believe he will do great things if he receives what he asks for but wait until he receives it and watch what he does with it. You will be shocked.