Here is my presentation in it's entirity.
The Lord Looks Upon the Heart: 1 Sam. 16:7 (by Donald G. Bahr)
First I'll tell you some thing about us...
We were married in Salt Lake LDS temple in 1975. After marrying, we moved to New Jersey, where Pat is from. I hadn’t met Pat’s family until we moved there.
It took a long time for us to have children; we eventually had 2 kids, a son - Jesse and a daughter - Christie. We lived in NJ for almost 30 years, mostly in the Princeton, NJ area. Pat taught preschool there (and here) and I have been a network engineer almost my entire career. We’ve lived in Lehi for over 3 years, and in Utah for almost 6 years.
A couple of funny things about us: Pat , in her college dorms, during a dorm-wide celebration, was voted as the person who most resembled a cartoon character (Olive Oyle of Popeye fame - she was apparently a very thin teenager. She looked great to me when we met though).
For me; once, at a girls’ camp Bishop’s night in a canoe during a watermelon chase, I successfully convinced my stake president to steal a watermelon from one of the other competitors. As you can imagine, a big melee ensued in the middle of the lake and the whole thing was great entertainment to the girls at camp.
You may recall in the the book of 1st Samuel that the Israelites asked their prophet, Samuel, to have the Lord give them a king. "We want a King.... We want a King... All the other nations that live here have a king...".
In a nutshell: Saul, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, is revealed to Samuel by the Lord. The Lord tells Samuel that Saul is to be king. Samuel anoints Saul to be captain over the Lord’s inheritance; the Lord gives Saul a new heart.
Saul grows into his new job - going from shepherd to king - and leads Israel in battles and wars. In doing so he makes some notable blunders: After defeating the Ammonites, Saul offers a burnt offering without the authority granted by the Lord through His prophet. Then, when directed to destroy every living thing when battling the Amalekites, he saves some of the animals, supposedly as a sacrifice. In addition to this, Saul decrees that his son Jonathan should be put to death after a mis-communication puts them at odds. Samuel rebukes Saul during these missteps and becomes at odds with Saul.
This results in the Lord rejecting Saul and sets Samuel off to be shown the Lord's new choice for a king.
Let me read what happens next:
1 Samuel 16: 1-7
1 And the Lord said unto Samuel... ...fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
4 And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming...
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.
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.
The end result of all this action, found in verse 7, was this: The Lord chose who He wanted to be the next leader of His people. Samuel didn't make the choice, because he wasn't using the Lord's measuring stick.
This is what the Bishop asked me to speak about: The Lord looketh on the Heart.
I think there are several things we should learn from this story. I would like to address some of them.
*****************
As a side-note, and as a music lover, I have to point out that David was a pretty good musician and loved music:
-- 1 Sam 16: 14-23 ; When Saul was troubled by a spirit not of the Lord, his servant suggested that someone who was skilled at music could ease his mind. Someone there knew that David was skilled in playing an instrument so Saul had him brought before him and David’s music greatly soothed him. Another example of David’s love of music: He wrote the Psalms, where were sacred musical tributes to the Lord. Music is a great tool to bring - or drive out - the spirit. When the men sang last week, my wife pointed out that all the children in Sacrament meeting had their eyes glued to the front of the chapel, watching their daddies sing in power and strength!
******************
First let's understand the terminology used in verse 7:
Countenance:
Seeing or Looking (seeth, looketh):
Heart:
Countenance, or as the Lord told Samuel "the height of his stature". How many times have you heard of some awful action committed by a person you didn't expect? Former Eagle scouts, Church leaders, someone who is obviously well spoken or well dressed? Happens all the time, right? There was a case a couple years ago of a missing woman. Her husband is suspected of foul play, and it shocked everyone because he seemed to have it all together - medical school, church goer, seemingly devoted family man. We see what can be seen: the outward or public appearance: their dress, their mannerisms, their speech. In short, their countenance.
To the converse, if people look at others and see something they don’t like or understand, they tend to judge them harshly. Often the good in that person is overlooked because the heart is not looked at. When I was bishop of the Princeton 1st ward in Princeton, NJ, we had a new convert to the church by the name of Jerry. Jerry was in his 40’s at the time and looked like a biker; complete with a full beard and long hair. Some probably thought that Jerry wouldn’t remain active in the church, that he would not be able to sustain faithful attendance or couldn’t live the standards of the Church. Jerry taught primary for over a year and was the most solid member you can imagine. He eventually became my executive secretary and served faithfully and well for quite some time. I appreciated Jerry for his humble attitude and for his desire to learn how to have the Lord in his life. Jerry’s heart must have appealed to the Lord.
Seeing or seeth and Looketh. We observe people, inanely preparing data for our minds to evaluate a person. We look at behavior, actions, appearance and listen to words and meanings. We Seeth.
Heart: This is an easy and a difficult one at the same time. The heart has always been used as a euphemism for our inner thoughts attitudes and feelings. It represents the core of our being. The heart is referred to in many scriptures, in all of the standard works: Here are a few examples:
1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22 - Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart
Ps. 44:21 - [The Lord] knoweth the secrets of the heart
Ps. 147:3 - The Lord healeth the broken in heart
Prov. 21:2 - The Lord pondereth the hearts
Deut. 6:5; Deut. 6:3–7; Matt. 22:37; Luke 10:27; D&C 59:5 - love the Lord thy God with all thine heart
Prov. 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart
Deut. 11:18 - lay up these my words in your heart
Prov. 23:7 - as he thinketh in his heart, so is he
Ps. 24:4; 2 Ne. 25:16 - He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart
Matt. 5:8; 3 Ne. 12:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart
Matt. 6:21; Luke 12:34; 3 Ne. 13:21 - where your treasure is, there will your heart be
Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 36:26 - take the stony heart out … give them an heart of flesh
Mal. 4:6; Luke 1:17; D&C 2:2 - turn the hearts of the fathers to the children
It's important to understand these terms so that we can examine the lessons learned from 1 Sam 16:7.
What lessons do we learn from this story?
Judgments of men, even Samuel, the prophet and seer of the Lord, can be incorrect when judging others because mankind can not see as the Lord does.
The Lord looks at our hearts when judging, assigning responsibility or making calling people in His kingdom. He judges based upon the things that matter.
Our hearts are judged by the Lord. We need to make our hearts right.
First let's talk about making judgments:
We've all read the scripture: "Judge not, that ye be not judged..." (Matt 7:1).
How can we refrain from judgment? Of course we can't; we all have to make judgments about a variety of things every day, Am I dressed appropriately for the weather; Did I complete the assignment adequately; should I eat that yellow thing someone brought into the office to share? The Church's gospel study web site (http://lds.org/study/topics/judging-others?lang=eng) talks about judging others:
"Judgment is an important use of our agency and requires great care, especially when we make judgments about other people."
The Lord continues, in Matt. chapter 7, to give guidance about making Judgments: "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged..."
It's impossible to not make judgments, even about other people. We can't avoid it, but what we can do is to follow that proverbial golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have others do to you"; because “...with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matt 7:2). The Church's gospel study web site agrees:
"All our judgments must be guided by righteous standards. Only God, who knows each individual's heart, can make final judgments of individuals."
This is one of the points I'd like to make in regards to 1 Sam. 16:7.
People do things for various reasons; sometimes the reasons are altruistic and well intended. Sometimes the reasons are more in the selfish vein. Only the Lord knows our hearts. Only He can truly know a person's motivation for their actions.
So how can we make righteous judgments if only the Lord knows all the facts?
Here are a few thoughts to ponder:
Making righteous judgments involves listening to the Spirit. If only the Lord knows a person's heart, and we have a need to make a decision or a judgment call about a situation, we must seek spiritual help. The Lord teaches us in section 11 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
"And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit." (D&C 11:12).
We must seek the spirit in all things, particularly when we are dealing with others.
Avoid making uninformed judgments. Seek the Spirit carefully when making judgments in our callings.
Try not to make snap judgments or judging on the spot if possible. Take time to pray for spiritual guidance as you make decisions and judgments.
Remember that criticizing a person is not the same as making a righteous judgment.
Finally, seek to be more like the Savior and look upon the heart when assessing others. We can't know all of a person's heart, but, like the Lord, we can be understanding and loving. We can seek holy guidance to know better what a person feels.
The other side of 1 Sam 16:7 is that "...the Lord looketh on the heart". What makes a heart that the Lord would look upon favorably?
What is the condition of our heart, spiritually speaking. Physically there are things that people are taught to do that will strengthen their bodily hearts. We are told to exercise regularly. We are admonished to eat properly. We are advised to get enough rest, watch our cholesterol, drink plenty of fluids, see your doctor regularly and so on. What are the spiritual analogs to the care we give our physical hearts?
There are standard answers to this question:
- Pray
- Read and ponder the scriptures
- Attend our church meetings
- Attend to our church duties
- Serve others
- Keep a personal journal and write your family history.
- Learn and obey the commandments
- Lots of other important spiritual building activities.
These things are the right answers. They are tried and true methods to avoiding spiritual heart attacks.
If we do the basic spiritually enhancing things, we will be blessed.
If we do them throughout our lives we will be blessed throughout our lives.
If we do these things willingly and eagerly, our hearts will become attuned to the will of the Lord.
A few things I've learned during my church membership and service:
Remember Mormon's words about recognizing what is right and wrong, found in Moroni 7; If it inspires to do good or to believe in Christ, it is of God. If it inspires to not believe in Christ or do something that would make you ashamed in Christ's presence, it is not of God.
If there is something that you should be doing but aren't, start today. Do your best to fit in this thing, even if it's a small start.
If you don't think you can feel the guidance of the Holy Ghost, try the experiment that Alma suggested. Trust, or have faith, that God wants to guide you; cast out your doubt by hoping for His guidance. Start with something that is easy; for instance read the challenge and promise in Moroni 10:3,4 and then pray about it. Get that feeling of rightness and remember what it feels like.
If you feel prompted to do something, with that "rightness feeling", move on that urge. Don't think about it, just do it.
I bear testimony of the love the Lord has for us. I witness that Jesus Christ has made the supreme sacrifice to our eternal benefit. I love Him for his willing and all-encompassing gift. I bear testimony that God's kingdom on Earth is embodied in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and the service we perform in this church furthers the work of God. This is my Testimony, which I leave with you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ.
