1 Samuel 17

In 1 Samuel 16 God told 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 Lord sees not as man sees. That theme continues throughout chapter 17. We will see that the difference between David and the rest of the soldiers of Israel centers on how they see the world. The author gives a detailed description of how Human Sight and Divine Sight result in dramatically different outcomes. In the end, we will be left with no question about which lens we ought to prefer.

To see this, we walk through 4 steps with the author of 1 Samuel. First, we need to observe the situation at hand described to us in verses 1-23. Then, we’ll look through the first lens of the Eyes of Man in verses 24-30. Then, we’ll look through the second lens joining David as he sees with the Eyes of God in verses 31-47. Finally, David’s sight is proven correct as God brings the Victory to Israel.