But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical statue, because I have refused him.
For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
I am so very thankful that the Lord does not see me as man sees me. There have been times in my life that I have been misunderstood and there have even been times in my life where I have been wrongfully accused and judged. At other times, my heart was good but my actions fell short of the intent I had or I inadvertently hurt someone else. Then there have when my actions were a result of my rebellion or stubbornness and in all honesty, I missed the mark, sometimes even chose not to even shoot for the mark. God knows what I will look like when He is completed with everything in me. He is not deterred because I am human and I make mistakes. He reveals His great mercy in Lamentations 3:22-23 “Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.” The ESV says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end.” He does not give up on me when His process of taking me from glory to glory takes a long time. In fact, He promised in Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying,” My council shall stand. And I will do all My pleasure.” I believe God looks into the future and He sees who we will become and what we will accomplish and He chooses to shape us into the person we are designed to be. All of us were designed uniquely to fulfill the call and purpose of God on our lives. He teaches us through life’s experiences and through His Word who we are and teaches us to rise to fulfill the purpose He has designed for us individually. God sees the good in us, even when we fail miserably while at the same time, He sees those whose heart refuses to repent and honor Him. Saul was chosen to be King over Israel and when he chose not to honor God and destroy the Amalekites, instead he spared Agag the king and set up a monument for himself on the top of the mountain. God rejected Saul as king when Saul’s heart was revealed when he made excuses and refused to repent for his rebellion. God assigned Samuel the daunting task of anointing a new king while Saul was still in the palace. God told Samuel to go to Jesse the Bethlehemite and He would show him which son to anoint as king. Samuel invited Jesse to join him as he made a sacrifice to God and Jesse’s sons joined them. As Samuel watched the sons of Jesse, he began to look at the physical stature of each of the sons and thought this might be the one God wanted to anoint as king. Each time, God refused all of the sons present telling Samuel not to look at the outward appearance, because God saw each of their hearts. One by one Samuel looked at Jesse’s sons and each time God told him no. Finally, Samuel asked Jesse if this was all his sons. Jesse said there was one more son, the youngest, a son who was not even considered important enough to bring in from the sheep to attend the sacrifice with the High Priest. God told Samuel as soon as David came in “Arise, anoint him for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that time forward.” 1 Samuel 16:12-13. David was not immediately ushered in as the King of Israel, instead God ordered his steps, allowing him to kill Goliath and eventually running from the jealousy of Saul. The bible does not tell us how old David was when he was anointed king, but we know he was 30 when he took his proper position as King of Israel. The process took between 14-16 years. A person can be anointed and called for something for years before they are able to walk in the appointment God has ordained for them.
President Trump has been anointed and called to be the next President of the United States of America even thought He does not hold the office yet. Around two weeks ago, someone tried to assassinate him and to cut short the call of God on his life while not only those present watched, bur all those watching on TV and on Social Media, both in the United States of America and all around the world. During the RNC, President Trump stood and said, “I am not supposed to be here.” Trump understands that it was by the grace of God alone that he was spared, had his head been turned at any other angle, the bullet would have ended his life. I believe this was confirmation to the world that God’s hand is on President Trump. The divine intervention of God, goes beyond the sparing of Trump’s life. I watched some of the RNC and President Trump was there, a changed and humble man, with a bandage on his right ear. It was no accident that it was President Trump’s right ear that was shot. In the Bible, the concept pf blood on the right ear serves as a visible mark of consecration, signifying that the person is dedicated to God’s service and has been set apart for a specific purpose. Leviticus 8:22-24 tells us that a ram was sacrificed, Moses killed the ram and “took some of its blood and put it on the tip if Aaron’s right ear.” This act represents a physical and spiritual transformation, preparing the individual for their sacred role. Here's a breakdown of the significance: 1) Right ear: The right ear represents hearing and obedience. In ancient times, the right ear was considered the most important ear, as it was the ear that heard the words of God. 2)Blood: Blood represents life, sacrifice, and atonement. In this context, the blood is a symbol of purification and consecration. 3) Consecration: Consecration means to set something or someone apart for a specific purpose, making it holy and dedicated to God. In this case, the blood on the right ear signifies that the person is being set apart for a sacred task or role. 4) Priestly consecration: In Leviticus 8, the blood is applied to the right ear of Aaron and his sons, consecrating them as priests. This act sets them apart as mediators between God and the people. 5)Purification: In Leviticus 14, the blood is applied to the right ear of the person being cleansed, symbolizing their purification and restoration to the community. God allowed Donald Trump’s right ear to be grazed by the bullet and now on there will be a visible sign of the consecration to God on Trump’s right ear. God has called and marked President Trump for His service. I have heard prophets say the only thing that would keep Donald Trump from serving another four years is his free will. Donald Trump told Biden in the debate that he was not going to ever run for office again until he saw how bad the country has suffered under Biden’s policies. President Trump accepted the call of God on his life and God has set him apart.
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 22, comparing the kingdom of heaven to a king who plans a wedding for his son, inviting all his friends and the important people to the wedding feast. All of them made excuses and refused to attend the wedding. The people were so determined not to attend the wedding, that they even killed some of the king’s servants who issued the invitation. The servants then went out to the highways and byways and invited people in the streets to attend the wedding. The bible says that the wedding hall was filled. The story ends “Many are caked, but few are chosen” Matthew 22:14. This is one of those portions of scriptures I have struggled to wrap my mind around it. Is God saying that He only choses a select few? I think Phillip’s version explains the true message of this passage, “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” To be chosen, we must accept the invitation of God and be willing to fulfill the call of God on our lives. While God has only called one man for this season to be President of the United States of America, God has called you for a specific purpose and plan. There are things God wants you to accomplish with your life that will impact the Kingdom of God. He told Jeremiah “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” The KJV says “to give you and expected end.” God takes the call on your life seriously. Romans 11:29 “The gifts and callings of God are without repentance.” Once God has called you to do something, He does not repent nor revoke the call. The AMP says “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable, (He never withdraws them once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.)” Do you know what He has called you to do? When we do not know what He has gifted and called us to do, time in prayer and in His word will bring about revelation on your call. The call of God may vary as you age, for example when I was twelve years old, I taught the preschool children’s church, I now teach our women’s bible study. Who I have been called to teach has changed, but the call to teach has never been revoked. One of the callings we each have is to pray. Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will does not come to pass on earth unless we come into agreement and pray His will to be done. 1 Timothy 2:12 Commands us, “Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers and intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority.” God is very serious that we are to pray for the state of our nation. God puts a mark on those who intercede for their nation. Israel had allowed idolatry to take hold in their nation and they had turned their backs on God in Ezekiel 9. The bible says the Glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub where it had been. God called to the man in linen who had a writer’s inkhorn to; “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” Then God sent a judgement on all who were not marked on the forehead. Those who had the mark of God on them, they accepted the call of God to pray and weep for a fallen nation, were not touched in the judgement. Are you marked by God? Have you accepted the call He has given you? Are you praying for the Godly return of our nation to be “One Nation Under God?” 2 Chronicles 7:14 :”If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.: The United States of America is at a critical time in our history and the ecclesia must stand together and pray asking for God to forgive our sins and heal our land. Just this week, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu came to the USA and the current administration did not show up to recognize him, not Biden or Harris. Harris refused to take her place in the joint congress and sit in her chair behind Prime Minister Netanyahu during his speech. The Palestinians sympathizers rioted in the streets of Washington D.C. and they even burned American flags. God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” We need God to intervene for our nation. A three-day nationwide fast has been called for July 29, 30 and 31. Will you join me in prayer and fasting, asking God to forgive our sins and heal our nation? Just like in Ezekiel, I believe God marks those who will cry and pray and they are protected from any coming judgement.
Cathy Nesmith
P.S. I encourage you to study Psalm 37 this week. “Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace.”