In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel was looking to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. When Samuel met Eliab, he immediately made a judgment—“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him” (1 Samuel 16:6). But God gently corrected Samuel. He told him that he had already rejected Eliab, for “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Samuel proceeded to look at all seven sons in the room, but God rejected them all one by one. As it turns out, the one whom God had chosen as king wasn’t even present! Nobody had even thought to invite David, the youngest son, to the anointing ceremony. Apparently, they had all determined that David was not kingly material.
Imagine the shock on everybody’s faces when Samuel called for David and anointed him as king over Israel.
The story of 1 Samuel 16 teaches us that sometimes the judgments we initially make are wrong. We may have an image in our minds of what a leader should like, but God often defies those expectations. Sometimes the people I feel tempted to praise are people whom God has rejected, and sometimes the people I feel tempted to condemn are people whom God has anointed.
We also see this play out in the New Testament. Many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day also rejected people God had anointed.
In Matthew 11:18-19, Jesus said, “18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
Just as David’s family had a specific idea of who God’s appointed leader would be, so many of the first century religious leaders had a specific idea of who God’s appointed leader should be. Their criteria, which seems silly to us now, is how often people ate! John the Baptist apparently ate too little, and Jesus of Nazareth apparently ate too often.
Sometimes we do the same today. We look with suspicion at certain Christian leaders today who don’t fit our mold. Maybe they are too rigid, or maybe they are not rigid enough. Maybe they are too political, or maybe they are not political enough. Maybe they are too charismatic, or maybe they are not charismatic enough.
To clarify, we certainly need to be on the watch for false prophets. That theme is very prominent throughout the New Testament. But let’s not be quick to brand people as false prophets when they actually aren’t. Maybe they are also appointed by God to lead, but to lead in ways that differ from us.
Sometimes I wonder—if Jesus was around today, would I have worshiped him or condemned him? He had no formal theological training. He was seemingly breaking the Sabbath. He was spending a lot of time with prostitutes and tax collectors. He was overthrowing tables in the temple. I think it would have been very tempting for many Christian leaders today to look at him with suspicion.
So how do we refrain from condemning leaders when we shouldn’t?
What we need is a bigger view of God. We need to be open to the idea that God can work one way through us, and another way through somebody else.
So when you see a Christian leader doing something you typically wouldn’t do, or saying something you typically wouldn’t say, pause. Refrain from quick judgment. Use great care and empathy while discerning whether this person is doing God’s will or not.
In some scenarios, we will eventually feel compelled to judge that person to be a false prophet. That will be right and necessary. And sometimes we should even speak out if that is the case.
But in other cases, it’s less clear, and we are not sure. When that happens, it’s worthwhile to follow the words of Gamaliel, in Acts 5:38-39, “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Larry Lin is an outreach manager for the Matthew 5:9 Fellowship. Prior to working with the Matthew 5:9 Fellowship, Larry served as a college minister in the Washington, DC area and as an executive pastor in Baltimore, MD. Larry is passionate about mobilizing the Christian church to serve the poor and the marginalized, writing about the intersection of faith and current events, and helping people from different backgrounds find common ground together. Larry has degrees from Cornell University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he is married to his wife Van-Kim, and they live together with their two kids in Baltimore, MD.
Larry Lin is an outreach manager for the Matthew 5:9 Fellowship. Prior to working with the Matthew 5:9 Fellowship, Larry served as a college minister in the Washington, DC area and as an executive pastor in Baltimore, MD. Larry is passionate about mobilizing the Christian church to serve the poor and the marginalized, writing about the intersection of faith and current events, and helping people from different backgrounds find common ground together. Larry has degrees from Cornell University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he is married to his wife Van-Kim, and they live together with their two kids in Baltimore, MD.
