12 Now he (David) was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome.
1 Samuel 13:12 ESV
18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.”
1 Samuel 16:18 ESV
14 And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.
1 Samuel 18:14 ESV
Much as been written about David, both in scripture and more recently. Books, songs, poems all recount the heroics and failures of this man "after (God's) heart, who will do all my will."
(Acts 13:22)
Sure David was good looking, He could play the lyre, was brave, carried himself well, and a tough individual. But at the end of the day, it came down to his relationship with God. The LORD was with David, and he was a man after God's heart. None of the external trappings mattered.
Saul was good looking dude, a man's man.
2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. (1Samuel 9:2)
He could kick some Ammonite and Philistine tail. (1 Samuel 11 and 13) But because of consistent disobedience, Saul ended up crazed, paranoid, and committed suicide. Not a glamorous life or death of the first king of Israel. Saul's heart betrayed him.
We can have all the trappings of success. Job, possessions, physical health, wealth, but at the end of the day, it is our heart that matters. Humility, love, service matter. Not bank accounts, possessions, or status.
Would you rather be a crazed king or a God-pleasing shepherd?
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