Today I saw a picture of a greenhouse, the name the British use to refer to the glass structure used for protecting plants from the elements. Greenhouses house green plants but the glass is usually plain and is only occasionally tinted green. This has made me reflect on the fact that descriptive names do not always indicate true facts as we understand them. We are reminded in the bible that outward appearance is not what is important but what is inside. We are all at risk of being deceived in that regard. For instance in 1 Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel knows he has to anoint one of eight brothers of a family in Bethleham, to be Israel's next king. He is impressed by the good looks and stature of Eliab the oldest and then down through all the brothers but God rejects each of them in turn until Samuel gets to David, the youngest brother who is a shepherd out in the hills. God says He looks at a person's heart and not their outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). It was nearly 15 years later that David actually became King. In the next chapter we read of the oldest brother Eliab burning with anger and falsely accusing David of being irresponsible, conceited and wicked (1 Samuel 17:28). We see Eliab's heart. How did David cope with these false accusations? 1 Samuel 17:29-30: " 'Now what have I done?' said David, 'Can't I even speak? He then turned away ...". We need to stick close to God and let Him judge our heart and try not to be impacted by others' judgement of us.
