December 21

Magnetism

But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with [Saul’s] looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” ––1 Samuel 16:7, msg

We all know a man or woman who walks into a room and turns all the heads. Or who, when they speak, people listen. It seems that some folks are born with what you might call magnetism: the ability to attract and impress others.

When the Israelites hectored God about giving them a king, he finally relented and sent Samuel to anoint Saul. The Bible says Saul was “as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.”

Saul was a great king—for a while. He had military victory after military victory, and proved himself an adept commander and chief. Of course, we know Saul broke bad and the latter part of his reign was a disaster—he defied God, consulted with witches, and worshipped false gods. His life ended ignobly.

If Saul was a young up-and-coming politician in the US today, people would be drawn to his personal magnetism. In contrast, here’s how the Word describes Jesus:

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  ––Isaiah 53:2-3

Would you vote for that guy? Sure, we all like to think that looks don’t matter in our leaders; that we are above choosing a president based on outward appearance. However, the average height of the 45 men who have served as president is 5’11”—roughly two inches taller than the average male in 2020. In fact, over the past half century (i.e., since Gerald Ford) every president has been six feet or taller, except for Carter (5’9 ½). Whether we like it or not, most of us are influenced by physical appearance.

Now consider Jesus. His magnetism certainly wasn’t based on His outward appearance. Isaiah’s prophecy says “he had no beauty to attract us to him, nothing in his physical appearance that we should desire him.” But make no mistake, Jesus was the most magnetic Man to ever walk the planet.

His magnetism drew thousands to His sermons, caught the attention of kings and queens, and whose death—and resurrection—radically changed the world. Even from a non-spiritual perspective, no other person in history has so affected the world. So much so that our entire calendar system is based upon the year of His birth (Anno Domini, or “the year of our Lord”), while time beforehand is considered “Before Christ.” (This, despite the efforts of secularists to unsuccessfully change our references to BCE and CE—Before Common Era and Common Era).

Whose magnetism are you following—God’s or man’s? Yes, it is that simple. The choice is yours.

Father, help me view people through your eyes, and help me choose kingdom magnetism over worldly magnetism today.

 

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1 Samuel 9:2