In 1596 William Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice and within this work he pens the words, “all that glisters is not gold”, today we say glitters rather than glisters. This statement has been used repeatedly to emphasize that appearances can be deceiving no matter how beautiful, convincing or wonderful they are. In scripture we see where the Lord was talking to Samuel the prophet when he was desiring to anoint Eliab as king of Israel, “So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, 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.” Though he was a handsome outstanding looking man the Lord tells him that He is looking at his heart not at what is seen.
Scripture contrasts two kings for us to reveal to us that we should not choose that which appears to be the right one or right thing. Rather, we need to hear what the Lord is saying to us.
In 1 Samuel 9:1-2 it reads, “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2 And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.” Prior to these verses we can see that Israel was ruled by God through judges which were in essence prophets. There were people in Israel who wanted to be unified under a king and as Samuel grew old and his sons were dishonest in their judging they banned together and requested a king. They requested that which was not the will of God for the people but nevertheless the Lord aided them.
Based on the verses above it would seem that the Lord gave to them what they were looking for, a man of great appearance, where stature and strength were paramount to unify the people. Yes, the Lord through Samuel chose Saul son of Kish and anointed him king over Israel at the approval of the people. The people had wanted somebody that looked like Saul and so they got him. In the beginning Saul was humble, but he did not have what it took to remain so.1
So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? (1 Samuel 15:17)
In short, Saul disobeyed the word of the Lord and became his own guide as his heart was lifted up because of the people’s approbation. He feared the rejection of men, he even had a statue built in his honour (1 Samuel 15:12). In the end he committed suicide, needlessly and recklessly went to war to save his own pride and lost all of his sons, his entire heritage and legacy. In the end when he was tried by fire there was nothing left. When gold is tried by fire it becomes purer and endures (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
“Not all that glitters is gold” is true when it comes to human character. Character is discovered when one goes through tribulation or when they are exalted, either extreme will reveal and amplify who a person really is.
In contrast David was a young man who was deemed to be insignificant and was not big and strong in appearance. Scripture describes David as, “… the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.” (1 Samuel 13:14 KJV).
These words were spoken to King Saul concerning David. Scripture gives us the contrast of these two kings. One was anointed by God because the people demanded such a man who outwardly was strong and appeared to be so, but inwardly was weak and cowardly. The other, David, was God’s choice rather than the choice of the people, because the Lord saw the heart of David as he tended his father’s sheep. David was not ugly but he was not what people would choose.
The take away from this lesson is for us to not judge by appearances but to know the heart of God and not be carnal in our decision making processes. In particular when you are searching for great spiritual leadership, do not look for the glitter but rather for the gold. The glitter could include good looks, eloquence of speech which is smooth and appealing, one who tells you what you would like to hear, one who is popular, has a good gathering of people, and is highly influential or popular. Remember, the anti-Christ will be all of those things. Rather, choose the gold, at times gold does not shine as it may be mistaken for a rock of no value. Spiritual golden leaders are those who are sound in character, biblical doctrine, who have been pastored and mentored themselves, having a spiritual father(s), who have submitted to strong leadership and were able to maintain humility. These leaders may be like John the Baptist who did not have an appealing appearance, possibly someone who is not popular with the masses, but is sound, and has a heart after God and would even speak the difficult things of God.
What do you choose the glitter or the gold? Who do you wish to be associated with and why? Are you a person of glitter or are you a person of gold? What you choose to be you will become.
