Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else. (1 Sam. 9:2)
Expanded Passage: 1 Samuel 9:1-2
Is your father a warrior? Saul’s was. Saul’s father was known as a warrior. Samuel the prophet even called him “a mighty man of power.” He was no doubt respected among his friends and feared by his enemies. Everyone knew he could hold his own and get the job done.
In addition to having a daddy who was a he-man, Saul had a combination of DNA that set him up well for life. He was the best-looking man in Israel, and the tallest of them as well. Now, when Saul was at his prime, around 1052 bc the average height was much less than it is today. In fact, the average man of that period was about five and a half feet tall. But, still, he held the prize and was considered an all-star of that culture.
Perhaps you are the shortest in your family or your genetic material was not as kind to you as you’d wish. Few of us can claim the physical specs of Saul. But what our grandmothers used to say is true: “Beauty is only skin deep.” And while you can’t do much about the basic structure of your physique, the shape of one’s character is, in the end, molded not by our heritage or environment, but by our personal choices. Noble character is the beauty anyone can choose.
Choose today, by God’s grace, to have beautiful character.
Valorie Quesenberry is a wife, mother, gramma, speaker, and author of several books including the Sisters in Faith Bible Studies (WPH).
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
