The Un-Series: Week 7 Day 4
1 Samuel 17:12-30 (NLT)
12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons. 13Jesse’s three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea—had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines. 14 David was the youngest son. David’s three oldest brothers stayed with Saul’s army, 15but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.
16For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.
17One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. 18And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.” 19David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.
20So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.
24As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25“Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”
26David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
27And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.”
28But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”
29“What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” 30He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. (NLT)*
d. 17:13 Hebrew Shammah, a variant spelling of Shimea; compare 1 Chr 2:13; 20:7.
e. Hebrew ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters]
Have you ever been obedient or followed the rules only to be met with scrutiny and confusion? If so, how did you react? In school, I was very much a rule follower and strived to make good grades, and because of this I was called “miss goody two shoes” or “teacher’s pet.” To this name calling I reacted in anger and hurt.
David has a similar encounter. His obedience put him front and center of scrutiny and confusion. David wondered why the Israelites were tolerating this giant, and why he couldn’t ask this question without being falsely accused? A reaction of the flesh would be for David to fear the giant and to be angry at and argue with his brother. Instead, David was offended that the giant was defying God’s army, and he didn't let anger boil up at his brother; he walked away from the scrutiny and did something about it.
This kind of self-control can only come from above, when God is invited in and allowed to penetrate our hearts and minds. Reaction of the flesh distracts us from God’s path. Consider any confusion or scrutiny that might be pulling you to react in the flesh. Invite God into that situation so your reaction exemplifies Him.