“Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when [David] spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before” –
1 Samuel 17:28-30
When David showed up on the scene, both Saul’s army and the Philistine army were about to move to their according battle positions. When David heard Goliath shouting and taunting the Israelites defiantly, he asked the men around him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
It’s interesting that no man answered David’s second question. Was that not the most important question to be answered? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? Perhaps this is yet another reason why David was considered “a man after God’s own heart.” David didn’t care about receiving the king’s daughter in marriage or being exempt from paying taxes in the kingdom ever again. No, this uncircumcised Philistine was mocking and taunting God and his army. This simply cannot stand! David cared about the things God cares about. Saul’s men, including his own brothers, were looking at this as a physical battle. But for David? This was a spiritual battle.
What seemed to be a squabble between two brothers actually went much deeper. David showed up, with gifts for them no less. Shouldn’t they be happy to see him? But he had poked the bear. He brought truth with him when he entered into the picture. “Why have you come down?” the older brother asked. “I know your heart, David. You just came to see a battle.”
David would’ve been rightfully served in that moment to respond with even more truth. “What battle! For thirty-nine days you men have been here and have done absolutely nothing, while this Philistine continues to taunt and shout obscenities against you and God! What are you waiting for?”
After getting word of David’s conversation, king Saul called for him. David didn’t even give Saul a chance to speak before telling him, “Don’t worry about this Philistine. I’ll go fight him myself.”
There were a thousand men in Saul’s army. They had been camped out there for over a month. And finally, on the 40th day, someone has finally stepped forward and said, “I’m your man. Let me have a go at him. I can take him.” And that someone wasn’t a decorated soldier, but a lowly shepherd who had taken a break from tending his father’s sheep to bring his brothers some food.
Saul, of all people, should’ve welcomed this act of bravery. But he said to David, “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth!”
David faced ridicule and frustration at every turn. Even his oldest brother chastised him and told him to go back home. “You’re a lowly shepherd. And not even a good one at that. Go back home. Saul’s attitude was the same. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re only a boy. This man will destroy you, you can’t possibly win.”
Had they only known.
God had been preparing this young boy for this precise moment for many years in the wilderness, pitting him against bears and lions. And at every turn, David proved to be up to the challenge.
But it wasn’t just courage; it was FAITH. David served the Almighty God. His word was written in his heart. And he knew that the same God who had delivered him in his battles in the wilderness with the lions and bears was the same God who would deliver him against this defiant Philistine.
Everyone else saw a Giant. But David?
He saw the biggest target he’d ever seen in his life.
Former Blackout Artist 