But 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!” “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” -1 Samuel 17:28-29 (NLT)
Eliab having to take a backseat for David to be the next king of Israel probably had to sting a little. After all, he was Jesse’s firstborn, and he was also a soldier. And David? Well… let’s just say that there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot going on for a young man living at home and tending his father’s small flock of sheep.
And now, here comes baby brother, waltzing onto the battlefield delivering snacks and acting like he owns the place. You can almost hear the eye-roll in Eliab’s voice: “What are you doing here? Don’t you have some sheep to babysit or something?“
Let’s be honest – there’s a little bit of Eliab in most of us. Maybe we’ve worked hard, done the right things, followed the path, and then someone else shows up and seems to just… leapfrog us. They get the promotion. They get the recognition. They get the “call up,” and we’re left holding the lunchboxes.
That takes a lot of humility to sit with. It can stir up things in us we didn’t know were there – jealousy, resentment, bitterness… especially when it feels like their win is coming at our expense. And even more so when it’s someone close to us.
But God’s plans don’t run on seniority. He doesn’t care as much for resumes or battle experience as much as He cares about what’s going on inside someone’s heart. And for reasons we may never fully understand, sometimes we’re called to support the Davids in our lives, not to be them.
That’s not a lesser calling. That’s just a different one.
And maybe today, the invitation is to let God work on our Eliab moments – to give us grace for when we feel overlooked, and humility for when someone else’s success brushes up against our pride.
Because who knows? The very person whose success we’re tempted to be jealous of might be carrying the sling that God’s going to use to bring down the giant we’re facing, too.
Former Blackout Artist 