1 Samuel 17:24–30

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “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?”

And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.

Notice how different David’s thinking is from everyone else’s. To David, Goliath is an uncircumcised Philistine, who is so stupid that he should defy the armies of the living God. Victory over him is good, not because of the rewards Saul is offering but because it takes away the reproach from Israel.

Contrast that with what all the others are talking about. We don’t hear directly from Saul, what shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine. Instead we hear the chatter around the camp.

And the reward is the big three for guys—money, women, and a tax cut.

Not surprisingly, David showing up trips his oldest brother’s wire. Eliab is Jesse’s firstborn. Seeing David anointed by Samuel must have been especially tough on him. He’s still the firstborn, but that’s nothing compared to being king. Eliab isn’t top dog anymore, and he’s bound to be a bit testy about it.

So, Eliab snaps at David. “I know your pride and the insolence of your heart.” Pot, meet kettle.

And David’s comeback line, “What have I done now?” hints at long-term friction with Eliab.

But David’s next line is the key—“ Is there not a cause?”

Of course there’s a cause. According to Goliath’s challenge, the freedom of everyone in Israel is at stake.

David’s thinking is, yet again, different. Everyone is sitting around doing nothing. David shows up and acts like he’s going to do something, and Eliab assumes he’s not serious—David’s just “strutting.”

But he is serious. This won’t make sense to anyone else until after Goliath is dead.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Saturday ones are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to the DEEP click here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, can be downloaded here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.