22 And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by 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?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” 28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he 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 presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. ~ 1 Samuel 17:22-30
Let me give you a little backstory. Goliath had been taunting the army of Israel for the past 40 days. David was at home with his father, tending to the sheep. His father sent him with food for his brothers and the commander. When David arrives, he’s astonished that Israel’s army isn’t fighting against Goliath, who was blaspheming their God. When he brought this to the attention of those around him, only one person was upset and angered by him, his brother Eliab.
Eliab was the eldest son of Jesse. He was the firstborn, and he looked like a king, so much so that Samuel thought it was Eliab that God had chosen to be king when he saw him. But that wasn’t Eliab’s call. Eliab was never meant to be king of Israel; instead, it was his youngest baby brother. And that same youngest baby brother was now pointing out that no one had fought Goliath. Eliab was offended by David’s words. Why? Because Eliab knew deep down, it was his call to defeat Goliath.
Think about it, David wasn’t on the battlefield. He wasn’t even supposed to be there. Goliath had been taunting Israel for 40 days, and no one stepped up. It was then that Jesse sent David with food to check on his brothers. And it was only Eliab who was grieved by David’s questioning. Eliab was meant to be a great warrior, but he missed his call.
Fear could’ve stopped Eliab. The Spirit of Rejection could’ve gripped his heart. Anger could’ve overcame him. Eliab was too busy focusing on the past that he missed his call. He missed his story being told. How many of us miss our call because we’re too busy focusing on the past? We’re too busy desiring someone else’s call that we miss our own call.
God has a plan and call for our lives. We’re all meant to do great things, but if we get caught up in the great things that are for other people, then we’ll miss the great things that are for us. Don’t let the Spirit of Rejection root in you because it will make a way for fear, anger, depression, anxiety, and many other strongholds to come in and overcome you. You have been called. You have a call on your life from the LORD God above.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow Your Call.
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