Stand Your Ground

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:28-29, 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.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” 

Here is a situation that we can relate to from both sides of the fence. David, who was faithfully serving his family and being obedient to his father’s orders to bring food to his brothers, is being rebuked by his oldest brother. What was the root cause of this rebuke? The root cause was fear and judgment. This is where we must use extreme caution when dealing with others. Yesterday we said that we can get a glimpse of what is in a person’s heart by the words they speak, as what is in the heart comes out in what they say (Luke 6:45). However, this is where the danger exists for us to overstep our position and find ourselves in a place that belongs only to God. Jeremiah 17:10 clearly says, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Eliab falsely accused David of what his motives and intentions were, based on making a judgment about what was in David’s heart. In making the accusation, he showed his own insecurity about himself and his ability to fight against Goliath, as he too was possibly a good choice among the men to face the enemy, based on the description given of him in 1 Samuel 16:7. There is an anger that comes through when we are put in a position to face the fear that we are trying to mask. When someone stands up and speaks truth, or calls us out to be courageous, and we know in our hearts that they are right, we generally lash out at the person and try to mask it with angry false accusations against them. Many of us have probably experienced this as both the receiver and giver of such false assumptions and accusations. However, no matter how much we try to hide what is in us, God knows the truth, and no matter what we think we know about the other person’s intentions, some day we will give an account for our words spoken against them. The real test for David came long before he faced Goliath. Think about this for a moment. Goliath’s strategy in facing Israel was to discourage them and cause fear with his words, a strategy that worked well for him because of his stature and appearance. David was facing this same challenge as his own family used the same approach against him in this very instance. How discouraging is it when we, with the best of intentions, and in following God’s will and plan, have been discouraged by the words of our closest family members, friends, and even other “so-called” godly Christians? How often have we been shot down by those who are supposed to come up beside us and serve side by side with us? Before we begin to take on the role of the victim here, let me ask this, “How often have we been the ones to shoot down someone else, simply because we did not have the courage ourselves to step out in faith to do something?” If David was going to have victory in his battle against Goliath, he would first have to have victory in this battle of words with his own brothers. Eliab’s words may have even caused those who were standing around to laugh at this young man, who for all intents and purposes, did not look like much of a warrior, never mind look like someone who could take on this seasoned giant warrior who was threatening them. How many of us would have been discouraged and simply walked away sulking because others laughed at us when we chose to take a stand for God? How often have we discouraged and embarrassed others who were trying to stand up for the LORD? Nonetheless, David had a victory before a victory because he chose to stand his ground, knowing that his intentions were pure, and that it was better to deal with this persecution than to back down from doing what he knew was right to do before God. The fact of the matter is that there will be times when the devils will try to use those closest to us, and those who are suppose to go into battle with us (other Christians) to discourage us and disappoint us. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, and move forward in accordance to what His will and plan is, it does not matter what man thinks. Remember what we are told in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).