Eliab was annoyed at David when he show up to the battlefield at first…
1 Samuel 17:1..31 (NLT)
1The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah… 4Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! 5He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. 6He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. 8Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! 9If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!” 11When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 20…As Jesse had directed him, David arrived at the camp… The Israelite army saw Goliath, they began to run away in fright. 25“Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” 26David asked… “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” 28But 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!” 31Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
Dearest Jeruziah,
I write to you in a state of disbelief, humbled by the events that have unfolded on the battlefield. David, our youngest, the shepherd boy, has done what none of us dared to do. He faced Goliath and emerged victorious. I must confess, when I first saw him approaching the front lines, curiosity lighting up his eyes, I was incensed and accused him of neglecting his duties.
To me, Samuel’s anointing stoked the kid’s delusion. When King Saul promised his eldest daughter, Merab, to any man who would defeat Goliath. It was a clever tactic, designed to prevent his own son, Jonathan [1], from risking his life with the giant. Yet, here was David, uninvited, and I feared he would make a mockery of us all.
But then, he took his sling and aimed a single stone at the towering Philistine. The stone flew through the air, guided as if by divine hands, and struck Goliath between the eyes. The giant fell, and the air was filled with the roars of our men and the stunned silence of the Philistines.
In that moment, my anger and envy crumbled, replaced by awe and a newfound respect for David. I was forced to confront my own delusion, my own petty jealousies. I had been so consumed with my own sense of importance, my own expectations of who should be honored and why, that I failed to see the strength and courage in my own brother.
I am humbled, Jeruziah. Humbled and repentant for my earlier resentment towards David. I know you sensed the tension between me and David, and I know you care for the unity of our siblings. So, I want to tell you that I see now that God’s wisdom far surpasses my own understanding. He chooses not by age or stature, but by the heart. And David’s heart, it seems, is a wellspring of faith and courage.
So, I find myself asking, have you ever witnessed a moment that so completely reversed your expectations, that you were left in awe of God?
I am still bewildered, please send my regards to my nephews Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.
Eliab
“Have you witnessed a moment that reversed your thinking and left you in awe of God?” If so, please share.
[1] We know that Jonathan was at the battle scene from 1 Samuel 18:1. We also know that Jonathan and his armor bearer were courageously defeated the Philistines when they were outnumbered between between the two rocky cliffs Bozez and Seneh as recorded in 1 Samuel 14:1-23. Given Jonathan’s track record, we would wonder why he didn’t take on Goliath. The bride prize of Merab might be a reasonable explanation for it.
Yes! My memory recalls a time when I witnessed two occasions of being in awe of God. There are more but this came to mind first. It was when my childhood homes were burglarized twice at different times and different locations. To make things more dramatic my little brother was home alone during one of the events. I was walking into my house from school when one guy(the lookout) was standing in front of my house. He must have signaled a “get out” sign or made a noise when he saw me enter the home to his partner. My parents were saving up for something so they had some cash at home. (I don’t remember for what) But they were gone. They didn’t have much. Living off of a young pastor’s salary. But within a short period of time two gracious individuals gifted my parents with almost the exact amount they have lost from the burglary! When I heard this I said, “Wow! This is God! Only God can do such a thing!” God really watched over and protected my brother and I from any hard. Thank The Lord!
As one who has the Holy Spirit living in me I pray that the Holy Spirit would lead me to standup for God as the Holy Spirit lead David to stand up for Him when Goliath, “defy the armies of the living God.”.
(from Charles)
I do not recall ever experiencing a single moment that reversed my thinking or ever left me in awe of God but if anything it was a series of events that reversed my thinking. When I was in college, whenever I talked to people and they asked me my major, they would always comment how it was such a great major and that I would have no problems finding a job out of college. My college years were spent in pursuit of the “American dream” and everything I did was towards this goal. As I graduated, things didn’t necessarily go as people had said nor what I thought. It was in the midst of this and other events that God showed me the foolishness of following the world and that the pursuit of any worldly endeavor would never fulfill what only God could fill. I am thankful everyday that God rescued me from that dead end cycle and showed me the only way to live is by His Word.
For me the thing that comes to mind was my first year in college. It was the second night at Fullerton and the fire alarm went off. Someone hit a sprinkler and it flooded the entire second floor. My room was on the first floor and it leaked so bad that it went down to the first. I remember praying to God to let my room be dry and safe because I remember leaving my MacBook out and other valuables. But at 4 am when everything was all set and good God provided and it a miracle because the water did leak and get the first floor but it got every dorm besides my dorm.
From sister Rose
I think my own story is with a friend I met a few years back. I met this person who was an extreme alcoholic where without alcohol would make them have a seizure and so they had to drink around the clock. I found them passed out one day and had to admit them into the hospital. This person and I became friends and during that time I didn’t think they would ever get out of alcoholism, because after the first time they relapsed. The second time they were working at the Olympics in Japan, I received a call from the Olympics people telling me they admitted my friend to the hospital from there they were sent home. When back that person was near death and again I admitted them to the hospital for detox then into rehab. It was during that time that I learned about alcoholism and everything in between. I didn’t think my friend would get out of it but we found a Christian center. Here we are 2 years later and my friend is sober and living life although one day at a time.
How I was in awe of God is that my thinking of alcoholism was changed through this friend and I have a better understanding without judging those who have any kind of addiction problem. I am in awe of Gods grace and love for my friend who I thought for sure would not make it past a year. God allowed for us to meet at the right time and in that time he taught me so much about addiction and how big of a monster it is to battle. I went through group counseling (via zoom) for friends and family of the addict too. It was a dark time yet a good time because as Christians we don’t often understand this particular sin and think that people should just stop, but we don’t understand that addicts can’t because they could die from stopping cold Turkey and they actually don’t want to be an addict but they don’t know how to get out of it. I also learned that AA was designed with a Christian concept.
So yes, this would be one of the moments in my life that reversed my thinking and I stand in awe of Gods grace and love for the broken and hurting and for my friend who still battles this addiction problem everyday.
What I was and have been in awe of God is how much strength and work he was able to do through my grandma to use her to care for my sister, her autistic son(my uncle), and myself. Including everything else she faced in life. Battles she lived through, yeah she got slowly sick, but even through all that she was still a stronghold of our family. The will that she had because she served God was something else. She lived a very long and strong journey on this earth. She answered the Lord’s call and how he was able to guide her through it all because she literally cared and looked after us till her very last breathe. His plans for her life on earth puts me at awe, I am thankful for both the Lord for setting that up and for her her faithfulness to him through it. That is why I am here and that is why I am who I am today. Thank you father for your sovereignty, thank you for using our weaknesses in the world for good. Allowing your grace and mercy to shine through those and to shed a light on your truth and love.
The moment I was in awe of God was when I lost my passport and international driver’s license at school. When I realized I had lost them, I immediately looked for all over the school. In Japan, most of the things you lose come back, but in the U.S. I was really depressed that I might not be able to find it again. But the staff at the dorm office had found it for me. Awe strikes at the core of my being and is mixed with breathtaking surprise and fear. Awe may begin with fear, but it generates deep joy and gratitude, reminding me of God’s holiness and my own worthlessness. Then i think it leads me to deep repentance and renewed faith.
One moment that left me in awe of God was when my dad, who was sick with cancer agreed to allow us to pray for him. Growing up, he was the biggest atheist I knew. Not only did he refuse to believe in God, he didn’t like that we went to church, and even tried to stop us from going. I prayed for more than 10 years for God to open up my dad’s harden heart. There were many moments that I wasn’t sure God heard me. When we got the news that he only had a few months to live we were praying extra hard for God to save his soul. My sisters and I came up with a plan to share Jesus with Him. When my dad finally agreed to accept our prayers it was a miracle! His resisting heart was finally beginning to soften.
Before I came to US, I was worried that how can I make friends there. When I went to church for the first time, I had no idea what they said. It’s hard for me to understand English but rp people are so nice to me and they were trying to understand what I was saying even though I spoke terrible English. I think that it’s when I started thinking that God guide me to meet such great people.