David continued, “The Lord who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me out of the hands of this Philistine.” Saul then said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” ––1 Samuel 17:37, NCB
God starts us out in anonymity (typically), where He hones us, sharpens us, and uses our pain—if we let Him—to temper the steel in our hearts and minds. In this place of nobody-ness we see that the Lord can be trusted; we learn to use the gifts and talents He’s given to us. More importantly, we learn to surrender those same gifts to Him. This is literal subversive action—subverting ourselves so He might be elevated. It’s the posture of John the Baptist when He says that he might decrease so Christ might increase.
David did this. By the time he had his moment with Goliath, he was already prepared. He had the fear of the Lord in Him, which meant He had very little fear of the world. There was preparation in anonymity. It started on the lone night watches when the wild animals came to prey on his sheep flock, and he killed both bear and lion.
When his father sends him to deliver food to his three oldest brothers, who are fighting with the Israelite army, he starts asking questions. He speaks with authority because God’s authority was already in him:
David spoke to the men who were standing by him saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” ––1 Samuel 17:26
His oldest brother, Eliab, completely misses what God is up to and says, “When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking to the men, Eliab became very angry at David. He said, “Why have you come down here? With whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know about your pride and the wickedness of your heart, for you only came down here to see the battle.” (1 Samuel 17:28). Wrong and wrong. Man of God, the world often can’t comprehend God’s authority when they see it, and will ridicule you for it. But stay the course, just as David did.
Rather than melting away in shame, David is unphased. In fact, he turns away from his brother and asks someone else for more details. Catch that: The youngest of seven brothers turns his back on the eldest son—that’s something you just did not do at that time, when birth order meant everything. David’s priorities, however, went way beyond family—and it was God’s Spirit upon him that prepared him for the moment.
When God’s men submit to His preparation process, exponential, not-of-this-world power is the result. Don’t let the paw of the lion or the ridicule of the Eliabs throw you off—God has amazing plans for you.
