It's Complicated(S1) : WK 3 - TUE

1 Samuel 17:12-30
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons. Jesse’s three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimeaa—had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines. David was the youngest son. David’s three oldest brothers stayed with Saul’s army, but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.

For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.

One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.” David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.

So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.

As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. “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!”

David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.”

But 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!”

“What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.
Surely, you’ve noticed how often God uses the unpredictable to deliver salvation. It seems He prefers broken things, the insignificant, the “lesser than,” and those who “don’t measure up” for His most pivotal work. Maybe it is because this approach most clearly demonstrates His power.

David arrives on a donkey. He isn’t there to fight; he’s the water boy delivering lunch, glad to take a break from tending sheep. Curious about the adventure, he wants to hear all about the war. He watches the Israelite troops assemble in long rows on the valley floor, facing the enemy. Then it happens. The giant steps out of the shadows to unleash his taunts, and the Hebrew soldiers run for their lives.

At this moment, David does what I believe is inevitable: he starts asking questions. “Who is stepping up to fight the giant? Are there tryouts? Surely, many are willing to fight. Is there a reward? Why isn’t anyone stepping forward?”

Questions arise whenever our communities of faith attract the young, the inexperienced, or the unchurched. Some of their questions are easy; others are difficult or even unanswerable. Some questions are respectful, while others threaten our historical culture. Some questions feel kind. Others sound hostile.

If only we could meet these questions with patience and humility. How refreshing it would be if we joined the newest members of our community in their quest for understanding, occasionally admitting, “I don’t know.” Instead, most of us struggle with the urge to shut down questions with the perfect answer or even with condescension and belittlement.

In most churches, for every David asking questions, at least one Eliab tries to shut them down. Rather than engaging in dialogue, Eliab attempts to humiliate David into silence. He calls him small and insignificant. He belittles his experience in a way only an older brother can. And likely, he thinks that’s the end of it.

Nope. As a perfect example of how to respond to most detractors, David turns away from Eliab to the next person he can find and continues his line of questions. Passionate, persistent, perfect.

Here, courage begins to grow at the intersection of fear and faith, curiosity and confusion. Through the act of questioning, David ends up in the king's tent, offering his services, such as they are. As it turns out, they are precisely what God has been waiting for.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how inquisitive are you? Why do you think that is?
2. What question have you always wished you could ask God and receive His answer?
3. How comfortable are you to say, “I don’t know,” in response to someone else’s question?
4. Have you ever felt shut down by someone in the community of faith? What did you do about that? What would you like to say to Jesus about it?