“SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARR WELL?”

 1 Samuel 17:12-18                                     (ESV)

“12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.

13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,

15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.

18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL”, and BRING SOME TOKEN FROM THEM."”

Most everyone knows the account of David, the shepherd boy, killing Goliath, a mountain of a man.  Goliath was reportedly over nine and one half feet tall, something that struck fear into the Israelites tasked with defending their own territory (1 Samuel 17:1).  In 1 Samuel 17:21 it is written “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were DISMAYED and GREATLY AFRAID.”  Their FAITH wasn’t evident because their FEAR prevented it from being displayed!

Obviously we know how a young lad with NO BATTLE EXPERIENCE went and not only defeated Goliath, but severed his head and carried it to the reigning King Saul, whose EYES should have SEEN that YAHWEH was able to protect like no other.  Whether Goliath, or the Egyptian army, or anything else, when ALMIGHTY GOD is on your side the size and strength of the enemy makes no difference!

David wasn’t sent to the battlefront to confront the enemy.  He was sent by his father to “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL”.  But GOD had other plans for a young shepherd boy with no history of warfare.  While it is true he had slain a lion and a bear, but he had witnessed the protection of ALMIGHTY GOD and he KNEW that he would be delivered from his enemy.  His own brother rebuked him and said WHY (1 Samuel 17:28), but David remembered his deliverance and told him that the same GOD WHO delivered him from the lion and bear was still on the throne, and HE would be with him!  

When we are faced with an enemy in our lives, do we run with fear, or do we REMEMBER that our GOD is fighting our battles for us (Exodus 14:14), we just need to be SILENT?  We mustn’t run around declaring the majestic powers of our enemy, but like David, proclaim that ALMIGHTY GOD is on our side!  There is NO challenge that is TOO BIG for ALMIGHTY GOD!  HE owns the cattle of a thousand hills, and as a dear friend of mine used to say, AND THE HILLS!  “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL” was what David was assigned by his earthly father, but his HEAVENLY FATHER had other plans!  Don’t limit GOD to your understanding.  HE HAS A PLAN!  We just have to BELIEVE!!!