Faith is Oft Misunderstood

“And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.” (1Sa 17:28 AV)

Courage and faith are often misinterpreted by those who have none.  As a Shepard boy, David defended his flock.  In supporting his offer to confront Goliath, David relays an experience wherein he kills a lion and bear who attempted to make off with a lamb.  This event had to be known by his brothers.  That is not something that one keeps quiet.  David’s courage and faith were a matter of record.  So, when David arrives to bestow gifts and food to his brothers, he naturally sees Goliath as a threat to be dealt with.  His brothers react by charging David with arrogance and lack of forethought.  They see the courage and faith of David and misinterpret that courage and faith as baser human instincts.  The thing is, if his brothers do not possess faith, it would be hard to define it as such.  Those with little to no faith will often misunderstand the faith that others possess.

The important thing to remember is that others need not understand.  David approached Goliath with zeal and faith.  He didn’t walk to him with fear and trepidation.  The Bible says that he ran to meet him.  David didn’t offer up a silent prayer and fling the stone.  He verbally insulted his enemy as one who knew the victory was his.  David did not slither up to the fallen body of Goliath as though he might still be alive.  He ran to him, jumped on top of him, drew the enemy's sword, and cut off his head.  The courage and faith of David were infectious.  Those who at first saw him as arrogance the impulsive followed him into battle.  Once the enemy fell and David pursued the enemy, the people followed.  This would include his brothers who charged him with pride and immaturity.  David did not wait around until he could convince enough people to believe in the LORD as he did.  He knew what God called him to do and did it.  Their misinterpretation of his faith did not stop him.

We need more Davids.  David did not apologize for his faith.  But neither did he flaunt it.  In fact, when his father-in-law intended to do away with David by throwing him to battles, David humbly served his God and his king by defeating the enemies of Israel.  He did not usurp the throne.  He did not criticize his crazy father-in-law.  He relied upon his faith, courage, and humility to affect a nation.  And the Bible tells us that many loved David because of it.  Many followed David because of it.  His courage and faith were not easily understood by those who had none.  But his faith and courage ministered to them so that they, too, could grow in faith.