"Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" -- 1 Samuel 17:29
It's tough being the youngest son. David had eight older brothers. David's job was to tend his father's sheep. His brothers had more important jobs. Except David was the one God chose. Samuel, acting on God's orders, anointed David to succeed Saul as king. Of course, that wouldn't happen for many, many years. In the meantime, David had to deal with his brothers.
One day David's father sent him to take food to his three oldest brothers, who were serving Saul in a war. It was natural that Jesse would want to check on his boys. So David headed out. Naturally, David talked with everyone in the camp to find out what was going on. The talk was all about Goliath. I'm sure you've heard of him.
Poor David. His oldest brother criticized him for talking with other fighters. Hence, the quote. David's brother was jealous. He wanted David to just go away and stop pretending to be a warrior. Ever been there? Probably every younger sibling has at some point. As younger siblings, we tend to get in the way and embarrass our siblings just by existing.
Of course, David never was good at following orders unless those orders came from God. David, as you'll recall, killed the Philistine named Goliath that was terrorizing Saul's men. He did it with a stone and a sling. David might not have been a warrior but he had God on his side. Sometimes I think we forget the power behind us when we face challenges that seem overwhelming.
Everytime I read this passage, I empathize with David. Been there, thought that, said that. Why does it sometimes seem that the people closest to you are the ones least able to see what you can do? They're so busy putting you in your place, that they miss out on all you can do. Fortunately, David didn't let his brother's comments deter him. That's good advice for all of us.
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