Whenever God causes a single passage or multiple passages of the Bible to pass under my eyes more than once, I pay attention. It's just something I've learned. When God re-iterates, He means something by it.

1 Samuel 17
17 Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines."

20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.

25 Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."

26 David asked the men standing near him, "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?"

27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

28 When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

29 "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.

Ever notice that the ones closest to you seem to diagnose your heart? Usually it's your family and if you're in a good family, they tend to help you know yourself, and that's good in certain situations. But David didn't come from one of those families.

Eliab takes what he knows about his little brother, that he's arrogant, conceited, strong and anxious for conflict. He had probably heard David's story about the lion and the bear and concluded that it was an idle shepherd's fantasy. David was young, ignorant and irresponsible in his eyes. He thought that David was bored and wanted to see the battle. He saw David and his situation, and his knowledge of him made him think he could judge David's heart. Ironically, Eliab was present when Samuel had anointed David as king.

16:6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Eliab looked like a king. Eliab convinced Samuel with one look that he was worthy of being a king. Eliab's heart, however, knew nothing of God's heart, and God rejected him for the kingdom of Israel. Now Eliab was sitting in judgment over David's heart. God knew that crow was going to be served in due time.

"Now what?" David answers. It's not the first time he's argued with Eliab and it's likely that Eliab had accused him more than once of failing the family. David can't believe someone hasn't stepped forward to fight Goliath, while Eliab--he can't believe David's audaciousness and naivety. He uses accusation to push David off and keep him from exposing the collective cowardice of the army in what seems like a hopeless situation.

Seems hopeless...seems... Judging on appearances is something Eliab is good at. It something a lot of people are good at, but it's not what God uses to judge the heart of a person. David would be honored because his heart was right.

My situation looks hopeless. I am disabled and unable to work. My family and I have a Goliath and he looks pretty mean. I know my heart is right with God. I have no other way than through this Goliath, and God alone will get the glory. Others may have judged me by what they know of me, but that's not what matters. All that really matters is that my God sees me and knows where I am and what I face. He will not leave me, and all I have to do is what He's taught me to do. I am with Him, and He knows my name.

And the rest shall be history.

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