I Samuel 17:26-29 (KJV) Says, "And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him after this manner saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. 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 mightiest see the battle. And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"
In the above passage of scripture David has been sent to the battlefield, by his father Jesse, to bring his brothers food. When he arrived, he began asking the men around him what would be done to the man that kills Goliath, and who Goliath was to defy the armies of God. While he is speaking with these men his eldest brother, Eliab, over hears him, and becomes angry. He begins a verbal attack on David by asking him why he came down to the battlefield. He then moves on to insult David further by asking who he left tending the few sheep he was in charge of. Eliab's insults came in the form of him using the word few when referring to the number of sheep David was shepherd over thereby doing his best to minimize David's job as a shepherd, and of course, in accusing him of being full of pride. He then goes on to judge David's heart, and to assume he knows why he came to the battlefield. It is made evident that this wasn't the first time that Eliab had picked on David by the question that David poses to him after being the target of his insults. David asks Eliab what he has done now to cause him to be angry at him.
Eliab clearly jumped to conclusions and judged David's heart having no idea what David's reason was for coming to the battlefield, or his reason for questioning the men about Goliath. The truth as to why David had come down to the battlefield was that he did so in obedience to his father's request that he bring Eliab, and his other brothers food. Then Eliab goes on to make another major mistake in judgment, when he assumes David is questioning the other men in regards to Goliath out of pride. The truth is David was asking those questions because he was confident in the fact that God would lead his army to defeat the Philistines, and that with God working through him, he could slay Goliath. Pride had absolutely nothing to do with it. David was confident because he had faith, and trust in God not in himself. David knew that God had seen him through trials in the past, and that this Philistine giant was nothing God couldn't handle. Notice that David does not argue back with his brother, but moves forward slaying Goliath with a sling and a stone having faith and trust in God. Judging David's heart without having the first fact to base his assessment on, prompted Eliab to behave in an unkind and harsh manner toward his brother, when he had no valid reason whatsoever to do so.
When we jump to conclusions, and judge another person's heart, it can cause tremendous pain to that individual. There are people who based on assumption, think they know exactly why someone is doing what they are doing, and they also tend to convince themselves that the person's motive is less than upright. These same people are not only quick to make a rash judgment, but they also begin spreading terrible rumors based on what they have concluded as if they're stating facts. This is a horrible way to behave toward another human being. We certainly wouldn't want someone to judge our hearts, and begin spreading vicious rumors about us or begin lashing out at us, when they couldn't be further off course. Eliab is a prime example of how wrong a person can be when they opt to judge one's actions and motives, forming an opinion based on no facts. David was bringing his brothers food, and demonstrating confidence in God, that was David's true heart. By judging David's heart on his own, Eliab had David coming to the battlefield just to watch, and behave in a prideful manner. How far away from the truth we can be, when we jump to our own conclusions.
Friends, I urge you not to be quick to judge another person's heart. It is impossible to know for a fact what a person's motives are at a glance, and without the first fact. I encourage you to make certain you know the truth behind a person's actions and motives before you react as Eliab did, and wind up regretful and feeling guilty because you caused someone great pain only to discover that you were way off on your assessment of them, and their actions.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
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