Just Who Do You Think You Are, Little Brother?

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. —1 Samuel 17:28

The Bible is filled with stories of dysfunctional families.

Cain’s jealousy of Abel ended in murder (Genesis 4:8).

Abraham’s marriage to two wives—Hagar who bore him Ishmael and Sarah who bore him Isaac—tore his family apart. One wife suffered exile (Genesis 21:9–14).

Jacob and Esau nearly came to blows over the paternal blessing (Genesis 27:41). The deviousness of Jacob in robbing his older brother of the birthright resulted in his exile. He was never to see his mother, Rebekah, again. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37:28) but escaped death only because Reuben refused to see him killed (vv. 20–36).

Eli did not control his sons, and they made a mockery of the tabernacle and its services (1 Samuel 2:12). These few examples are representative of many found in Holy Scripture. Relationships within families are hard! David’s older brother slandered and belittled him, and he did so in public. “David’s eldest brother, Eliab, whom God would not choose to be king, was jealous of David, because he was honored before him.

He despised David, and looked upon him as inferior to himself.

He accused him before others of stealing away unknown to his father to see the battle. He taunts him with the small business in which he is engaged, in tending a few sheep in the wilderness.” The brothers’ “jealousy had been aroused as they saw David honored above them, and they did not regard him with the respect and love due to his integrity and brotherly tenderness. They looked upon him as merely a stripling shepherd, and now the question which he [David] asked was regarded by Eliab as a censure upon his own cowardice in making no attempt to silence the giant of the Philistines.” David was not intimidated either by the boastful blasphemy of Goliath or the jealous slander of Eliab. Do you cower when someone calls you out as a Christian?