Text: 1 Samuel 17:16-32
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” —1 Corinthians 4:5
It hurts when people presume things about us and totally miss it, doesn’t it? Sometime ago, a person assumed something about me and proceeded to tell me what my motive was instead of asking me. Though he didn’t know me very well, he still made strayed assumptions about me. This man’s presumption about my perceived presumption was so far off… I presume.
It stung a little bit, but I haven’t held that person hostage in my headspace over his wrongful assumptions about me. Because, just like him, I too have made far too many erroneous assumptions about others. I’ve done it countless times with my wife. I’ve done it with my kids. I’ve done it with my colleagues. I’ve made wrongful assumptions about God. We all have.
One of the unfortunate things about presumption is that it expects people to act a certain way based on our own reality, rather than learning more about their reality. In other words, assumptions restrain us from getting to know people more intimately.
1 Samuel 17 is one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, notably as the ancient arena where David brought down the Philistine champion, Goliath. But before David could rise to his potential and fulfill his God-calling, he was judged by someone very close to him—his brother, Eliab.
David, still a youth at the time, had come to the battlefield to bring food to his brothers and check on them, as instructed by their father Jesse. When David heard Goliath’s taunts and saw the fear of the Israelite army, he began asking questions about what would be done for the man who defeated Goliath. I can hear him now, in his best Val Kilmerimpersonation: I’m your Huckleberry!
All of David’s life to this point had been preparing him for this moment, and yet Eliab misread David. Look at his reaction to David showing up for this divine moment:
“Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, ‘Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.’” 1 Samuel 17:28
Eliab judged David’s motives unfairly. He accused David of being arrogant and having evil intentions, even though David was acting out of faith and concern for God’s honor. He belittled his younger brother’s prior path to purpose. He mocked David’s shepherding responsibilities by referring dismissively to “those few sheep,” implying David was insignificant and out of place. He wrongly assumed David was out for vanity, not understanding that David was being moved by a righteous desire to confront Goliath, help God’s people win the battle, and defend the Lord’s name.
Eliab’s presumptuous judgment reflects a common human error—misjudging others’ hearts. Ironically, God had already rejected Eliab as king in 1 Samuel 16, despite his impressive outward appearance, because “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” David, the one Eliab judged harshly, had the heart God desired.
We make assumptions about people all the time, whether conscious of it or not. We make judgments based on many things—age, race, where people live, their political views, or simply how they dress. We even assume to know whose hearts are truly right with God based on their denominational affiliation, or the name of the church where they worship. We assume to have them labeled and figured out.
The problem with assumptions is that we are not going deeper with people, or God—whether it’s in our marriages, relating to our children, getting to know our neighbors, or fleshing out God’s mission in our workplaces, schools, and communities. We can do so much better by getting to know people, discovering what is in their hearts, and learning how God has uniquely wired them. They are not you for a reason! Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
God, forgive me for making so many assumptions about others. Forgive me for passing judgment on people while failing to learn more about them. Forgive me for telling them what they think, who they are, or why they do what they do, instead of simply asking them and taking the time to listen to their hearts. Holy Spirit, teach me how to grow in grace in this area. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- When have you been misread or misjudged about something?
- When we read 1 Samuel 17, we default to wanting to see ourselves as David in this story. What if we examine ourselves as Eliab in this story?
- Take some time to think about people you may have hurt with your assumptions. Do you need to ask them for forgiveness?
- Do you need to repent of judging other Christians based on their denominational labels instead of getting to know them?
- How can you become a better listener to people’s heart rather than assuming to know their heart?
Text: 1 Samuel 17:16-32
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” —1 Corinthians 4:5
It hurts when people presume things about us and totally miss it, doesn’t it? Sometime ago, a person assumed something about me and proceeded to tell me what my motive was instead of asking me. Though he didn’t know me very well, he still made strayed assumptions about me. This man’s presumption about my perceived presumption was so far off… I presume.
It stung a little bit, but I haven’t held that person hostage in my headspace over his wrongful assumptions about me. Because, just like him, I too have made far too many erroneous assumptions about others. I’ve done it countless times with my wife. I’ve done it with my kids. I’ve done it with my colleagues. I’ve made wrongful assumptions about God. We all have.
One of the unfortunate things about presumption is that it expects people to act a certain way based on our own reality, rather than learning more about their reality. In other words, assumptions restrain us from getting to know people more intimately.
1 Samuel 17 is one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, notably as the ancient arena where David brought down the Philistine champion, Goliath. But before David could rise to his potential and fulfill his God-calling, he was judged by someone very close to him—his brother, Eliab.
David, still a youth at the time, had come to the battlefield to bring food to his brothers and check on them, as instructed by their father Jesse. When David heard Goliath’s taunts and saw the fear of the Israelite army, he began asking questions about what would be done for the man who defeated Goliath. I can hear him now, in his best Val Kilmerimpersonation: I’m your Huckleberry!
All of David’s life to this point had been preparing him for this moment, and yet Eliab misread David. Look at his reaction to David showing up for this divine moment:
“Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, ‘Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.’” 1 Samuel 17:28
Eliab judged David’s motives unfairly. He accused David of being arrogant and having evil intentions, even though David was acting out of faith and concern for God’s honor. He belittled his younger brother’s prior path to purpose. He mocked David’s shepherding responsibilities by referring dismissively to “those few sheep,” implying David was insignificant and out of place. He wrongly assumed David was out for vanity, not understanding that David was being moved by a righteous desire to confront Goliath, help God’s people win the battle, and defend the Lord’s name.
Eliab’s presumptuous judgment reflects a common human error—misjudging others’ hearts. Ironically, God had already rejected Eliab as king in 1 Samuel 16, despite his impressive outward appearance, because “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” David, the one Eliab judged harshly, had the heart God desired.
We make assumptions about people all the time, whether conscious of it or not. We make judgments based on many things—age, race, where people live, their political views, or simply how they dress. We even assume to know whose hearts are truly right with God based on their denominational affiliation, or the name of the church where they worship. We assume to have them labeled and figured out.
The problem with assumptions is that we are not going deeper with people, or God—whether it’s in our marriages, relating to our children, getting to know our neighbors, or fleshing out God’s mission in our workplaces, schools, and communities. We can do so much better by getting to know people, discovering what is in their hearts, and learning how God has uniquely wired them. They are not you for a reason! Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
God, forgive me for making so many assumptions about others. Forgive me for passing judgment on people while failing to learn more about them. Forgive me for telling them what they think, who they are, or why they do what they do, instead of simply asking them and taking the time to listen to their hearts. Holy Spirit, teach me how to grow in grace in this area. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion: