Day 64 – Courage in the face of accusation

Once again, I love our Life of David class taught by Clay Edwards. It blesses me every week! We studied 1 Samuel 17 yesterday and talked about how David responded to accusation. Clay presented three types of accusation that David faced in this situation that can be compared to the accusation that we experience.

1. From within: Eliab, David's brother accused him. "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle." 1 Sam 17:28 Eliab accused David of being just a shepherd with a "few sheep". He accused David of having wrong motives and being proud.
   
2. From without: Goliath accused David. "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
   1 Sam 17:43 Goliath accused David of being inadequate. He also attacked David verbally by cursing him and threatening his life in verse 44.
   
3. With reason: Saul accused David with reason. "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." 1 Sam 17:33 Saul accused David by offering the natural perspective. He tried to explain to David that he didn't have the skill set necessary and that he was just too small and too young to be successful.
   

How did David respond to all this accusation?

1. To Eliab:
   And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" 1 Sam 17:29 (NKJV) I like the NKJV question: Is there not a cause? David did not respond to Eliab's provocation, but focused on the legitimate cause.
   
2. To Goliath: "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands" 1 Sam 17:45b-46a David understood who God is and He had confidence in God's ability to defeat His enemies.
   
3. To Saul:
   "When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." 1 Sam 17:34-36 David understood how God had been training him through his experiences as a shepherd. He explained to Saul that he did have the experience and skills necessary. But more than that, David understood that God was on His side because Goliath had insulted Him. David knew that God would give him the courage and the ability to defeat Goliath.
   

What does this mean for us? Well unfortunately, we have an accuser who accuses us day and night (Rev 12:10). As he did with David, Satan accuses us of having wrong motives and being inadequate because of our past or current struggle with sin. He constantly offers us a natural perspective on our identity and our abilities. He attacks our beliefs about God's provision and tries to make us afraid of failure. Depending on the hopelessness of our situation, we can become extremely fearful and choose to accept this accusation. But, truth flies in the face of these accusations!

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Rom 8:1

The Holy Spirit gives me the courage to face all of my giants. He helps me define reality by the word of God whereas my flesh defines reality according to what is natural, as I experience it through my 5 senses. The flesh tells me, "I feel …, therefore I am …" For example, "I feel ashamed that I gossiped again and even though I repented, I don't really think that God likes me." But, it is written, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)." It is also written, "He delivered me because He delighted in me (Psalm 18:19)." I choose to believe what the Bible says instead of how I feel. If I keep reminding myself of the truth long enough, then my feelings usually change too. I want to agree with God and receive courage instead of agreeing with accusation and cowering in fear. I want to run to defeat my enemies the way that David ran to fight Goliath.