1 Samuel 17:12 Commentary and Bible Study

A comment is then inserted to set the scene for what follows. David and his father and brothers are introduced again, and it is explained that the eldest three of the eight brothers have joined the army and are with Saul. They are named as Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, and Shammah. But David, being the youngest, wasn't sent to fight by their father. David is still at home with his father at this stage, but we are learning how it was that he came to be at the battlefield. This is all part of the sovereign providence of God that will lead eventually to David becoming king. David treasures all these events as he watches to see how God fulfils the prophecy, and brings him to be crowned as king. Jesse was considered an old man by this time, and so does not go himself to visit his three sons, but sends David. Jesse is fondly under the impression that all his brethren, and his three sons are at war. He doesn't know that the whole army is shivering on the hillsides, unable to find a champion to put up against the taunting Goliath.Now this is interesting, because David had been anointed to be king, and his father knew that, and David knew that. David must have wondered, ‘Well, Israel is under threat. I am anointed to be king. Saul has been rejected by God. Should not I be there?’ We are not told the details of his thinking at this stage, but as a very faithful young man he obviously waited some definite word, some signal from the Lord. He waited in faith. He was being disparaged by people. Even his father who knew he was anointed, set him to take care of the sheep, and kept him from the great matters of state. So he must have wondered about that.It turns out that those three eldest sons had no notion of the spiritual significance of this battle. Israel was the nation through whom the Messiah would come. Israel bore the Seed Royal, the great descendant who would come. So they would be, under the promises of God, maintained as a distinct nation and people, so that the Saviour could be born. But much of the time, with the exception of a few faithful prophets and people, they lost sight of that privilege, or didn't believe in it even, or thought it incredible. Here you see a picture of this. Jesse – presumably he was of the same mind – and his eldest sons: they didn't see this as Israel, God’s chosen people for the bringing forth of the Messiah under his protection. They didn't remember the promises from the time of Abraham through the patriarchs and on right down to this present time: that they would always be protected in battle, and if they were attacked, in danger of being exterminated or subjugated, then, if they believed and prayed, God would give them victory. These three eldest sons didn't think of it as a spiritual battle. They were going to the war to help King Saul just for glory and honour, the protection of their lands and estates, and for liberty and freedom for the country. They were not thinking in terms of the spiritual significance of all this. The Philistines have gained all this power, and are putting forward this champion, to destroy us as a nation and our Seed Royal, and to negate the promises of God, if they can; of course the Philistines despise the promises. If we stand then God will defend us and deliver us. But they didn't believe those things; they just went to battle as any secular nation may do. That is evident as the passage goes on.