1 Samuel 17:26-30

David’s interest in God’s reputation 17:26-30

David seems to have considered himself capable of defeating Goliath from the first time he heard of Goliath’s insults to Yahweh. The fact that he referred to Yahweh as the "living God" (1 Samuel 17:26) shows David’s belief that Yahweh was still the same Person who could defeat present enemies as He had done in the past. His was the simple faith of a child. He had apparently heard about God’s promises to Moses and Joshua, that if the Israelites would attack their enemies, God would defeat them (Deuteronomy 31:1-8; Joshua 1:1-9). Faith in God always rests on a word from God in Scripture. Most of the Israelites took Goliath’s challenge as defying Israel (1 Samuel 17:25), but David interpreted it as defying the living God, the only true God (1 Samuel 17:26). Here David’s heart for God begins to manifest itself (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7).

"Eliab sought for the splinter in his brother’s eye, and was not aware of the beam in his own. The very things with which he charged his brother-presumption and wickedness of heart-were most apparent in his scornful reproof." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, p. 181.]

"Eliab’s anger is the anger of a man who feels small because of the Israelite army’s inability to deal with Goliath, and he particularly resents looking small in the eyes of his young brother [whom Samuel had anointed king-elect instead of himself]." [Note: Gordon, p. 156.]

David continued to inquire about the prize for slaying Goliath, probably to make sure he understood what he would risk his life to obtain.