Post 7 in Lifting up the Soul
“Let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies triumph over me.”
Psalm 25:2(ASV)
David was a valiant man who fought in many battles. One of his greatest battles is found in 1 Samuel 17, with Goliath. But this battle didn’t begin when he stood before Goliath; it started when David arrived at the battle site. His brother, Eliab, used some fiery darts of the Devil. Eliab wasn’t David’s enemy, but Satan used his brother to shame him. First, Eliab asked him, “Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?” Then, Eliab told him, “I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.” Here are three fiery darts of the Devil that are found in Eliab’s words:
1. Why are you here? – Attacking Your Purpose or Value
Eliab asked David what his purpose was for being there. He was implying that David was not supposed to be there. This was meant to cause David to doubt his place. We know that David was supposed to be there because his father told him to go (1 Samuel 17:17-18). The bigger picture is that God wanted David to be there.
Satan often tries to make us believe we aren’t supposed to be where God has put us. We are supposed to be in God’s presence as His saints, yet we allow Satan to make us doubt the place Jesus has prepared for us. God has made us welcome, and He invites us to come to Him. Our place or setting with Him in this life isn’t always clear. Bible accounts show us repeatedly that He will put His people in some unique situations. While they didn’t understand why they were where they were in the moment, or what they were meant to do, God knew their personalities and saw their futures. We prayerfully ask Him to direct us. He knows our way, so we can be confident without doubting our place.
2. Who’s doing your work? – Attacking Your Role
Eliab asked David why he wasn’t doing his job. He implied that David was shirking his duties. This was meant to cause David to feel guilty for abandoning his position. David shepherded his father’s sheep, and later, he went back to his father’s sheep; but God needed him in a certain place at a certain time. While David didn’t know God’s purpose for him, we are shown why God chose David. His job becomes clear when the young shepherd says, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). David understood that His enemies were presuming to triumph over God. That was outrageous! No one can defeat God or God’s army! Taking care of Jesse’s sheep wouldn’t mean much if the Philistines wiped out Israel and took over.
The glory of our God is always the priority. Satan wants to keep us from seeing God as Most High and all-powerful. When Satan implies that we are being negligent and lazy if we step out of one task to take care of another, he’s distracting us. He’s trying to put the power into our human hands and convince us we are self-sufficient. “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done,” is a statement many women make. We are especially prone to getting caught up in projects, even in the church, that put us into “savior in a crisis” mode. Coming to the rescue is God’s job. He will supply for the need, and we don’t have to beat our consciences to a pulp by being superwomen Christians. If God wants it done, then he’ll make sure it gets done with or without you.* Let God be the focus, and He will direct His child’s steps (Proverbs 3:5-6).
3. I know you, that you’re really doing this for selfish reasons. – Attacking Your Relationship with God
Eliab’s last statement was very telling. Why would David’s brother say he was proud? Why would he accuse David of having a wrong heart and wrong motives about being there? Had David had a problem with this in the past? Regardless, David never said or did anything to deserve this kind of rebuke. (David responded, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?”) Eliab accused David falsely, whether David had done things for selfish reasons in the past or not. David was rightly defending His God.
It is never selfish or self-serving to call on God when the enemy tries to triumph. Satan will use a person or organization to accuse Christians falsely. This can be seen in different scenarios. It can be seen in society when people call a Christian out for not accepting false gender ideology. It can happen among members of the church when a sister congregation errs by deciding to worship in a way that is not authorized by God, then calls another church unloving for not accepting that change. A Christian can call out another Christian, accusing them them of being prideful or self-serving without knowing the truth of the situation. Satan wants to put the servant of God on the defensive and make them question their motives, thereby causing them to falter in a godly resolve. This accusation may have cut David to the heart, but he continued to serve God. David’s story shows us that the Enemy can attack from all sides, but we stick to God and follow His lead.
An enemy is someone against you. They are against your development and against good things happening for you. The Hebrew word for enemy is also translated “adversary.” When Satan comes among the sons of God in the book of Job, his name is given to mean, “adversary.” Satan is against God directly, and he is against all the good creation of God. As the enemy of God, Satan is the tempter of humans. He has had years of experience in tempting us and training us to be ashamed. He has set up systems that force good people to endure horrible shame for doing what is right. As Christian women living in a free country, we often look at our situation and wonder why we have so much trouble following Jesus when we are not having to undergo the persecutions Christians endure in other countries and at other times. We are not locked in buildings that are bombed and set aflame. We are not told to renounce our faith or die. Yet, Satan knows what he’s doing. The slow, gnawing sense of disapproval eats away just as harmfully, causing us to falter.
What you can know is: Satan is after you. He will use the people you trust to betray you if he can. He will use their mouths, and their social media statuses, to whisper doubt into your ear. He will create situations that make you feel isolated. It’s his plan to cause you that shame and fear you feel when you are doing what is right. The thought of your enemies triumphing will stir up feelings of injustice because God’s truth is being suppressed or hidden, and that is so painful that, like David, you look to God and say, “Don’t let the enemy win. Please don’t let this wrong conquer me!”
Beautiful sister, you should never be ashamed of who you are and where God has placed you in life. You may have done things in the past that you are ashamed of, but God doesn’t hold those things against you. He has freed you from the shame. Your Heavenly Father loves you more than anyone on earth can, and He will guide you. Do not be afraid. You have made Christ your Lord and Master, and you can trust that He knows where you need to be and what you are meant to do. When you are being shamed by Satan, recognize who is shaming you. It may come from an enemy or the mouth of a loved one, but it is the enemy of God who is talking. Let God remove the shame and let Him bring triumph over your enemies.
God sees when Satan is using people against Him.
But he turning about, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. Mark 8:33
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. John 8:44ASV
But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? Acts 13:9-10ASV
This is the seventh post in the Lifting Up the Soul study from Psalm 25. Subscribe to WomEnCourage to be notified as this study continues.
*Feeling guilty that you can’t do it all? Consider Jesus’ answer to his disciples when they informed Him, “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee” in Matthew 12, verses 46 and following. In the Jewish system, the eldest son was responsible for his mother and younger siblings. While Jesus’ role was to preach about the Father and His coming kingdom, He remembered his mother (John 19:26-27).