You Can Overcome Despite Being Overlooked
A Biblical Look At The Relationship Between Self-Confidences And Faith
So often, we are counted out or overlooked because of what others consider limitations. Age, gender, economic status, and so many unrelated variables took center stage when we decided to complete our God-given assignment. When these limitations are presented, we can take it as truth or be relentless, anchor our hope onto the one who called us, and believe His calling.
In 1 Samuel 17, Israel and the Philistines found themselves at war yet again, but this time, the Philistines had a giant, and Israel was trembling with fear; their hope was in question, and so was the foundation of their hope.
1 Samuel 17:33 (Christian Standard Bible) But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”
1 Samuel 17:33 (Amplified Bible) Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight him. For you are [only] a young man and he has been a warrior since his youth.”
1 Samuel 17:33 (The Message) Saul answered David, “You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced—and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.”
1 Samuel 17:33 (New Living Translation) “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
Saul was king of Israel then, their first king, a king they asked for. Before having Saul as king, the Israelites lived under a theocracy. A theocracy is when God gives the people the law, order, and judgment. Unfortunately, the more powerful Saul became, the more he forgot that God “removes kings and establishes kings,” instead of obeying God, he strayed away from his path; his rebellion resulted in his removal. (1 Samuel 8:6,1 Samuel 15:10-11, 1 Samuel 15:26, 1 Samuel 13:13-14,Daniel 2:21).
1 Samuel 16:1 (Christian Standard Bible) The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.”
Samuel was the spiritual leader at this time, and he had established a relationship with Saul as he was the one God used to anoint Saul and identify him as the king the people were asking for. So when Saul disobeyed God, it hurt Samuel, and when God showed Samuel that He was removing Saul as king, Samuel cried. While we don't know how long Samuel was mourning the decisions Saul made, we can only assume enough time went by when it was time for Samuel to move on. (1 Samuel 10:1)
When God decided that Saul’s reign as king would not be extended, Samuel was the one who broke the news to him, but for Saul, his public appearance was important. So, because no new candidates stood up to take the throne, he kept operating as king over Israel; he held on to power for years and didn't relinquish power until his last breath.
When God speaks to Samuel and says, “Fill your horn with oil and go,” it indicates that someone will be anointed to be king. The anointing with oil indicated that the LORD had covered the individual with His Spirit to complete the task before them. Although Samuel knew where he was to go and what he would do when he got there, he had no idea who God would anoint as the next king. Samuel, at the house of Jesse, waits for the arrival of Jesses’s kids, and now he’s going to see who God has selected.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 (Christian Standard Bible) [6] When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before him.” [7] But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
Samuel had fallen victim to our same difficulties; he judged based on his standards, not God’s. When seeing the one who would be the next king, Samuel had painted a mental image of the individual, but his mental image did not align with what God was looking for. The issue here was not Eliab as a person, but this assignment was not for him; thus, for this assignment, he had not been accepted by God; now Samuel had to submit his perception and assumption to the vision and will of God. Consider that Jesse had eight kids, so from this moment forward, Samuel had to challenge himself to show no biases towards one individual but to be aligned with what God was instructing him to do.
1 Samuel 16:11 (Christian Standard Bible) Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.”
Samuel asked Jesse if all of his sons had been presented, but there was still one, the youngest. David was only a boy. He was believed to be between ten and sixteen years old. Jesse had not presented his youngest son to be anointed by Samuel because being anointed with oil symbolizes a spiritual responsibility. Jesse had overlooked David entirely; it was not that Jesse forgot his son, but in his mind, his son was too young to be anointed by Samuel.
Fast forward several years later. David is believed to be about 17 years old at this time, and now Israel is in a battle with the Philistines. Even though he was anointed, he still wasn't the king. King Saul and his army are at the battle camp, and the Philistines have a secret weapon for this battle.
1 Samuel 17:4 (Christian Standard Bible) Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall.
Sending out Goliath was a brilliant tactic by the Philistines because not only could he intimidate Saul and his army, but if they did engage in battle, it would be the Philistine's champion versus Israel’s champion. “champion” means “a man between two,” between two armies. Sometimes, a champion from each army would fight, and the war’s outcome was decided by which champion won the battle; this approach minimized bloodshed.
Goliath was six cubits and a span in height. A cubit was approximately 18 inches, and a span was half a cubit. So Goliath was nine feet, nine inches in height. A cubit is the distance between a man's elbow and middle finger. A span is the distance of a man’s hand, roughly from his pinky to his thumb. The Philistines had their champion, but Saul and his army were trembling, and no one wanted to fight -except an inexperienced, unqualified, underage kid.
1 Samuel 17:33-36 (Christian Standard Bible) [33] But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.” [34] David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, [35] I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. [36] Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
First, Jesse overlooked David when Samuel went to their house to anoint someone from God. And now it was Saul who overlooked David, but David was relentless, and he anchored his hope onto the one who called him and believed His calling. David could have said you are right; I am too young, unqualified, inexperienced but instead, he stood unashamed of the power of God! For David, the Philistines posed a similar threat as the lions and bears he encountered. David used his faith to inform his hope and believed that the Lord had delivered him from the lion and the bear, and He would deliver him from Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:37 (Christian Standard Bible) [37] Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
If there’s anything I have learned, it is that self-confidence and determination are tied to doing challenging things. David is confident in his ability to do the challenging things. Most people would take a loss instead of going after a lion or a bear, animals that roamed the countryside in David’s time, but not David. Instead, he stood up to the fierce challengers and defended that which he was entrusted with. Therefore, not only was David confident in his ability to stand in the face of challenges, but he was doubly confident in God’s ability to guide him through those challenges.
Self-confidence and our reliance on God don't have to be at war. David is an excellent example of that here. While he had been overlooked multiple times, he was still trusting in God - that God was directing his steps. And, it seems to me that he had a level of confidence that if God opened the door and created the opportunity, then I must trust in the abilities He’s given me, in the promises He’s given me, and in the experiences He’s allowed me to learn from.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome and says:
Romans 12:3 (Christian Standard Bible) For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
While others may count you out, God has created, called, equipped, and prepared you for the challenges you may face. Thus, we are called to think sensibly; the Amplified Bible says, “to think so as to have sound judgment,” and the New Living Translation reads, “Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves.” Therefore, while to others, David was too young and not qualified, David was well aware of his abilities, gifts, talents, the God he served, and the moment of anointing he had experienced. (1 Samuel 16:13, 1 Samuel 16:18)
So often, we are counted out or overlooked because of what others consider limitations. But the scripture calls us to conduct an honest evaluation. The way to do this is to meditate on the power of God, and how he had brought you through challenging moments and given you a solution when you didn't even think one was possible, a solution that I am sure was there all along. Still, you didn't realize it because of fear and doubt. But when we look at God, we can stand firmer and overcome despite being overlooked.
Would you be interested in reading more content like this? I would often publish articles filled with Biblical text in my Faith & Leadership blog. Faith is one of my values, and God has been so good to me; I am just grateful. And I hope this resonates with you today - be encouraged.