In a fallen world, rejection is inevitable, but we either trust God in the midst of it or react to it and get off track.
Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13
God rejected Saul due to disobedience, so He instructed Samuel to go to Jesse’s town and anoint one of his sons to be the future king. Initially, the Lord did not disclose which son it would be. so when Samuel arrived, he assumed Abinadab must be the one. Even though Abinadab had the right appearance and was the first in line, he was rejected by the Lord. We find Later in chapter 17 that God’s rejection was due to this man’s pride and insolence.
Jesse presented seven of his sons but God told Samuel that they were not the ones he should anoint. So Samuel asked Jesse, if he had another son and Jesse acknowledged that there was another son who tended the sheep. Jesse had not bothered to invite David to the party because he had not considered him having a chance to be anointed as the future king. David was not valued enough by his own father to get invited to this important event!
Have you been rejected by some behavior in your family? Did you feel left out? Did they make you feel not valued or significant?
Regardless of what Jesse thought about David’s value or qualifications, he was God’s choice as the future king!
Similarly, we must recognize that if we are walking with God, we are His chosen ones. He has accepted us. While our mothers or fathers may have forsaken or neglected us, we still belong to the Lord and to the family of God! The Lord places value and call upon His children. It is not up to us. We can’t make it happen, and we can’t work for it. All we can do is to cooperate with it.
Read 1 Samuel 17: 17-29
Even though Samuel anointed him as the future king, David continued to be a shepherd boy tending the sheep and serving his father. So when his father asked him to take food to his brothers and see how they are doing, David did not hesitate to do it. When David arrived there and saw Goliath intimidating the army of God, he wanted to take him on. When his brothers found out that he wants to take on Goliath, they were condescending to him and rejected him. However, David did not lose his footing or get discouraged. He had a conviction that Goliath had to be dealt with.
Can you imagine being in David’s position? He is the one anointed as the future king. He is the one that in humility obeys his father and take food to his brothers, and he is the one who thinks that Goliath can be taken on. However, his brothers do not acknowledge any of it. I think, it is safe to say that most of us would have been very angry and frustrated with those brothers. Some of us may have chosen a big confrontation. Others may have gone home angry and despondent. However, David stayed the course and did not allow their rants to derail him from what the Lord had placed on his heart.
The Lord had placed strength and conviction in David’s life for His purpose. If David had allowed his father and his brothers’ rejection to cause him to be offended or hurt, he would have missed God’s purpose. However, he stayed the course and was able to stand up for God’s army by getting rid of their enemy. We can learn from David’s life and not allow others’ bad behavior to derail us from God’s purpose.
I wonder if rejection has caused you to get derailed. Have you lost focus of God’s plan because of how others treated you!? Acknowledge your pain before the Lord and ask Him to help you see your value through His eyes.
It is easy to get off track when we have been exposed to people’s bad attitude or behavior, but we have to go back to what God says about us. We need to let Him recalibrate our hearts, minds, and vision, so we can continue to remain steadfast in our walk with the Lord!