As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
I love making puzzles; it’s one of my favourite pastimes because I find it super relaxing. I think my love for making puzzles comes from my grandmother. I remember, as a child, she almost always had a puzzle out on the table when we came to visit, and I loved to help.
At one point, she jokingly remarked, “I always thought you loved to see me, but I’m starting to realise you come here for the puzzles!” 🤭
Family can often see right through us. The same was true for David. When he came to the battlefield to visit his brothers, they questioned his motives:
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” – 1 Samuel 17:28 NIV
Now, this might seem like a very mean remark from an older brother, but what if there was some truth to it? What if David’s brother was right to point out the darker parts of David’s heart?
We observed yesterday that David’s motives were questionable. Apart from the fact that his actions were brave and heroic, it was very possible that he was, at least partly, fuelled by selfish ambition or the prospect of marriage with the king’s daughter.
We know from later on in his life that women were, in fact, David’s weakness. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, killed. As a result, David lost his son, and he brought punishment upon his family (2 Samuel 12:9-14).
Perhaps if he had listened to his brother while he was still a boy, and taken a hard look at the true state of his heart, this disaster could have been prevented.
All this to say that, sometimes God uses other people in our lives to point out areas of growth.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17 NIV
Who is sharpening you? And what part of you needs sharpening?
