I Samuel 17:18
“Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.”
It's interesting that Jesse, David's father, is bringing a gift for officer in charge of his sons. This is a nice and natural act. He's worried about them and hopes his act of kindness would benefit the sons.
How could that be? It may be that the officer will need to send soldiers into a tough skirmish in which many casualties may result. Jesse is hoping the officer would remember the gift and maybe choose another group of soldiers to do the tough work.
He is hoping to gain advantage for his sons. Some may say, "This is at the cost of the lives of others. That's selfish." True, but understandable. Any parent would probably do the same thing. Scripture doesn't hide selfish acts of the people within.
Scripture isn't condoning the act, nor does it condemn it. It does share the natural inclination to care for what's ours. If it be the story of the shepherd or has 100 sheep and loses one. He searches high and low for it. The Prodigal's father would constantly look at the road to see if his lost son would return. It's natural to favor what's ours.
This can be overdone. The word nepotism refers to unfairly treating family over others. This isn't good for anyone. The parent is compromising ethics which has several consequences. One is the hardening of one's heart. This ignores truth and possibly God's voice. We see the extreme case with Pharaoh and the foolish and destructive things one can do with a hardened heart. Whenever we ignore God, rules, our consciences or relationship boundaries we are stepping off God’s path. Doing so takes us out from underneath God’s protection. He isn’t leaving us, we are abandoning Him.
Unfairly favoring some causes others not to trust us and to lose respect. This is bad in friendships and in the work environment. Low trust creates a breakdown in many relational structures.
All this isn’t to blame Jesse for sending the gift. It was a good idea. He was looking out for his sons. However, It could lead to bribery and an abuse of power if some sought to do so.
The last point to be made is that the Lord favors His children. That being said, anyone has the option of entering God’s family. So, it’s not unfair. In light of that He pours favor on us. Psalm 23 is a beautiful example of how He favors His children. Here’s a list: we will have an abundance and not be in want, the green pastures and still waters indicate plenty of nourishment as well as nice environments, He restores us and provides guidance in righteous ways, He will give us courage and strength when we experience difficult times and He promises goodness and loving kindness all our days.
Lord, we thank You that You are a good parent to us. Allow us to be good spouses, parents, friends and coworkers.