by In the story of David, we find a powerful example of how God develops leadership through unexpected beginnings. While many of us focus on David’s victories as king, his formative years as a shepherd boy laid the foundation for everything that followed.
The Problem with King Saul
Before we meet David, we need to understand why God was looking for a new king in the first place. Israel’s first king, Saul, looked the part perfectly – tall, strong, and commanding. He stood “head and shoulders above everyone else.” But despite his impressive appearance, Saul had weak character. He repeatedly took matters into his own hands, disobeying God’s commands and relying on his own strength rather than trusting God.
After multiple chances, God finally sent the prophet Samuel to deliver a devastating message: “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king of Israel… The Lord has torn the kingship of Israel away from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.” (Read the full story in 1 Samuel 13 & 15.)
Finding a Different Kind of Leader
God instructed Samuel to visit Jesse of Bethlehem, telling him: “I have selected a king from his sons.” When Samuel arrived, Jesse presented his sons one by one. Each time, God rejected them despite their impressive appearances. Finally, Samuel asked, “Are these all your sons?”
Jesse replied that there was still the youngest, David, who was out tending the sheep. When David arrived, Samuel saw not a mighty warrior but a young shepherd with “beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance.” God told Samuel, “He’s the one,” and Samuel anointed David as the future king.
Lessons from the Shepherd’s Field
What was it about David that made him God’s choice? While his brothers were presumably doing more “important” things, David was developing crucial leadership qualities in the fields:
- Courage: David risked his life to protect his sheep from lions and bears. He developed bravery that would later serve him against greater enemies.
- Integrity: Hours spent alone with no one watching allowed David to develop personal accountability. No one would know if he neglected his duties, but he remained faithful.
- Humility: As the youngest of eight brothers, David accepted his lowly position but still did his best. He didn’t demand recognition or prestige.
- Leadership Skills: Guiding and protecting sheep taught David to care for those under his responsibility, focusing on their needs rather than his own.
During those lonely hours in the field, David also developed practical skills that would serve him later – perfecting his use of the sling, composing songs (many of which became Psalms), and learning survival skills. What seemed like wasted time was actually God’s preparation.
Why David?
Author J.S. Park suggests, “David was chosen because he didn’t want to be king. He thought he was a nobody, and that’s the sort of person God is looking for – someone who isn’t singing his own praises.” God looks for those who know they are nothing so that He can do something through them.
The most remarkable part of this story is that God had already chosen David before Samuel ever arrived. While David was being overlooked by his family, forgotten in the fields, God had already selected him as Israel’s future king.
What This Means for Us
Each of us has been chosen by God long before we did anything to prove our worth. As Mark Rutland writes, “You are where you are right now because where you are is where God wants to use you right now.” Whether in school, at work, or in retirement, God has chosen you for a purpose.
One of the most encouraging verses for people of any age is 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” Age doesn’t determine your ability to serve God faithfully.
The Greater Shepherd
About a thousand years after David, another overlooked young man would come to shepherd God’s people. Jesus, the “son of David,” declared, “I am the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep.” Like David before him, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate shepherding quality – willingness to sacrifice himself for those under his care.
As we read in Psalm 23, which David himself wrote from his shepherding experience: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” David understood both what it meant to be a shepherd and what it meant to be shepherded by God. In this dual experience, we find the secret to his greatness – and potentially to ours as well.
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Daniel N. Lee 