Understanding God, Ourselves, & the World Around Us
The story of David stands as one of the most compelling character arcs in history—a journey from overlooked shepherd to legendary king to wise mentor. His life offers profound insights into leadership, courage, failure, and redemption that remain relevant thousands of years later.
Continue reading → From Shepherd to Sage: David’s Journey of Growth and Leadershipby Lucas Johnson
We all know the story of David and Goliath—the young shepherd who defeated a giant and went on to become Israel’s greatest king. But what happens when a warrior king can no longer fight? What’s the next chapter when our primary identity no longer fits who we’ve become?
Even the greatest among us face this reality. Consider Mike Tyson, once “the baddest man on the planet,” stepping into the ring at 58 years old against Jake Paul. Despite his legendary status, time had caught up with him—he looked stiff and had clearly lost his step.
David faced a similar situation. In 2 Samuel 21:15-17, we find him in battle against the Philistines where “David became weak and exhausted.” A giant named Ishbi-benob nearly killed him before his nephew Abishai came to the rescue. His men declared, “You are not going out to battle again, for why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?”
Continue reading → DAVID the SAGEThe story of David fascinates me because scripture presents him as both aspirational and deeply flawed. He’s someone to look up to, yet the Bible doesn’t hold back on showing the messiness of his life. This gives me hope—if David could be called “a man after God’s own heart” despite his failings, perhaps there’s hope for all of us.
David’s journey to the throne wasn’t smooth. After being anointed as a boy, he had to wait decades before becoming king. When Saul died, a civil war erupted—David’s tribe of Judah backed him while Saul’s loyalists supported Ishbosheth, Saul’s son. As 2 Samuel 3:1 tells us: “During the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, David was growing stronger and the house of Saul was becoming weaker.”
Continue reading → DAVID the KINGWe all face giants in our lives—challenges that seem impossible to overcome. The ancient story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) offers timeless wisdom for confronting these obstacles. Beyond the Sunday school flannel board version we might remember from childhood lies a profound blueprint I call “The Warrior’s Code”—seven principles that guided a shepherd boy to an unlikely victory and can help us face our own battles today.
The story unfolds in the Valley of Elah, where Israelites and Philistines face off across a ravine. When Goliath—a 9’9″ warrior covered in 125 pounds of bronze armor—challenges Israel to send a champion, even King Saul is terrified. The experienced soldiers freeze, but young David, delivering bread and cheese to his brothers (essentially a pizza delivery driver!), steps forward with confidence.
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.
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.
Continue reading → DAVID the SHEPHERD
Daniel N. Lee 