1 Samuel 16
Many boys of Israel must have tended their fathers’ sheep and goats, for in those lands the people lived in villages and their flocks were fed on the wild lands outside. One boy who did this, named David, became one of the greatest men of Israel. He was a strong, healthy boy and took good care of the sheep. Once a lion came and took a lamb, but David saved the lamb and killed the fierce lion another time a bear took a lamb and again God gave him strength to kill the bear and save the lamb (1 Sam. 17:34,3534And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. (1 Samuel 17:34‑35)).
One day Samuel, the prophet of God, came to his father’s house in Bethlehem on a very important errand: the Lord had sent him to anoint one of the sons of this family to be the king of Israel, but Samuel did not know which son would be chosen.
First, the oldest came before him and he thought this fine young man must be the one for king, but the Lord showed him that he was not six more sons were brought in, one by one, but they were not chosen. Then the father said there was one more son, the youngest, David, who was watching the sheep, so David was sent for and came before Samuel. The Lord said to Samuel, “This is he.” So Samuel put the oil on the head of David, which was a custom to show one had been chosen for a special place.
But it was not until David was much older that he was king. He kept on tending his father’s flocks, and must have learned other useful thing’s. He became a very skillful player on the harp, and perhaps often played while the sheep were quietly feeding. He was also learning of the Lord and His words. David was a great grandson of Boaz and Ruth, and he surely would have heard of God’s care for them.
King Saul heard of David’s beautiful music and sent for him to play for him, because at times his evil thoughts greatly troubled him. The music quieted the king and he was well pleased with the young shepherd and kept him with him for a time.
In later years David not only played sweet music but wrote the words of many Hebrew poems and hymns, which with others are in the Bible, called, The Psalms.
One of theses many, many boys and girls have learned to repeat. It begins, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, and shows David’s trust in God to keep him as he had kept the sheep.
Read over the story of David in your Bible and notice the name of David’s father, also see Book of Ruth 4:16:17.
ML 10/16/1938