“Rise and anoint David; for this is the one.’ 1 Samuel 16:12.
When we first encounter David, he is the eighth and last born of Jesse’s sons. On this occasion, Samuel the prophet was sent to Jesse’s family to anoint the next king of Israel. The older seven brothers had just been rejected by God as being king material, and God told Samuel to anoint the son, David.
At the same time as the anointing, David was a humble shepherd for his father. But that was soon to change when the current king Saul was searching for someone to play music to calm him when he felt tormented. David, by reputation, was chosen and pressed into Saul’s service, and Saul loved David and his skill in playing the lyre. David still cared for his father’s sheep.
In 1 Samuel 17 we learn of a huge man named Goliath who was mocking the armies of Saul and calling for someone to come out and fight him. The Israelite army was terrified by his armor and size. David had come from his father to bring food to his brothers in were in the army. He heard the taunts of Goliath and took up the challenge. With a single sling shot and no armor, David strode out on the battlefield and in a short time Goliath was dead.
When David was in the pasture with his sheep I doubt that he envisioned the life that lay ahead of him. Chosen by God to be the next king, military superhero, and counselor to King Saul. Preparation for the future comes in installments, and the key factor in being ready for the future is attention. David rose to the occasion and was Israel’s paragon King. Flawed but ready.
Prayer: O Christ, our King. You showed us how to meet each experience with attention and courage. You showed us how to yield our lives to the people and events that make us better prepared for the Kingdom you are bringing. May we persevere and not give up on being prepared people. Amen.