Learning from the example of David, when Still Young

Learning from the example of David, when Still Young .

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 17: 12-15

"But David always returned from Saul, to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem." (1 Sam 17:15)

Learning from the example of David, when Still Young


Who does not know David? He was a remarkable king of Israel, he brought the Israelites into a great nation and feared opponents, even he also wrote many of the psalms. Even in the first paragraph in the new covenant, Jesus Christ was called the Son of David to show how David is a very important figure in the Bible (Matthew 1: 1).

When we learn about the story of David, in fact it is ordinary people, until there is an event that changed his life, and bring it up to a higher level. That event is the battle with Goliath, where David had killed Goliath by relying on God. Since then, David's career skyrocketed even he eventually became king over Israel. However, since childhood in fact, God was preparing David to be king, and that's what we will study in our reading today.

David is the third descendant of Boaz, a person who says the Bible as a wealthy man (Ruth 2: 1, 4: 18-22). Before the battle with Goliath, it is said that Samuel anointed David to be king over the nation of Israel (1 Sam 16:13), even besides that Saul himself has raised up David as a servant, a musician at the court, even as a weapon carrier Saul (1 Sam 16 : 21-23). In other words, when the position of David is already very high. He was descended from a wealthy, he had been appointed a servant and bodyguard for the king of Israel, even he knew that he would become king of Israel after Saul. But strangely, David remained arrogant and as a servant of a king, and even as the future king of Israel, he remained home to his father. For what? For tending his father's sheep. Huh? How could someone who would be king still want to do the job is to be a shepherd ?. Imagine if suddenly there was a prophet who told us that we would be the President of Indonesia in 2014 What will we do? Are we going to be able to behave like David?

That's the beauty of David. Although he has anointed Samuel to be king over the nation of Israel, but David remained on his job tending his father's sheep. Maybe we think, ah, the great-grandson of a wealthy man, must have been a lot of sheep. But verse 28 says that sheep grazing David was "two or three tails". Imagine, David would still return to herding three sheep. David's extraordinary attitude. He was not arrogant, but still want to do their job until the time comes he will be king. And if we read the story of David in verses later, he finally became a wise king, who is able to protect all the people. It was certainly not the case with the just, but because since childhood, David has learned about loyalty to shepherd the sheep are just some of the tail, and even dare to fight lions and bears that threaten the flock (v. 34-35).

David has managed to be faithful in small things, so that the Lord was eventually entrusted matters more to David, David to be king over Israel. What about us? Have we been faithful in doing the things that we consider small? Are we still grumble when help clean up the seat to worship in the church? Are we still grumble when in foster member of our small group that just a few people? Remember, "whoever is faithful in small matters, he is also faithful in great things. And whoever is not true in small matters, it is not true also in great things. "(Lk 16:10)

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 17: 12-15

17:12 David was the son of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was old and advanced in years.

17:13 Third son of Jesse the big ones have gone to war after Saul; the name of his three sons who went to war it was Eliab, the eldest son, the second son was Abinadab, and the third child is Syama.

17:14 Now David was the youngest. So the three big kid that went after Saul.

17:15 But David always returned from Saul, to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

(source:Randite Herawan / www.renunganranditeherawan.blogspot.com)