David, From Shepherd Boy To King (1 Samuel 16)

David started out as a mere shepherd boy but went on to become a great and mighty king. Why did he succeed in staying close to Yahweh all throughout his life, while other kings turned their backs on their Lord? In answering this question, we also discover how we too can stay on the right path of serving Yahweh all the days of our lives on this earth.

Yahweh Chose David

Before David came into the picture, we learn in 1 Samuel 15 that Saul became disobedient to Yahweh and thus proved that his heart was not really set on honoring his Lord. Then, Yahweh sought a man after His own heart who would obey and serve Him with joy. He then used Samuel to go anoint David to be the next king in place of Saul. Yahweh specifically said about David, "He is the one" (1 Samuel 16:12).

Notice that David was chosen by Yahweh because He had a specific plan for David to play in the grand scheme of things. So concerning kingship, Yahweh chose David. However, concerning relationship, David chose Yahweh. In other words, David had already been in relationship with Yahweh before Yahweh chose him to be king.

How do we know this? When David speaks with Saul later on about fighting Goliath, he specifically gives credit to Yahweh for delivering him from perils while shepherding the sheep (1 Samuel 17:37). The reason it was important for David to have already chosen Yahweh as his deliverer before Yahweh chose David as king is that it impacted how David responded to the anointing. Let's find out how.

David Received The Anointing

An important part of this story that is sometimes overlooked is that David chose to receive Yahweh's anointing of kingship. He could have said, "Oh no, you have the wrong person. I'm just a boy. My brothers are more qualified that I. Choose one of them!"

Even today, some people have similar responses when Yahweh chooses them for great purposes. Maybe you responded that way before. But Yahweh doesn't haphazardly chose random people to do his work. He is so wise and knows exactly what he's doing. David knew this about Yahweh, and he knew Yahweh personally as his deliverer (1 Samuel 17:37). And so he accepted Yahweh's choice to make him king.

We too should be prepared to be chosen by Yahweh to do great things. Some of us have already been chosen. If that is you, be sure to accept the calling on your life. But if you don't feel like you've been chosen yet, stay strong. For you, now is the time to choose Yahweh first, before he chooses you. Recognize the ways he has delivered you already, and get to know him very well. Your time of anointing is coming. Be prepared.

David Continued Serving Yahweh

Once David was anointed to be the next king, the Holy Spirit came upon him (1 Samuel 16:13). The Holy Spirit worked in David's life to make him successful in building Yahweh's kingdom. Also notice that David never turned back from serving Yahweh, as many other kings of Israel and Judah did. Could this have been possible because of the Holy Spirit's coming upon David? I believe that had a part to play, but David also had to choose to continue serving Yahweh.

So we also must consciously choose to continue serving Yahweh, even after we accept his anointing or calling on our lives. This keeps us on the right track and opens doors for Yahweh to work in our lives.

Conclusion

Hopefully this story of David's going from shepherd boy to king inspires you in your journey with Yahweh. Remember that Yahweh has a calling for your life and through the Holy Spirit, his anointing equips you to do whatever Yahweh sets before you to do. Stay strong like David did, and even after you receive Yahweh's anointing, continue serving Him. Then you will see Yahweh open doors that no one can shut and take you places that some people only dream of. comments powered by Disqus