A Small Errand

After the prophet Samuel anointed David as the king of Israel, what did David do?

He went back to watching his sheep. If a lion or a bear attacked, he defended the sheep with his very life, if necessary. And no doubt while he was hanging out with the sheep and watching over them, he came up with some of the psalms we know today.

Maybe as he was watching them one day, he thought, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name” (Psalm 23:1–3 NLT).

David was faithful, and he simply waited on God.

But one day he ran an errand that changed his life. His three oldest brothers had been called to battle against the Philistines at the valley of Elah. David’s father told him to go visit his brothers and take them some food.

As David made his way to the valley of Elah, he could hear shouting. He peeked through the crowd and saw an oversized Philistine named Goliath. He was standing in the valley, challenging someone from Israel to come and fight him.

The Bible tells us this had gone on for forty days and forty nights. David couldn’t believe it. He thought someone had to take this guy on. Why had no one answered his challenge?

About that time his brother Eliab saw him and said, “What are you doing around here anyway? What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of?” (1 Samuel 17:28 NLT).

When David was brought before King Saul, David told him, “Don’t worry about this Philistine. . . . I’ll go fight him!” (verse 32 NLT).

Saul thought it was a joke. He said, “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth” (verse 33 NLT).

But David didn’t waver. He said, “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (verses 34–37 NLT).

Then, armed with only his staff, a sling, and some stones, David went out to meet Goliath in battle. And with one well-placed shot from his sling, David toppled the giant.

It was David’s faithfulness in the little things that led to the big things. He was faithful with whatever God set before him. Are you being faithful with what God has set before you today?

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