David The Shepherd

Linda Rock
13 hours ago
3 min read

Today, we are looking at a most prominent, well-loved and well-known household name, which has stood high and mighty through the ages. It is the person whose fame has come with unmistakable force to us in many ways. Here are a few named ways.

We all know him as the one who killed Goliath, the Giant of Gath, with a sling and stone. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.1 Samuel 17: 50a

We hail him as Israel’s second king, the one who slayed ten thousands, while king Saul slayed thousands. We also hail him as the king whom God placed to rule instead of Saul. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will. Acts 13: 22

Indeed, we know him in deep sin – adultery, conspiracy, murder – as we hear Nathan, God’s prophet, convicting him of sin. Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 2 Samuel 12: 9.

We joy in him, perhaps most of all, for the scores of psalms we have received at his hands. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23: 1

Albeit, not too many of us spend time, or have spent time consciously and meticulously considering David’s life as a shepherd himself. We continue to ask Holy Spirit to undim our eyes and unstop our ears that we may breathe afresh and anew in this His ever enlightening and unspeakable word. Sincerely, let us all, by faith, believe and receive in abundance that we may in deed and in fact, abound in great joy, in our present Lord.

Our mission then, takes us to sights of David as shepherd. We shall visit three significant landmarks in his life as a shepherd. At each landmark we will pause for a moment, as we come to see and know Jesus, our own Shepherd, more lovingly and intimately.

First Landmark

And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all the young men here? Then he said, There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep. 1 Samuel 16: 11a

When Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice and had a cat-walk showing of his seven sons, the Lord chose none of them. Only when Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons, did he mention the youngest. David’s job was to care for the sheep. David was shepherd to, not his own sheep, but his father’s sheep.

It is at this landmark that we look and see that God the Father is proud to tell the entire world about Jesus, His Son, as the Shepherd. He is always delighted to say that Jesus, His Son, is out there tending His sheep. You are His sheep and no matter where you are, you are being tended by Him. Do you see David’s sheep without water or pasture? Do you hear any of the sheep crying out day and night for water or food and David not knowing, or not paying attention to their cries? Do you think those sheep for which David cared, knew want? My dear friends, when you need to cry out to your Shepherd, and you are tempted to think that you will not be heard, remember this landmark. Jesus your Shepherd will hear and help you, for He cares about His sheep. Jesus the Shepherd knows that the only way the world will see exactly what kind of Shepherd He is, is by looking at you, His sheep.

Borrowing words from Jane E Leeson will you pray?