Caring for the sheep

April 12, 2008

1 Samuel 17:17-20 KJV
(17) And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;
(18) And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
(19) Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
(20) And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.

David was in training for kingdom duties long before he took the throne. He would become a man that was skilled in war because he cared for his sheep and protected them from lions, bears and other predators. While war is a part of being a king, so is peace. He would learn to meditate on God's words while alone.

One of the most important parts of being a leader though is making sure that the ones you lead are protected. If you will notice in verse 20, David does not rise up and go to his brothers just the way his dad tells him to. He stops and makes sure that the sheep are protected. It was not that he did not do as his father told him to do, he realized that he had been given those sheep to protect. Could his father have done this job? Yes, and most likely he had already planned it. David was not satisfied with most likely however. He wanted to be sure.

God has given tasks to you to take care of. Some things you may need to pass on to others. Before you hand off what God has given you to care for to someone else, make sure they can run with the vision that you have had and that you are of a like mind.

Read through the Bible in one year in Historical order
Today
1 Samuel 15:1-17:58
Tomorrow
1 Samuel 18:1-20:42, Psalms 11:1-7, Psalms 59:1-17
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