Never a Shepherd

I've been reading in the book of Samuel, and, finally, I've gotten to David's life. I've read and studied David's life several times, but I really just love the story. Today, I noticed something kind of interesting to me. In Samuel 17:20 before David goes out to bring his brothers food at the battlefield, the Scriptures says, "Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed."

When I saw the word "shepherd," I stopped. David had tended his father's sheep for some time, yet the never call him a shepherd. I looked back through everything I had read, but the Scriptures only say that David "tended his father's sheep." They never call him a shepherd. I thought that was interesting.

Then I told myself, "I bet he never goes back to tending the sheep again." David leaves the sheep with a true shepherd, and he is no longer needed in his father's fields. As I continued reading, David fought Goliath, befriended Jonathan, the king's son, joined Saul's service and never went back to the sheep.

What I realized is that many times in our lives we are doing jobs that really don't define us. God puts us in situations and positions that will lead to our eventual purpose, but those things should never make us feel like God's not fulfilling His promise.

Even before David was anointed king, he was never defined as a shepherd. God told Samuel while David was tending sheep, "I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." Even when David was just a boy and not even close to being able to bear the burdens and responsibilities of being king, God saw him as king.

God sees me as He has already promised me. Even though in my temporal mind I am not there yet, God sees me in the first stages of my promise. I feel discontent because the process of reaching my promise seems so long and tiresome, but I need to understand that I'm in my promise! I can be content and filled with joy because my obedience has led me to exactly where I am today. I cannot outrun God, or else I will mess everything up.

So I'm going to enjoy tending the sheep that God has given me for now and not worry about fighting battles or slaying the enemy until God calls me out from fields. Maybe while I wait, I learn how to play the harp and use a sling.

"The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." - Proverbs 20:5