"Great Scorecard David!" He did well!

"He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
From following the ewes that had young He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.

So He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."
Psalm 78:70-72

"Great Scorecard David!" He did well!

When David tended his father's flock in the wilderness, he was rehearsing to tend the nation of Israel. He probably didn't know. God trained him to shepherd the people by making him shepherd the flock. If he had missed the lessons, he would have failed altogether in Leadership. If he had undermined his time with the sheep, he would have jeopardized his time with the people.

David's precise purpose was to defend the Nation of Israel by many battles, to establish her territories, set her up firmly as a Kingdom and give her rest on all sides. He was only Israel's second king.

Therefore, he needed defensive skills and a protective heart. So when the Lion attacked the flock, he defended the flock. When the bear too attempted the same, he delivered the flock again. He rehearsed the future, perhaps without knowing. He lost no sheep. He passed the test. He qualified for a higher challenge - Goliath.

There is a connection between the Lion, the Bear and Goliath. They were types of him, types of Goliath; the mini version. God prepares us for our big challenges through our small challenges. Never under-estimate your small place. Later when David saw Goliath, he might have said to himself:

"I have seen this before...i have seen something like this before...."

And because Goliath was familiar, he knew where to draw the resource. He knew where the weapon was. He made the connection instantly:

"The God who helped me with the Lion and the Bear in the wilderness, will help me with you O uncircumcised philistine..."

In other words:

"When I trained with the Lion and trained with the Bear in the wilderness, I was being trained to face you, Big man!"

...If we take our lessons rightly, we will face certain challenges later. They will be bigger but familiar, and we will win!

© Pastor Faith Oluwagbesan
Lead Pastor, FGC CWB