And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. - I Samuel 16:11-13
I think it’s safe to say that this was the most exciting day in David’s life thus far. Granted, the young shepherd had gone face-to-face with a lion and a bear, but as far as a good experience, this day was probably as good as the young boy could imagine. David was anointed king. In the span of one day, he went from being a lonely shepherd to the most important person in the kingdom, sort of.
Here’s the catch, though David was anointed king, Israel already had a king, and Saul was not willing to abdicate the throne. Which means that even though David had the title of king, he had none of the perks or the power. So, I guess, in a sense, it could have also been one of the most disappointing days of his life. To be king and not be king at the same time had to be difficult for the young boy, but I want you to notice his reaction.
The next time we see David is when Saul calls for him, and guess where we find David: taking care of the sheep. Though he knew he was destined to be king, David understood that it was not yet his time, so he was content to go about doing the thing that God had called him to do. He could have gotten a big head and told his family that he was too important to care for the sheep. He could have played the “king card” on any number of occasions, but David was humble and understood the importance of doing the work the Lord had assigned him, no matter how demeaning it may be.
Just like David, we have been anointed kings and priests, and one day we will rule and reign with Christ on high. But it is not yet time for that to come to pass, so the question is, what will we do in the meantime? Will we, like David, be content to go about the business that God has called us to do, or will we complain about our lot in life and wait around for something better to come along? David had a choice, and he chose a humble heart and obedience. What will we choose?
There’s nothing wrong with hoping for a brighter tomorrow, but there’s everything wrong with forsaking the work of the Lord because we think we’re worthy of something better. God said that those who did a good work in the little things would be made rulers over bigger things (Mt.25:23). David was faithful in the work of a shepherd, so God allowed him to become king. If you want something better in life than your current lot, prove yourself faithful. Do your very best at the thing God has called you to do. Do it with humility and a right attitude, and God will reward that faithfulness in due time.
He’s given you a task to do. The ball, as they say, is now in your court.
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