The Way
The Shepherd in the Fields of Bethlehem
In the fields where no one was watching
Story
When the evening light settled over the hills of Bethlehem, the bleating of the flock scattered down the slopes. David, the youngest of Jesse's eight sons, kept his father's sheep in those fields. He was a ruddy boy with clear, bright eyes. While his older brothers took on the weighty matters of the household, the youngest one's place was always beside the flock.
One day a lion appeared, seized a lamb in its jaws and ran off. The boy did not hesitate. He chased after it, struck the beast, and pulled the lamb out of its mouth. When the lion turned and sprang at him, David caught it by the beard, struck it and killed it. When a bear came, he did the same.
There was no one in those fields to applaud. David only spoke of it years later, when he stood before King Saul and offered to fight a giant. This is what the boy told the king: “Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me this time too.”
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and David
Your servant has been keeping his father's flock. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb, I went after it, struck it and rescued the lamb from its mouth.
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine as well.
There is still the youngest. He is out in the fields right now, tending the sheep.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Sam 16:11; 17:34–36
Background
In David's day lions and bears still lived in the hill country of Judah. A shepherd carried a staff, a sling and a bag of food, and guarded his sheep from wild animals. Bethlehem is a hill village about ten kilometers south of Jerusalem.
Pause and Reflect
Even where no one is watching, do I faithfully do the work I've been given?