David’s public triumph over the Philistine giant Goliath may have made him an instant celebrity and national folk hero. However, just a few chapters earlier God had told the prophet Samuel, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) So what did God see in David at such a young age before his public triumph?

There are a couple things about David’s young character that all young men should study. 

For one thing, David spent most of his time working as a shepherd of his father’s flock. This was not glorious work. However, David learned to be faithful in his work. He did his job, honored his father, and did everything without complaining. 

When David stepped forward to challenge the Philistine champion, he also resolved to fight with a mere stone and a sling. Against a more experience opponent and superior weaponry, this was a clear mismatch. However, when presented with his odds, David looked to God’s history of faithfulness. In the fields of Bethlehem, David had rescued his sheep from the jaws of the bear and paws of the lion on more than one occasion, and God had been with him in every encounter. Furthermore, to defend his sheep, David had become lethally proficient with a stone and a sling, a weapon that would ultimately help him defeat Goliath. No opportunity in David’s early life, therefore, was wasted. 

And in his solitude, David had learned to commune with God. When no one else was around, David worshipped, writing psalms and hymns to a congregation of sheep and an audience of one. Even before David battled Goliath, he would sometimes play music for the king of Israel, refreshing the weary, tormented heart of King Saul in the process. 

In several passages of the Bible, David is referred to as “a man after God’s own heart.” (see 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). However, David’s commitment to the Lord began well before he became a man or even the king of Israel. 

In his youth, David’s aspiration was to know the Lord. He sought God in solitude. Little did he or anyone else know that God was developing the faith, the character, and the leadership of a man, a warrior, and a king in the quiet, seemingly obscure moments of David’s formative years.  

Photo credit: Unsplash/Biegun Wschodni