For the most part, when we think of David, we tend to think of him as Israel’s greatest king; however, the early part of his life is that which developed his ability to rule. David seemed to discover what F.B. Meyer spoke about the secret of life when he said, “The main end of life is not to do but to become!” This is best summed up in Samuel’s words to the disobedient Saul in 13:14: “The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people.”
It seems to me that God is always developing people whose chief aim in life is to have above everything else a heart for God. It is these folks that God raises up to stand in the gap (Ezek. 22:30). Their development is through the fire of trials, as God will keep us there until He sees His reflection.
We have seen David as the teenage shepherd in a home where he was the youngest and appears to have been overlooked by his father and brothers. Simply put, it was adversity and obscurity that David majored in growing up. I have often heard it said that life boils down to choices, but the outcome depends far more upon how we respond to those choices than whether they were right or wrong decisions!