A Boy Named David (1960s?)

[Music] The Bible is full of true and exciting stories. One of the most exciting of all is the story of David. Because he was the youngest of his father's eight sons, David had to take care of his father's flock of sheep. [Music] Now, being a shepherd boy wasn't exactly fun. Wild animals sniffed and snarled at the boy and the [Music] flock. David tried to be a good shepherd. He carefully watched over his father's sheep. One morning, when a little lamb strayed away from the flock, a big lion suddenly sprang upon it. [Music] Great fear came to the boy's heart. What should he do? Voice and David's thoughts seemed to say, "Run for your life." But another voice told him, "Don't be afraid. God will help you." Wisely obeying the second voice, the young shepherd ran to the lion and grabbed the big animal by the beard. Now it was Mr. Lion's turn to cry for [Music] help. Because God had given David such strength and courage, he killed the angry beast with his hands. Another day, a bear came prowling through the grass looking for dinner. Then he saw the shepherd boy carefully tending the sheep. "Just growl a bit and that shepherd boy will run off and leave all those sheep alone," the bear probably thought to himself. But he was in for a surprise. David didn't run. Instead, he picked up his shepherd staff and gave Mr. Bear the beating of his life. God saw David's adventures and was very pleased. A boy brave enough to kill a lion and a bear, and yet tender and loving enough to pick up a harp and sing praises to [Music] God. Many years passed. Then one day, God sent his servant, the prophet Samuel, to the house of a man named Jesse in the village of Bethlehem. For one of this man's eight sons was soon to become the new king of [Music] Israel. Jesse rudely asked the visitor, "And just what do you want?" God sent me to anoint one of your sons to be the future king of Israel. This pleased Jesse very [Music] [Music] much. One by one, he brought his sons before Samuel, anxious to see which one would be chosen. beginning with the oldest son, Eliab, a soldier in King Saul's army. When Samuel saw Eliab, he was well pleased and thought, "Surely this must be the one." But God said, "No." Jesse was both surprised and disappointed. But perhaps Abinadab, his second oldest son, would be God's choice. He too was a soldier, a fine, handsome young fellow. [Music] again. Samuel was well pleased. What more could God ask for? But God rejected Abinadab, too. Jesse had five more sons at home. One by one, they appeared before Samuel. One by one, Samuel had to refuse because God would not choose them. Shama, the last of the five, thought surely he would be the one. He was tired of working, tired of taking orders from his older brothers. He would much rather be king and eat, sleep, and be merry. "Are these all your sons?" Samuel asked. Jesse answered, "No, I have one more, but he's the youngest of them all and just a shepherd boy. I'm sure God wouldn't want him." "Send for him," Samuel ordered. [Music] David came home not knowing for what [Music] reason. He only knew that Samuel, the man of God, wanted to see him. He knelt down to worship God. The minute Samuel saw the boy, God said, "This is the one. anoint him. Samuel took his horn of oil, poured the oil on David's head, and pronounced him king of Israel. Imagine how the older brothers felt. God knew their thoughts, too. Envy, jealousy, malice, pride. In David's heart, God saw love, joy, peace, and faith. God wanted a king who was obedient, brave, and faithful. Someone who would look after his people just as David looked after his father's sheep. Even though Samuel the prophet anointed David as king of Israel, a man named Saul still ruled over the people. For many years, they had been like slaves to a wicked nation of people called the Philistines. The king had trained a strong army. They fought many battles. But King Saul did not have a clean heart. So God could not bless him with victory over the Philistines. One day when the Israelites and the Philistines met on the battlefield, a Philistine giant [Music] appeared. At the sight of him, some of the Israelite soldiers ran for their lives. Others became so frightened they couldn't run. Kings know what to do. Then God sent David to the battlefield. At first, David wondered why everyone was so afraid. [Music] [Music] Then he saw Goliath, the champion soldier of the Philistines. Goliath stood over 9 ft tall. His armor alone weighed over 200 lb. Send a man to fight against me, you cowards. If he kills me, then we Philistines shall be your slaves. But if I kill him, then you shall be our slaves. Why be afraid? asked David. God will help us. The boy's words came to King Saul, who had been hoping for someone brave enough to fight the giant. So the king sent for David, thinking him to be a big, strong soldier. But he was only a boy. [Music] He could hardly lift the sword, let alone wear a soldier's armor. He couldn't possibly fight the giant. David told King Saul how God had helped him kill a lion and a bear. "Let me fight Goliath the giant," David said. Reluctantly, Saul gave permission. [Music] A shepherd boy going out to meet a giant while a frightened army looked on. Goliath, who had been waiting 40 days for someone to come against him, became very [Music] angry. What was King Saul trying to do? Make a fool of him? You rushed toward David, snarling and bellowing. But David had a slingshot, which he often used to protect the sheep. Now, just as the big giant was about to throw his spear, David let a small stone fly from his little sling. The stone hit the big giant squarely in the forehead. He fell dead, and the Philistine soldiers ran away in fear. A little shepherd boy had won a big victory because he had asked God to help him. Soon after this, he became Israel's king. Do you ask God to help you with everything you do? [Music]