The future kings Saul and David were so different. Saul hid from the spotlight, complaining that he was from a clan of nobodies. David welcomed the anointing and was fearless in the face of a ten-foot-tall Philistine with a spear so heavy normal men called it a beam.
Samuel anointed each man. The Spirit of God “took control” of each man (1 Samuel 11:6 and 16:13) and God used each man. But David was much more obedient and God blessed David far more than He did Saul. Why? What was different about the two?
I believe the difference was their early years. We know little about Saul’s early days. But David had been walking with God for years and had seen God do amazing things:
“Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up to strike me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God…. 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!” 1 Samuel 17:34-37.
Maybe Saul was like so many young people who think they can goof off for years and get serious about their faith after they grow up. That is utterly stupid. By God’s grace, David was not one of these foolish youth. David walked with God as a child alone in the wilderness protecting a flock of sheep. And because he was faithful, God demonstrated His power in David’s life over and over. Consequently, David entered adulthood with a powerful faith resting on the foundation of a youth spent walking with God.
David entered adulthood with a powerful faith resting on the foundation of a youth spent walking with God.
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” Ecclesiastes 12:1.
Don’t waste another day NOT walking with God.
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