The day ends with significant stress for David, but he doesn’t see it as a challenge. As he walked through the hamlet and passed by an inn, a soldier called out as David walked past, ‘Hello, David! Have a drink with men,
Come and have some fun, will you?’
‘Oh no, sire, I will be late for dinner,
My brothers will be visiting tonight
So I must be home before nightfall…’
The soldiers grunted a goodbye.
‘Alright, anyone seen this giant Philistine?
They say he has got two heads…!’
The soldiers discussed amongst themselves, and David’s ears picked up the words… two heads!
What manner of man will this Philistine be?
David shrugged; he wasn’t meant to fear.
David called out to his sheep, whistling softly, as they gathered, running towards home together, bleating joyfully over a full stomach of rye.
At the door of the caravan, David could hear his brothers’ voices. Happy memories flooded back to him, and he quickly locked the barn door, patting his favorite sheep on the head.
‘Hello there! Look at you, all grown!
Aww, is that a mustache, is that?’ Elihu said.
‘Come here, little brother… Have a sit.’
The taciturn Abinadai said happily.
David bowed before his brothers and walked in, leaning his shepherd’s stick against the wall by the window.
‘Tell me about your sheep and everything,’
Elihu said, amused at David’s appearance.
‘Oh, the sheep! They are awesome!
They are cute and beautiful. I like most the feel of their grey tongues when they lick off the grass from my palms. I have killed a hungry bear and scared off a lion. When I take the sheep grazing, the sun shines. Look, brothers, I learned the harp while in the fields. The smell of grass in the early mornings, ah!
That I can not equally describe,’ David quipped.
The look of disgust filled his brothers’ faces as they looked at each other over the table.
‘Well, I must commend your efforts, David,
but we missed your absolute nonsense.
Hope you become a man soon enough.
And here is a toast to our little brother!’
Elihu raised his mug, and everyone followed, drinking to David’s health and pastoral life.
Lying on the bed, David clutched his pillow, looking through the window towards the barn.
Up in the dark skies, the full moon shone.
He thought of his sleeping, humble sheep. As he dozed off, smiling at his shepherd life, he dreamed that one day he would care for his people, Israel, the same way God made him tend to his father’s sheep.
