Beit Lechem and King David
Before David would become King of Israel, he was a small shepherd boy in the fields of Beit Lechem. He was certainly a very dedicated young shepherd because time and time again, he would summon up great courage to fight off predatory animals that tried to harm his flock. Aside from his great courage, our Rabbis teach that he also had tremendous sensitivity to the animals and would lead sheep of different ages to feed on land most appropriate for them. The young sheep would eat lush grass and the older would eat the roots and harder stalks because their teeth were more mature. Additionally, even at that young age, David would play a harp and make music and poetry to fill people with joy. It is with this backdrop that we can begin to understand, why King David was chosen by the prophet Samuel to be the next King after Saul.
God instructed Samuel, “Go to Bethlehem and there anoint one of Yishai’s sons as the future king” and Samuel picked himself up and journeyed to
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As Samuel looked upon David, he heard God voice "This is the one I have chosen." The prophet anointed David as future king who was to succeed Saul, and Samuel returned home. Amazingly, even with this amazing news, David did not change his behavior. He immediately went back to tend to his sheep and showed them the usual tender care, as he had done up till that point. Perhaps others upon being anointed King would have flaunted their new status, but not David. He remained humble and dedicated and that was exactly why he was chosen as King.
After David became King he would not stop playing the harp and was a responsible and courageous leader in defense of his people. The story of this warrior-poet-musician would live on forever and he would become perhaps the most famous King of all time. This all began in a field in Beit