What David's journey from shepherd to king teaches us about success, preparation and becoming
We’re often working towards something.
The next promotion. Buying a house. Growing a business. Reaching a financial milestone.
But what if who you’re becoming matters even more than what you’re trying to achieve?
Which brings me to King David.
And honestly, David’s life could have been a Netflix series😂
He went from looking after sheep to defeating a giant, becoming a national hero, marrying into royalty, fleeing for his life, living in caves and eventually becoming king of Israel.
But what interests me most isn’t simply that David became king.
It’s everything that happened between being told he would become king and actually sitting on the throne.
Because those experiences helped shape the man he became.
🐑 Anointed, But Overlooked
David’s story begins with an interesting family gathering.
According to 1 Samuel 16, God sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s house because one of Jesse’s sons has been chosen to become the next king.
Jesse presents his sons, beginning with Eliab, the eldest.
Samuel looks at Eliab and assumes he must be the one.
But God tells him “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Jesse brings each of his sons before Samuel, one at a time. .
None is chosen.
Eventually, Samuel asks whether Jesse has any other sons.
Jesse responds “There is still the youngest. He is tending the sheep.”
Think about that.
David had been overlooked by his own father, yet he was the one God had chosen.
Samuel anoints David, marking him out as Israel’s future king.
But being chosen didn’t mean he immediately became king.
There was no crown or throne waiting for him. David still had sheep to look after and responsibilities to fulfil.
And those seemingly ordinary responsibilities would become an important part of his preparation for something much greater.
As we’re about to see, the skills David developed when nobody was watching would eventually help him defeat Goliath.
🦁 The Shepherd Who Defeated a Giant
When David volunteered to fight Goliath, King Saul questioned whether a young shepherd could defeat an experienced warrior.
But David had already faced some serious challenges while looking after his father’s sheep.
He explained that he had fought and killed a lion and a bear to protect his flock.
That’s quite the CV!!
David didn’t suddenly become courageous when Goliath appeared. He had already developed courage, skill and confidence through the responsibilities he was given.
When Saul offered David his armour, David tried it on but realised he wasn’t used to fighting in it.
Instead, he took his staff, sling and five smooth stones, using the kind of equipment he was already familiar with as a shepherd.
What David had learned looking after sheep became valuable when he faced Goliath.
And I think that’s something we can easily overlook in our own lives.
We often want the next big opportunity without recognising the value of what we’re learning right now.
We want to lead teams, but leadership begins with how we manage our current responsibilities. We want successful businesses, but building one requires skills we can start developing long before launching. We want to build wealth, but financial discipline can begin long before we have significant money to invest.
The responsibilities you have today can prepare you for opportunities you haven’t even imagined yet.
👑 Anointed Doesn’t Mean Appointed
Defeating Goliath opened new doors for David.
He became a national hero, gained military responsibility, developed a close friendship with Jonathan, King Saul’s son, and eventually married Michal, Saul’s daughter.
Things seemed to be going well for David.
But his growing success also attracted jealousy.
After one of his military victories, the women celebrated by singing:
“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
1 Samuel 18:7
Saul didn’t appreciate the comparison. He became increasingly jealous of David’s popularity and eventually tried to kill him.
David was forced to flee.
The young man who had been promised a throne was now running for his life.
He spent years moving between territories and hiding from Saul, including in caves.
But even during this difficult period, David was developing as a leader.
While hiding in the cave of Adullam, David attracted around 400 men, many of whom were struggling financially, facing difficulties or unhappy with their circumstances.
David became their leader, learning to manage different personalities, make difficult decisions and navigate uncertainty while his own future remained unclear.
The same David who had once looked after his father’s sheep was now leading hundreds of men.
He didn’t need a crown to start becoming the leader he was destined to be.
⏳ The Journey Was Shaping Him
But leadership wasn’t the only thing David was learning during those years.
He was also learning when not to act.
Twice, David had opportunities to kill Saul, the king who had been pursuing him.
His men encouraged him to take advantage of the situation. After all, David had already been chosen as the future king.
Why not remove the obstacle?
But David refused. He wouldn’t kill Saul simply to accelerate his own rise to power.
And I think there’s an important lesson here about how we pursue success.
You can build wealth while compromising your integrity. You can build a successful business while damaging important relationships.
What you achieve matters, but so does how you achieve it.
David wasn’t perfect, as his later life would demonstrate. But these experiences were teaching him restraint, patience and the responsibility that comes with leadership.
Becoming a king wasn’t just about learning how to lead others. It was also about learning how to lead himself.
🏰 Even Becoming King Wasn’t the End
Eventually, Saul died.
After everything David had been through, you might expect him to finally become king over Israel.
But even then, it wasn’t that straightforward.
David first became king over Judah at 30 years old, while the rest of Israel remained under different leadership.
It took another seven and a half years before David became king over all Israel.
David had been chosen as a young shepherd, but it took years of victories, setbacks and preparation before he eventually ruled the entire kingdom.
And even then, the work was far from over. David went on to capture Jerusalem, establish his capital and continue building the kingdom.
Becoming king wasn’t the end of David’s journey. It was the beginning of a new chapter, with even greater responsibilities.
🌱 Be. Do. Have.
David’s journey reminds me of a simple principle that applies to so many areas of life, including our finances:
BE → DO → HAVE
We often approach life the other way around.
We think that once we have something, we’ll start behaving differently or become a different person.
When I have more money, I’ll become financially disciplined.
When I get promoted, I’ll start acting like a leader.
When I become wealthy, I’ll learn how to invest.
But what if we reversed that?
BE: Become the Person.
It starts with your identity.
If you want to become an investor, start seeing yourself as someone who invests and makes thoughtful financial decisions.
You don’t need thousands of pounds before you can begin developing that identity.
DO: Take the Actions.
Once you begin seeing yourself differently, your behaviour should follow.
An investor develops the habit of putting money aside, investing consistently and making decisions with their long-term financial future in mind.
A leader takes responsibility, develops their judgement and learns to serve others before receiving a title.
HAVE: Experience the Results.
Over time, your actions begin to produce results.
By consistently saving and investing, you can gradually build assets and move closer to your financial goals.
The results may not come immediately, and investment returns aren’t guaranteed.
But the principle is simple:
Who you believe you are influences what you do. And what you consistently do shapes what you eventually have.
David’s life illustrates this.
Long before he became king, David was already learning how to take responsibility, show courage and lead others.
❤️ Profit From Your Pain
David’s journey shows how difficult experiences can shape our future.
And I’ve seen that in my own life.
I don’t think I’d be writing these newsletters or creating financial education content today if I hadn’t experienced my own financial challenges.
Having a family that depends on me forced me to think more seriously about money, financial responsibility and building a better future.
I had to learn things I didn’t know, question decisions I’d made and develop better habits.
And somewhere along the way, what started as an effort to improve my own finances became something I wanted to share with others.
It’s funny how life works.
It brings to mind a line from Kanye West’s Touch the Sky:
“I’m tryna right my wrongs but it’s funny, the same wrongs help me write the songs”
Sometimes the experiences we’re trying to move beyond become the very things that give us something valuable to offer others.
James makes a similar point in the New Testament:
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
James 1:2, NLT
Not because hardship is enjoyable, but because it can help us grow stronger, build resilience and develop the character we need for what lies ahead.
Perhaps you’re facing financial difficulties, struggling to build your career or wondering why things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d hoped.
A difficult season doesn’t have to be a wasted season.
From looking after sheep to fighting battles and hiding in caves, every stage of David’s journey helped shape the man he became.
Don’t become so focused on where you’re going that you miss who you’re becoming along the way.
Because sometimes, the journey is the destination.
