As we know from this and other stories David was a great warrior. He was not afraid of a fight and led from the front. He was such a great warrior that he was able to lead ‘the mighty men’ referred to in the Bible in 2 Samuel 23. These were men who defied the odds in many battles.
God has given five main ministry offices to the church. The Apostle, Prophet, Teacher, Evangelist and Pastor. All these offices can carry with them power and authority.
For me the five stones are symbolic of the five ministry offices that God has given to the church. But I have noted where the stones were carried before they accomplished their task of defeating Goliath. They were carried in David’s shepherds bag.
We need all of the five ministry offices operating in our churches, ministries and lives. But unless they are carried and held in the shepherds anointing they can at best be less effective and worst harmful.
We all need the heart of the shepherd, more so for leaders, in all that we do. So what is the heart of the shepherd?
Ultimately, as Jesus himself demonstrated, it is about putting others first, putting yourself in the way of the enemy for others sakes. Shepherds (in the east) at night would often put their sheep in a walled compound. This compound had a single gap through which the sheep would pass but there was no gate. At night the shepherd himself would block the gap. If any wild animal tried to get to the sheep they would first have to go through the shepherd!
For those of us in leadership and ministry we need to have the same heart and attitude in all that we do, especially in our dealings with people.
Andy
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