Sticks and stones may break David's bones but call His God names and he will hurt you
The ruddy boy came in from the field smelling like dew and dirt. The only shine to his appearance was the sun he toiled in. He probably forgot his sandals by some tree he stopped to talk to.
Besides, I bet he loved the way blades of grass felt between his toes. I bet it was as soothing as the sound of a harp. It wasn't as noisy, loud and obtrusive as seven brothers were. The trees didn't poke at him or instigate any sort of touch.
Surely he heard angels sing with him.
I bet each sheep he tended to had a name and personal story. Each one probably had a unique feel of its own matted fur. The boy probably lost so much time leading them through their daily adventure wherever the Spirit led for however long, but I bet he was quick to get there just in time to catch the sunrise every day.
His brothers probably sat back eating a hearty breakfast at the kitchen table where the boy's trail of crumbs laid. I'm sure siblings took turns to look out the window and call their youngest "aloof" or "flighty." I bet no one understood how he could talk to sheep or have a knack for what ails them. Even dad would go along with the laughter at his smallest boy sometimes.
I would venture to say the first thing they noticed about the boy was he had sensory integration issues. He only felt at home in the sheep field alone with God. Most likely the boy consumed any praise from his father and suppressed any reaction to the naysaying brothers. I would say he knew every sight, sound, smell, feel and touch of the area surrounding their home.
I love when an old Bible stories suddenly shed new light. My son has been labeled an Autism spectrum kid since age 4. This weekend I saw the warrior David in my F-branded high school student after reading 1 Samuel chapters 16 to 18 all over again.
Here are my notes that led me to believe the backdrop to this story could be what I wrote above.
1 Samuel 16:12 - David didn't have the appearance of a king or a warrior. If my son grows, it is in height so he appears to get skinnier. He's ordered by the doctor to drink two protein shakes a day. He doesn't measure up to the other teens and even jokes about being "smaller."
1 Samuel 16 - David was anointed king but went right back to the field. My son could win the greatest award or accomplish an amazing task but he will go right back to his "field." Worldly titles don't impress him. He is comfortable in his room with Legos, video games, music or his adventure trail he created in the yard. Our two dogs are his sheep and often those are the only buddies he hangs out with.
1Samuel 16:21 - David loved Saul greatly. My son loves everyone and they recognize it. He even speaks highly of the teachers who betrayed him. Just yesterday I just watched him drop all his groceries while we were at the store so he could run and say hello to a former teacher five asiles away. His world stops for hugs.
1Samuel 17:15 - David stops on the way to battle with Saul to feed sheep. Then in verse 18 he packs lunch for the army under his father's instruction
My son is always going his own way and he loves to give things to others. Shopping with him takes extra time because he will bring me things he thinks other people would like. Many things have left my house and I lost track of the inventory. Teachers call me often to see if I am aware of the missing items. I remind them this is the only way I know they're talking about my son, the compassionate giver. Gifting has been his signature trait since he was three-years-old initiating a game of tag with a lady in a wheelchair every Sunday at church.
1Samuel 17:29 - It doesn't matter how big of a bully you are, you can't convince David of what he knows. I have a picture of my son professing his intelligence in military warfare to a general and a retired colonel without a blink of an eye. They were a captive audience.
1 Samuel 17:29 - David asks "what have I done now?"
My son is immune to the charges that come up against him at school and in life daily. Once again, David is misunderstood and shrugs it off just like my son does. This is spectrum kid survival tactic number one. People get angry and frustrated dealing with my son and I confess sometimes so do I but he lets none of it affect him.
1 Samuel 17:34 - David speaks to elders with a "matter of fact" attitude that the same tactics against Goliath arethe same tactics you use to fight wild animals who chased after his sheep. My son's teachers would assess he was off topic during a classroom discussion.
I imagine my son giving a 30 minute discourse on a specific animal behavior, mostly repeated verbatim from Animal Planet but own it as his own "matter of fact" knowledge. No one will get a word in edgewise and he will not come up for air until he is done.
I assume the army gives in to David's testimony because they won't win trying to convince David otherwise. Others have done that to my son, myself included. So maybe as a sarcastic suggestion the army lets David go into battle to prove the boy's rambling a farce.
1 Samuel 17:39 - David doesn't fit into their armor. My son doesn't fit in the box either. You can't make him look like everyone else. He never will. You can put kids in a circle for reading time and he will be in the corner with Legos but will be able to answer more questions correctly than others can. This was how they discovered his special needs in preschool and it continues today. My son is confident of the things he knows (and he is also quite the rock collector.)
1 Samuel 17:45 - David lets Goliath know he doesn't like the way he talks about God.
My son's former Christian school called one time during summer camp. Once again there was an incident on the bus. A public school kid boarded the bus and wanted to share his scientific knowledge of evolution. My son initiated a debate without knowing it. He provided the story of creation and insisted no one defy the one true God. It was tough teaching social etiquette on that on as it is many other times. His world has no grey areas.
1 Samuel 17:48 - David ran toward the enemy with his slingshot. Nothing will fear my son or get in his determined way. Sometimes this means walking off to school before I'm awake. On such days, in the evening, he will just look at me wondering why I was so concerned when he was just going to school.
He doesn't have a slingshot but he does weild together Nerf gun parts to make the baddest Nerf gun in the land.
1 Samuel 17:54 - David takes Goliath's head to Saul. I am guessing the gross factor never came in. David just delivered the item like my son had to take the spider to show and tell in elementary school and the take the bone my dog dug up in the yard to his science teacher in middle school. I imagine David just focused on carrying this human remain like a sheep. He would make sure he didn't get distracted or lose it on the way.
1 Samuel 18:3 - David makes a covenant with Jonathan and loved him as his own soul. My son has that one loyal best friend he will never let go of. In fact his best friend has to be pried away from him every day they get together and play time is up. That friend is such a "like soul" I love him as if he's my own and even hang out with him myself.
Maybe Jonathan was a spectrum kid too. Who knows?
I do know this. There are positive traits to being on the Autism spectrum I wish the world would embrace. I wish schools would nurture these children's gifts. I wish these kids never had to face bullies and be assured, in the end, they are warriors. They have something to give to this world beyond our imagination if we just let them do it outside our box and embrace their creativity. No matter what they will still be confident and loving - we should praise that attitude!
