1 Samuel 17:34
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
David told Saul that while keeping his father's sheep a lion and a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock. He had firsthand experience guarding and defending those sheep against powerful predators. He faced the lion and the bear alone to rescue the lamb that had been taken. A shepherd's work exposed him to such danger to his own life from wild animals and other perils in protecting his flock. His account of standing against these beasts reveals his courage and strength.
His care for the flock taught him to trust God and helped prepare him to guide God's people, even as the Great Shepherd cares for His sheep. His experience in defending the flock, and God's deliverance of him from the lion and the bear, gave him confidence that God would also deliver him from Goliath the Philistine. In his meeting with Goliath his shepherd background shows humility and trust in God rather than in human weapons or prepared arguments. God's cause is to be met in dependence on God, who gives the truth the victory.