Lessons From The Life Of David
GOSPEL MESSENGER Crawfordsville, Indiana, September 1888 In the oracles of God, written aforetime for our learning, are interspersed many mystic lessons that are very precious and comforting to our hearts, when led by the Spirit into their secret meaning, and are permitted, to behold in type the foreshadowing of gospel blessings, that answer to our experience as the heart of man to man. I have been thinking of David in the cave of Adullam, as the emblematic head of a peculiar people—as typical of the humiliation of Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, his drawing love that brought them to his standard, and his mild reign over them as his willing people, both in the kingdom of grace and realm of glory. The throne of David is, we might say, but another name for Israel's greatness, but there was "a day of small things" in the life of David, when he was low down in the valley of humility, and sore pressed with fierce and cruel enemies, resembling more a fleeing refugee than the heir apparent to the Jewish throne. In him and in his great anti-type the extremes of lowliness and royal greatness are seen to meet. When the haughty Saul was rejected by the Lord from reigning over Israel Samuel was sent with anointing oil to the home of Jesse, from among whose sons the Lord had provided himself a king, to consecrate the man after God's own heart, to seal with holy oil as a witness of the Lord's decree, binding in one the office and the heir. But Samuel, although God's prophet, knew not how to choose the future ruler of the Lord's chosen tribes. His heart was pleased with the dignified and stately eldest-born, but, the Lord seeth not as man seeth. His countenance and stature were as nothing to him who maketh men to differ as he will. He refuses the prepossessing Eliab, and again and again rejects the offered sons, until seven of them had contested their fitness for the dazzling honor. The Lord was here pleased to manifest his sovereignty, and the perplexed prophet was constrained to say, The Lord hath not chosen these. Are here all thy children? In answer to this it was ascertained that there was one son remaining, the youngest, who was apparently unthought of in this day of honor to the house of Jesse, but behold, he keepeth the sheep. No idler is he, seeking rest in the tents of ease. No sycophant striving for honor among his brethren, but a faithful shepherd boy caring for his father's flock, and it pleased the Lord to designate this ruddy stripling for anointment, for he would take him from the sheep-cote, from following the sheep to be ruler over his people Israel. But O, thou highly favored David, undesired of men, but chosen of God and precious! thou art not yet come to thy kingdom. Thou shalt be tried as by fire and the water floods. The archers shall shoot at thee with grievous hatred. Thy cross shall be heavy and severe, but the crown shall be sure, and through adversity, danger and .distress, thy bow shall abide in strength, and thy arms be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. The Lord's way is not man's way. His perfection comes through suffering, his glory through tribulation. His way is first to bring very low before he raiseth up; to make poor before he maketh rich; and from the dust, from beggary and the dung-hill, he lifteth his elect to sec them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory.
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