_How long wilt thou mourn for Saul._ OVERMUCH SORROW, AND ITS AURA In one of the visions of the prophet Ezekiel, a man with a writer’s inkhorn in his hand was commissioned to “set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst” of Jerusalem... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem._ SAMUEL’S VISIT TO BETHLEHEM 1. How much history is entwined around one locality! The very name of a village recalls events most momentous to the world, and fills our minds with the memories of the past. “Man is a materialist, and he... [ Continue Reading ]
_Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature._ GOD’S ESTIMATE OF HUMAN AVAILABILITY This enunciation of one fixed principle in the Divine government is of immense value as having a practical bearing upon all the mighty relations which each man sustains to his Maker. I. Let us try... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel._ HOW GOD’S ELECTION WORKS Our subject is the choosing of a king from among the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite. This narrative shows how the choosing was done. I have a situation to offer. There is no doubt about the offer or about the gift; the o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither._ TAKEN FROM THE SHEEPCOTES The story of David opens with a dramatic contrast between the fresh hope of his young life and the rejection of the self-willed king Saul, whose course was rapidly descending towards the fatal field of Gi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Arise, anoint him, for this is he._ THE ANOINTED SHEPHERD Not a few of the most impressive characters of Scriptures come before us its adult strength. Abraham, Elijah, the apostles, lived an unrecorded youth. Not so wish David. When we see him, ruddy from the fold, bow to receive the holy chrism... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward._ “FROM THAT DAY FORWARD” From whatever side we view the life of David, it is remarkable. It may be that, Abraham excelled him in faith; and Moses in the power of concentrated fellowship with God; and Elijah in the fiery force of his en... [ Continue Reading ]
_But the Spirit departed from Saul._ TEMPTATIONS DRIVING TO GOD Saul was rejected from being king, and the Spirit of God taken from him, and at the same time an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him, terrified or seized him suddenly. How startling this is! But, observe, it is not an evil spirit of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Provide me now a man that can play well._ THE PROMOTION OF DAVID Sin is the harbinger of sorrow. A bad heart makes a troubled life. One sin may blight the fairest prospects and fill a palace with gloom. Saul’s courtiers knew the cause of the king’s depression, yet they did not counsel him to aban... [ Continue Reading ]
_Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep._ LIFE OF DAVID The formal induction of David into the office for which he was selected, was not devoid of its appointed influence. The ceremony was a sacred one, by special direction of God, performed by a sacred band in the days of miraculous agency... [ Continue Reading ]
_And David came to Saul, and stood before him._ LIFE IN A PALACE 1. We see one seated on a throne, and yet not happy. We see his royal magnificence, and just as plainly we see his knitted brow and wild eye. Let our riches be ever so great, we are not rich enough to buy a house into which trouble ca... [ Continue Reading ]
_So that Saul was refreshed and was well._ THE MINSTREL PHYSICIAN Long and varied was to be David’s education for the throne. His shepherd experience had been one of his schoolmasters. And now acquaintance with the Court, and the glimpse it gave him into the duties of government and the nation’s co... [ Continue Reading ]