_And Samuel died, and all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented him._ “WHEN I DIE, WILL I BE MISSED?” “And Samuel died; and all Israel lamented him.” What an epitaph! What a character to have deserved such an epitaph! The humblest mortal can so live as to leave a gap when he goes--a f... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail._ NABAL, THE CHURL I. Nabal, the churl. What an apt thumbnail sketch is given of the whole race of Nabals in the confidential remark passed between his servant and his wife, “He is such a son of Belial that one cannot speak to hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep._ NABAL, THE CHURL David never made a wiser choice, and he never said a truer thing, than when he exclaimed, “Let me fall now into the hand of the Lord (for His mercies are great), and let me not fall into the hand of man.” The histo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shall I then take my bread, and my water._ AVARICE OF NABAL Such is still the language of the avaricious man; such are still the excuses made by the insensible heart, when it seeks some pretext to exempt it from relieving the wants of the unhappy. Let us consider the frivolity of these his excuse... [ Continue Reading ]
_For he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him._ THE BAD-TEMPERED MAN In this chapter you find a perfect picture of a choleric, bad-tempered man. There is a saying “that the worst temper in the house always rules,” and often it is so. I have seen father and mother weakly yielding t... [ Continue Reading ]
_The soul of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of life._ THE BUNDLE OF LIFE The imagery, of course, is Oriental. It is very true that the life of man is bounded up with the Divine; “bound up in the bundle of life,” how expressive it is--tied to Him. The soul and life of man is in the bundle wit... [ Continue Reading ]
_Blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood._ PREVENTION OF SIN AN INVALUABLE MERCY These words are David’s retraction, or laying down of a revengeful resolution; which for a while his heart had swelled with, and carried him on with the highest transport of rage to prose... [ Continue Reading ]
_And blessed be thy advice._ GOOD ADVICE I. It is well to be ready to take advice. The older we grow the more ready most of us are to be advised regarding our plans and purposes. We know better the wisdom of being so. It is generally the young who scorn advice. They are apt to think they know ever... [ Continue Reading ]