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David, September 10
Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and
the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob,
and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the Lord spake by
me, and his word was in my tongue.
2 Samuel 23:1, 2
.
Who can measure the results of those years of toil and wandering among
the lonely hills? The communion with nature and with God, the care of his
flocks, the perils and deliverances, the griefs and joys, of his lowly lot, were
not only to mold the character of David and to influence his future life, but
through the psalms of Israel’s sweet singer they were in all coming ages to
kindle love and faith in the hearts of God’s people, bringing them nearer to
the ever-loving heart of Him in whom all His creatures live.
David, in the beauty and vigor of his young manhood, was preparing to
take a high position with the noblest of the earth. His talents, as precious
gifts from God, were employed to extol the glory of the divine Giver. His
opportunities of contemplation and meditation served to enrich him with
that wisdom and piety that made him beloved of God and angels. As he
contemplated the perfections of his Creator, clearer conceptions of God
opened before his soul. Obscure themes were illuminated, difficulties were
made plain, perplexities were harmonized, and each ray of new light called
forth fresh bursts of rapture, and sweeter anthems of devotion, to the glory of
God and the Redeemer.
The love that moved him, the sorrows that beset him, the triumphs that
attended him, were all themes for his active thought; and as he beheld the
love of God in all the providences of his life, his heart throbbed with more
fervent adoration and gratitude, his voice rang out in a richer melody, his
harp was swept with more exultant joy; and the shepherd boy proceeded from
strength to strength, from knowledge to knowledge; for the Spirit of the Lord
was upon him.—
Patriarchs and Prophets, 642
.
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