Chapter 63—David Kills Goliath
This chapter is based on
1 Samuel 16:14-23
;
17
.
When King Saul realized that he had been rejected by God, he
was filled with bitter rebellion and despair. He had no clear percep-
tion of his sin and did not reform his life, but brooded over what he
thought was the injustice of God in taking the succession away from
his posterity. He was ever occupied in anticipating the ruin that had
been brought up on his house. He did not accept with meekness the
chastisement of God; but his haughty spirit became desperate, until he
was on the verge of losing his reason.
His counselors advised him to seek a skilled musician, in the hope
that the soothing notes of a sweet instrument might calm his troubled
spirit. David, as a skilled performer upon the harp, was brought before
the king. His heaven-inspired strains had the desired effect. The dark
cloud over the mind of Saul was charmed away.
Whenever necessary, David was recalled to soothe the mind of the
troubled monarch. Although Saul expressed delight in David and his
music, the young shepherd went from the king’s house to the fields
and hills of his pasture with a sense of relief.
David was growing in favor with God and man. He had been in the
court of the king and had seen the responsibilities of royalty. He had
penetrated some of the mysteries in the character of Israel’s first king.
He knew that the household of Saul, in their private life, were far from
happy. These things served to bring troubled thoughts to him. But he
turned to his harp and called forth strains that elevated his mind to the
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Author of every good, and the dark clouds that seemed to shadow the
future were dispelled.
David’s Special Educator
As Moses was trained for his work, so the Lord was fitting the
son of Jesse to become the guide of His chosen people. The lonely
hills and wild ravines where David wandered with his flocks were
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