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True Education
The Discipline of Suffering
All who in this world render true service to God or to one another
receive a preparatory training in the school of sorrow. The weightier
the trust and the higher the service, the closer is the test and the more
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severe the discipline.
Study the experiences of Joseph and Moses, of Daniel and David.
Compare the early history of David with the history of Solomon,
and consider the results.
In his youth David was intimately associated with Saul, and his
stay at court and his connection with the king’s household gave him
an insight into the cares and sorrows and perplexities concealed by
the glitter and pomp of royalty. He saw how little human glory is
worth in bringing peace to the soul. With relief and gladness he
returned from the king’s court to the sheepfolds and the flocks.
When the jealousy of Saul drove David into the wilderness as
a fugitive, cut off from human support, he leaned more heavily
upon God. The uncertainty and unrest of the wilderness life, its
unceasing peril, its necessity for frequent flight, the character of the
men who joined him there, all made stern self-discipline essential.
These experiences aroused and developed power to deal with men,
sympathy for the oppressed, and hatred of injustice. Through years
of waiting and danger, David learned to find in God his comfort, his
support, his life. He learned that only by God’s power could he be
given the throne, only in His wisdom could he rule wisely. It was
through training in the school of hardship and sorrow that David was
able to make the record—though afterward marred with his great
sin—that he “administered judgment and justice to all his people.”
2
Samuel 8:15
.
The discipline of David’s early experience was lacking in that
of Solomon. In circumstances, in character, and in life, he seemed
favored above all others. Noble in youth, noble in manhood, beloved
of his God, Solomon entered on a reign that gave high promise
of prosperity and honor. Nations marveled at the knowledge and
insight of the man to whom God had given wisdom. But the pride
of prosperity brought separation from God. From the joy of divine
communion Solomon turned to find satisfaction in the pleasures of
sense. Of this experience he says: