DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING

[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XI.  THE CAVE OF ADULLAM
F. B. MEYER

It is impossible not to turn from David to Him, who, though cast out from the scheme of this world and its prince, is ever gathering around his standard the poor and outcast, the leper and sinner, the blind and bruised and broken-hearted, those who are in distress, in debt, and discontented, and making them into soldiers, that shall win the world for Himself.

Did these wild, rough soldiers find a new centre for their life in David? We have found a new object in the Lord Jesus, for whom to live is life indeed, and for whom to die is gain.

Did this new centre draw them away from attachment and association with the decadent kingdom of Saul? Our oneness with the living Saviour has made us unworldly by making us otherworldly. We have cast in our lot with Him, and become citizens of the new Jerusalem, and are glad to confess ourselves strangers and pilgrims.

Did they put off the manners and customs of their old life, and allow the shuttle of love and devotion to weave the fabric of a new character? We have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of Him that created him.

Did they love David for removing their discontent, alleviating their distress, and relieving them from the disorder and anxiety of their existence? Much more should we love Him, who has done more for us than even David did for his poor followers. He has paid our debts with his precious blood; relieved us from our creditors by meeting them Himself; clothed us in his perfect beauty; allayed our sorrows; calmed and stilled our souls.

Did the attachment between David and his followers grow with the years, cementing them in a fellowship which was the result of sharing common dangers -- the bivouac fire by night, the toilsome march by day, the brush with the foe? What an incentive to us to seek a fellowship with our blessed Lord, that shall grow closer for every day of trial we share with Him!


3. THE CAVE AND ITS SONG.

Many allusions connect the thirty-fourth Psalm with the Cave of Adullam. It was there that the little host needed the encamping angel; there that the young lions roared, as they ranged the wilds in search of food; there also that God's care was perpetually laid under requisition to keep the bones of the fugitives lest they should be broken by falling down the crags (Psalms 34:7, Psalms 34:10, Psalms 34:20).
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XI.  THE CAVE OF ADULLAM
F. B. MEYER

We can imagine the leader one evening when the anxieties and fatigues of the day were over, gathering his troop around him with the words, "Come, ye children, hearken unto me, and I will teach you the fear of the Lord." Then, in quick succession, the three exhortations, "Oh, magnify the Lord with me .... Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good .... Oh, fear the Lord, ye his saints." Then, perhaps, from all their voices came the full chorus, "The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate."

The soul which is living a separated life, with sin judged, forsaken, and forgiven, behind it, may count on these four:

Deliverance -- even in the midst of difficulties and perplexities which have been caused by its own misdeeds (Psalms 34:4, Psalms 34:7, Psalms 34:17, Psalms 34:19).

Enlightenment -- for what the dawn is to the weary watcher, that God will be to the soul that has long groped in the dark, if only the face is turned towards his (Psalms 34:5).

Perfect Provision -- so that it shah lack nothing which it really needs (Psalms 34:10).

The Sense of God's nighness -- nearer than the nearest, more real than the presence or absence of any (Psalms 34:18 ).

If, in that cave, with so many things to distract him, compelled to spend every hour in the presence of his men, David was able to realize the presence of God, how much more possible it must be for us! And when once that is realized, all the conditions of the best life are fulfilled.

What makes the difference between the dull and grey of winter and the beauty of the spring? Is it not that the sun is nigh, and nature knows it, and assimilates his glorious colour?

So backslider! broken heart! contrite spirit! do not look back on past failure and shortcoming, nor stand in dread of recurring sin; but look up and away to the face of Jesus. Do not, I pray you, live on the dying, but on the living side. Dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Abide in the house of the Lord all the days of your life. Enter with boldness the Holiest, to remain there. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to realize the constant presence of God. Say to yourself many a time each day, even when you do not feel it, "Thou art nigh; Thou are here." Make your home in the sense of God's nearness. Oh, taste and see the sweetness of such a life.

It was thus that Jesus thought of his Father; and it is thus that you will realize the happiest, strongest experiences possible to the saints. "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and sayeth such as be of a contrite spirit."
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XII.  THE WHITE STONE
F. B. MEYER

(1 Samuel 23:6; Psalms 27:1-14)

"Will not God impart his light
To them that ask it? -- Freely -- 'tis his joy,
His glory, and his nature, to impart;
But to the proud, uncandid, insincere,
Or negligent inquirer, not a spark."
COWPER.

IT is not perfectly clear where David was when he was joined by Abiathar. If we consider the time, we are disposed to fix the massacre of the priests shortly after his flight to Garb; and, in that case, Abiathar must have come to him whilst David was in his first prolonged hiding-place in the cave of Adullam. It is on this supposition that we have already sketched the fugitive coming thither, breathless and dishevelled.

If, however, we judge by the position given to the incident on the page of Scripture, we should be disposed to locate it in the forest of Hareth, a tract of country a little to the south of Adullam, and not far from Hebron. The prophet Gad, who had recently joined the young refugee, and was destined to share the fortunes of his long career, living to chronicle his entire history, seems to have advised this exchange. The open country, in the case of pursuit, would be safer than a cave, which might be closed at the entrance and become a death-trap (1 Samuel 22:5, 1 Chronicles 21:9; 1 Chronicles 29:29).

On the other hand, the verse quoted above suggests that Abiathar came to David at Keilah. But good authorities question the authenticity of the words "to Keilah," especially as the Septuagint reads : -- "It came to pass when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled to David, then he went down with David to Keilah, having the ephod in his hand." If this were so, the enquiries mentioned in the previous verses (1 Samuel 22:1-5) would have been made, as was the custom in those days, through the Urim and Thummim.

There is no need to delay further in the attempt to fix what is of no material importance. Our present purpose is rather to bring into prominence David's lifelong habit of waiting upon God for direction and guidance. It is instructive and stimulating to notice that the successive steps of his chequered career were taken after very definite waiting upon God. It was as though the advice he gives to us all, in the Psalm which dates from this period, was the outcome of his own deepest experience and practice:
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XII.  THE WHITE STONE
F. B. MEYER

"Wait on the Lord:
Be strong, and let thine heart take courage;
Yea, wait thou on the Lord."

The expression of the Psalmist's soul in Psalms 27:1-14; his practice, as delineated by the historian; and the lessons which we may well incorporate into our daily walk -- such is the trend of our thought.


1. THE PSALMIST'S ATTITUDE AND DESIRE.

There are several items of internal evidence which connect Psalms 27:1-14, with this period of David's life. His fortunes were as dark as the interior of Adullam's cave, therefore he spoke of God as his light; he was in daily peril, therefore it was his comfort that God would be his salvation. Jehovah was more really his stronghold than even that fortress of rock (R.V., margin). Evil-doers might come on him to eat up his flesh, but they would stumble and fall, as Goliath had done in that very ravine; hosts might encamp against him, but his heart would not fear; war might rise against him, but in this would he be confident. He would be hid in the covert of God's tent from all pursuit, or be set upon a rock at an elevation inaccessible to his foes. True, he had no longer the asylum of the old home in Bethlehem; in that sense his father and mother had forsaken him (Psalms 27:10). But God would gather him, and be father and mother both.

The further references to his extreme need and anguish, to the necessity of being led in a plain path, to the false witnesses who had arisen against him, and who breathed out cruelty -- an allusion that may be very well accounted for by Abiathar's account of Doeg's treachery -- -combine to associate this lovely and pathetic psalm with David's residence in the cave. It is just such a cry as must frequently have broken from his heart in those sad and dark days. Often must the splintered rocks around have heard his strong cryings and tears; and witnessed the awful swoon of his soul, nigh unto death, as he looked down on the abyss from which he was hardly delivered. He could not forget that, by his recent lapse at Gath, he had given cause to God to hide his face from him, to leave him, and put him away in anger: but he pleads that, through all those bitter passages of his life, he "believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living"; and he comforts himself by the reflection that He who sustained his soul with the blessed hope, could not fail to realize the vision with which He had allured the wanderer back to Himself.
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XII.  THE WHITE STONE
F. B. MEYER

The main objection that obtains against the supposition that the Psalm dates from this period of David's life arises from his mention of the Lord's house, tabernacle, and temple. Still, this is not conclusive. We met with the germ of the same thought in the 23rd Psalm, where the shepherd-minstrel desired to dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. It is not likely that, in his young life, he could have desired seclusion for the rest of his days in the narrow limits of Levitical service. This had been a morbid craving, entirely out of keeping with his heroic soul. Surely, then, the desire for an abiding-place in the house of the Lord, which was the wish of his shepherd days, of his cave experiences, and of his exile when fleeing from Absalom, can only be interpreted as referring to an intimacy of Divine fellowship, a constant flow of blessed communication which should supply guidance and direction in all the dark and tortuous pathways of his history.

What fresh and vivid meaning invests his words when read under this light! He desired to abide in communion with God, and to have face to face converse with Him, as the priests within the precincts of the shrine at Nob. He wished to be able at any moment to inquire of the holy oracle. It was his choice to live so near to God, that whenever the Divine summons was heard, though in whispers too faint for ordinary ears --

"Seek ye My face:"

he might be near enough to hear it, and reply --

"Thy face, Lord, will I seek."

2. HIS HABITUAL PRACTICE.

When the trembling priest had told his story, David addressed to him words which have a sweet application when placed in the lips of Christ. It is thus that our outcast King, driven beyond the camp, receives each fugitive soul that has recourse to Him: "Abide thou with Me," He says; "fear not! for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: with Me thou shalt be in safeguard."
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XII.  THE WHITE STONE
F. B. MEYER

The special reason that made David glad to welcome Abiathar was that he brought with him, rescued from the sack of the little town, the sacred ephod, within which were the sacred Urim and Thummim. The words signify "Light and Perfection"; it is by no means certain what they refer to. The most probable explanation, however, is the following:

The High-Priest's inner garment was a white linen tunic; over this he wore a blue robe, and above this the ephod, made of white twined linen, inwrought with blue, and purple, and scarlet, and gold. To this was affixed the breastplate, in which were twelve precious stones, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. In this breastplate, perhaps part of it, or attached to it, were probably either one or two very beautiful and resplendent diamonds, through which God manifested his will. If to any question reverently put to Him by the Priest, the answer was No, the light in these precious stones dimmed; if on the contrary, it was Yes, they flashed with splendour.

It was obviously a great gain to David to have at hand this priceless method of communication between Jehovah and himself. Already Gad was with him, as the representative of the prophetic office; now Abiathar and the ephod represented the most precious prerogative of the priesthood. By one or other of these, and probably in these earlier days especially by the latter, he was able at any moment to know the will of God.

Do tidings come that the Philistines are plundering Keilah -- he dares not pursue till he has asked the Lord. Do the cowardly townspeople propose to betray their deliverer -- he dares not leave the little city till he has received Divine directions to go. In one of the most awful experiences of his life, when his men spoke of stoning him, instead of taking up his cause, he said to Abiathar, the priest, "I pray thee, bring hither the ephod." Then Abiathar brought the ephod to him, and David enquired of the Lord. Long after he had become the acknowledged king of the land, in his conflicts with the Philistines he was careful to enquire of the Lord as to the very method of attack (1 Samuel 30:7; 2 Samuel 5:17-25).
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XII.  THE WHITE STONE
F. B. MEYER

Evidently this was the holy practice of his life: to wait on God, quelling the fever of his soul, and compelling the crowd of impetuous thoughts to be in abeyance until time had been given for the clear disclosure of the Divine purpose and plan. Like a child that dares not take one step alone, like a traveller in a strange country, who is utterly dependent on his guide, so David lifted up his soul for the supreme direction, which God only can give; to whom the future is as clearly defined as the past, and from whom no secrets can be hid.


3. THE LESSON FOR OURSELVES.

When Israel came up out of Egypt, they were led across the desert by the pillar of cloud and fire. After they were settled in their own land, the Urim and Thummim took its place. After a while, this method of ascertaining God's will fell into disuse, and the prophets spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. These, even in the early Church, played a very important part in the ordering of God's people in his way.

But the voices of the prophets were silenced as the apostolic age came to a close. What is our oracle of appeal? Are pious souls without the means of enquiring of the Lord, and receiving his clear direction on the difficult questions perpetually demanding solution? Not so; for in one of the last messages given by the ascended Lord to his Church, through the apostle John, it was foretold that he who overcame should receive a white stone, and the word white means resplendent, or lustrous. It may, therefore, denote a diamond, and probably refers to those ancient stones in the High Priest's breastplate, that dimmed or flashed with the Divine oracles. On them the Holy Name, Jehovah, was inscribed in mystic characters; and similarly it is said that on the white stone, which each believer should receive who had overcome in the spiritual conflict against sin and the world, a new name should be written, unknown save to him that received it (Revelation 2:17).
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XII.  THE WHITE STONE
F. B. MEYER

In other words, each child of God has his own Urim and Thum-mira stone, which is a conscience void of offence, a heart cleansed in the blood of Christ, a spiritual nature which is pervaded and filled by the Holy Spirit of God.

When we are in doubt or difficulty, when many voices urge this course or the other, when prudence utters one advice and faith another, then let us be still, hushing each intruder, calming ourselves in the sacred hush of God's presence; let us study his Word in the attitude of devout attention; let us lift up our nature into the pure light of his face, eager only to know what God the Lord shall determine -- and ere long a very distinct impression will be made, the unmistakeable forth-telling of his secret counsel. It is not wise, in the earlier stages of Christian life, to depend on this alone; but to wait for the corroboration of circumstances. But those who have had many dealings with God know well the value of secret fellowship with Him, to ascertain his will. The journals of George Fox are full of references to this secret of the Lord, which is with them that fear Him, to whom He shows his covenant.

Are you in difficulty about your way? Go to God with your question; get direction from the light of his smile or the cloud of his refusal. If only you will get alone, where the lights and shadows of earth cannot interfere, where the disturbance of self-will does. not intrude, where human opinions fail to reach -- and if you will dare to wait there silent and expectant, though all around you insist on immediate decision or action -- the will of God will be made clear; and you will have a new name in addition, a new conception of God, a deeper insight into his nature and heart of love, which shall be for yourself alone -- a rapturous experience, to abide your precious perquisite for ever, the rich guerdon of those: long waiting hours.
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIII.  SONGS BORN OF SORROW
F. B. MEYER

(1 Samuel 23)

"A song of the heart that is broken,
A song of the sighs and the tears,
The sickness, the want, and the sadness
Of the days of our pilgrimage years.

"Sweet sings the great choir of sorrow,
The song of the gladness untold,
To Him on the throne of his glory,
Who wept in the days of old."
H. SEARS.

THE CHURCH OWES many of her sweetest hymns to the profound anguish which wrung the hearts of her noblest children. The rough feet of trial and pain have stamped, as in the oil-press, hearts whose life-blood is preserved in matchless lyrics. There is no such raw material for songs that live from heart to heart as that furnished by sorrow.

It has been said by a modern writer that, to his thought, the mysterious beauty of music is more wonderful than the prodigality of form and colour which overspreads the whole of nature; and he goes on to show that man only develops and liberates the music which is latent in almost all substances, waiting for his coming to give it expression. "Man only develops what was within them, just as the coal which is extracted from the bowels of the earth, when set on fire, merely liberates the heat and light, which in the forest it received from the sun." Is not this speechless music -- locked within nature, pleading to be let out in song or sound through the agency of man -- part of the earnest expectation of the creature, which waits for the manifestation of the sons of God?
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIII.  SONGS BORN OF SORROW
F. B. MEYER

It is remarkable how many of David's psalms date from those dark and sad days when he was hunted as a partridge upon the mountains. His path may be tracked through the Psalter, as well as in the sacred narrative of his wanderings. Keilah, Ziph, Maon, Engedi, yielded themes for strains which will live for ever. To this gifted singer the power was entrusted of eliciting the music that lay concealed in the least congenial haunts. Is it not strange that these wild desolations are now immortal, and that each has contributed chords to the complete music of the soul? We will for a little trace the parallel lines of David's history and song.


1. A CLUSTER OF PSALMS.

KEILAH.

While sheltering in the forest of Hareth, tidings came of a foray of the Philistines on one of the hapless border-towns. "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors." The year's harvest was at that time spread out for threshing; it was' an opportune moment therefore for the plunderer. The labours of the year were being carried off, and the cattle "lifted by Israel's bitter and relentless foe." Wrapped in these tidings there was probably a covert appeal for help from one who had often proved himself a wall of defence on the southern frontier. Saul was too far away, and perhaps too intent on his fancied personal wrongs, to be available for the rapid action that was required. David was alert, energetic, near at hand. The appeal to him was not in vain; especially as it was ratified by the Divine voice. He arose and went down from the hill-country of Judah into the plains, met the marauders on their return journey, heavily laden with booty and impeded with cattle, smote them with great slaughter, and brought back all the spoil to the rejoicing townsfolk, who, in return for his services, gladly lodged and entertained him and his men.

It was a brief spell of sunshine in a dark and cloudy day, and must have been very welcome to the weary little band. To be again in a town that had "gates and bars" was as welcome an exchange to life in the dens and caves of the earth as the comforts of civilization are after the privations of the Tartar steppes. And this gleam of comfort probably elicited from the minstrel-chieftain Psalms 31, "Blessed be the Lord, for He hath showed me his marvellous loving-kindness in a strong city."
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIII.  SONGS BORN OF SORROW
F. B. MEYER

ZIPH.

His stay in Keilah was brought to a summary close by the tidings, given perhaps by Jonathan, that Saul was preparing an expedition to take him, like a trapped bird, even though the city that sheltered his rival were destroyed in the attempt. These tidings were confirmed through the ephod, by which David appealed to the God of Israel; and the further information was communicated that the cowardly and ungrateful townsfolk, when forced to choose between the king and himself, would not scruple to save themselves by surrendering their deliverer. Then David and his men, in number about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. Perhaps they broke up into small parties, whilst the leader, with the more intrepid and devoted of his followers, made his way to the neighbourhood of Ziph, about three miles south of Hebron.

This was about the lowest ebb in David's fortunes. The king was searching for him every day with a malignity which made it evident that he had come out to seek his life. Beneath the expressions and formulas of devout religion which he carefully maintained (1 Samuel 23:7-21), Saul secretly cherished the resolve of thwarting the Divine purpose. He knew, so Jonathan told his friend in a hurried interview the two noble youths arranged in the wood of Ziph, that David would be king over Israel. But this did not abate his determination to take his life if he could. What a desperate condition his soul had reached, as the result of turning itself to its own wild and evil way! And manifestly David had every reason to fear the outbursts of the hatred which, in proud defiance, had even set itself against the will of God.

In addition to this relentless hate, there was the meditated treachery of the Ziphites, who sought to curry favour with the king by betraying David's lurking place. Tidings of their intended falseness came to David, and he moved further south to the wilderness of Maon, where a conical hill gives a far extended view of the surrounding country. But to the spot the men of Ziph conducted the king with such deadly accuracy, that, before they could escape, the little beleaguered band found the hill on which they gathered surrounded by the royal troops, and their escape rendered impossible. Well for them that a breathless messenger at this juncture burst in on Saul with the words, "Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land."

Then David drew a long sigh of relief, and sang Psalms 54:1-7 : "Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy might."
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIII.  SONGS BORN OF SORROW
F. B. MEYER

ENGEDI.

From Maon, when the heat of the pursuit was over, David removed his quarters eastward to the strongholds of the wild goat on the shores of the Dead Sea. On the western shore, midway between north and south, there is a little piece of level ground, covered with the rich luxuriance of tropical vegetation. It is jealously fenced in by giant cliffs, jutting out into the dark waters of the lake; but its beauty is maintained by a tepid stream which issues from the limestone rock, four hundred feet above the glen. It is said that grey weather-beaten stones mark the site of an ancient city, and traces of palms have been discovered encrusted in the limestone. But the tangle of a tropical jungle now reigns supreme. This was David's next resort -- Engedi, the haunt of the wild goat -- where deep caverns in the steep cliffs, and the abundance of water-supply, furnished two of the most important items in his sparse and frugal programme. Here, again, the Psalmist sets his experiences to music in two priceless songs. Psalms 57:1-11, "Be merciful unto me, O God, for my soul taketh refuge in Thee"; and Psalms 142:1-7, "I cry with my voice unto the Lord, with my voice unto the Lord, do I make supplication."

Wilderness Experiences also gave rise to other psalms, all of them marked by a recurrence of the same metaphors borrowed from the wilderness and rocky scenery; of the same protestations of innocence; of the same appeals for the overshadowing wing of the Most High; of the same delicately-worded references to Saul. Amongst these are Psalms 11:1-7, Psalms 13:1-6, Psalms 17:1-15, 22, 25, Psalms 64:1-10.


2. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE PSALMS.

We cannot deal with them in detail; but one or two features arrest the most superficial glance.

Their Imagery. -- Men are as lions. "My soul is among lions, I lie among them that are set on fire." His soul takes refuge in God, hiding in the shadow of his wings; as he had often seen the eaglets do beneath the broad pinion of the parent-bird. God is his Rock, he hides in Him; as his fugitive band in the strong deep sides of the cave. His Divine helper will not let his enemies triumph over him; it shall happen to them, as so often happened to hunters in those very wilds, when they fell down the crumbling sides of pits dug to trap the creatures of the forest. At night he shelters in God; with his psaltery he awakes the dawn. All these psalms are bathed in imagery and metaphors like these.
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIII.  SONGS BORN OF SORROW
F. B. MEYER

Their Delicate References to Saul -- He does not spare his epithets for those who goad the king to murderous hate. The men that watched for his stumbling, that cried "report it! report it!" that misrepresented and maligned him, are dealt with in no hesitating or mincing tones. But of Saul he says nothing, unless there is a veiled allusion to him in the plural, with which he describes the violent men that sought after his life. There is a plaintive allusion to happy days, past for ever, when he manifested his profound sympathy for the king's terrible malady, wearing sackcloth on his flesh, and humbling his soul with fasting (Psalms 35:13); but there are no words of reproach, no upbraidings, no repayment of hate with hate. In this there is an anticipation of the teaching and temper of Jesus.

There is a Conscious Rectitude. -- His conscience was void of offence towards God and man. If challenged as to his absolute sinlessness, he would have been the first to deprecate anything of the sort; instantly he would have acknowledged that in his rough soldier-life he was constantly in need of the propitiating sacrifices which should plead for him with God. But, in respect to Saul, or to any treachery against him or his house, or to any crime deserving such treatment as that with which he was threatened, he protested his absolute innocence; and turned confidently to God, with clean hands and a pure heart, as one who had not lifted up his soul unto vanity, or sworn deceitfully (Psalms 7:3-5; Psalms 24:1-10).

There is great Evidence of Suffering. -- Of all sources of pain, there is none so hard to bear, that stings so sharply, and strikes its poison fangs so deeply, as the malevolence of our fellows. This is what David suffered from most of all. To his highly sensitive spirit it was the most acute form of torture: that though he was absolutely innocent, though he was willing to give himself to prayer and ministry on their behalf, yet his calumniators pursued him with such unrelenting malice -- "Their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword."
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIII.  SONGS BORN OF SORROW
F. B. MEYER

But his appeal was to God --

"Save me by thy name;
Judge me by thy might!"

"Behold, God is my helper."

"I will cry unto God most High;
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
He shall send from heaven, and save me.
God shall send forth his mercy and truth."

"Refuge hath failed me; no man careth for my soul.
I cried unto Thee, O Lord.
I said, Thou art my refuge."

What depths of pathos lie in these stanzas of petition! He does not seek to retaliate or avenge his wrong; but commits himself to Him who judgeth righteously, assured that the Righteous One will shelter him during the time of trial, and ultimately bring out his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noonday.

If any should read these lines who are unjustly maligned and persecuted, let them rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Some little time may elapse before the hour of deliverance may strike, during which they must wear white robes of stainless innocence and purity (Revelation 6:11); but presently God will arise, and lift the poor out of the dust, the needy from the dunghill, "to make them sit with princes and inherit the throne of glory." For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the expectation of the poor perish for ever.
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[nChrist]

DAVID SHEPHERD, PSALMIST, KING
XIV.  DAVID'S SELF-RESTRAINT
F. B. MEYER

(1 Samuel 24 and 26; and Psalms 42:1)

"Wait! for the day is breaking,
Though the dull night be long;
Wait! God is not forsaking
Thy heart. Be strong -- be strong!

"Wait! 't is the key to pleasure
And to the peace of God;
Oh, tarry thou his leisure --
Thy soul shall bear no load."
C. TOWNSEND.

AS DAVID reviewed his life, and recorded his experiences, he was well aware of the innumerable evils that had encompassed him, of the horrible pit and miry clay out of which he had been brought up, and of the many who had sought in vain to destroy his soul; but from all he had been delivered. He dared not attribute his deliverance to the quickness of his ingenuity, or the agility of his movements; but to God, and God only. Mark his record of God's dealings with him, as he stands on the eminence of the years and looks down and back-

"He inclined unto me, and heard my cry;
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay;
He set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings;
He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God."

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