The Discipline of an Anointed Man
PRAYER.
Almighty God, who can bear the scourging of the rod that is in Thine hand? Thou dost not willingly grieve or afflict the children of men. Thy purpose is directed by eternal love, though Thy stroke be sometimes heavier than we can bear. Thou rememberest that we are dust. Our breath is in our nostrils: we hasten away like a cloud in the morning: our days are few before Thee. Be merciful unto us, through Jesus Christ, our infinitely sufficient and precious Saviour, and grant that the end of all discipline may be our likeness to the beauty of His holiness. Chasten us, that we may be good, but slay us not with the sword. “When we are in the furnace, be Thyself our Refiner. When earthly things are plucked out of our hands, may it be that our hearts may be enriched with heavenly treasure. Lord, hear us. Son of God, come to us. Holy Spirit, dwell in us. May the holy word be to us a word of gracious explanation, lest we faint imder the mysteries of Thy providence. “Whilst we pray, our hearts are waiting and watching at the Cross. Amen.
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. — 1 Sam. xviii. 9.
We now enter upon scenes wMcli show that long and most painful discipline is compatible with divine election to high office. David had been anointed yet lie afterwards was hunted as a beast of prey. The secret of the Lord was in his soul yet the hand of an enemy was madly against him day and night. The inference of mere reason was obvious it was this: — “Samuel has deceived me; the old prophet has mistaken me for another man -, and now through his blunder I am exposed to intolerable vexations and injuries: had God chosen me, He would have set me on a high mountain, where no evil hand could have reached me, or hidden me in a defence far away from the storm.’’’ This reasoning, as a mere intellectual effort, would have been sound and unanswerable. Yet David never uttered words so reproachful and distrustful. He accepted his ill-fortune in a spirit of wisdom, and went in and out before his enemy with a circumspection more terrible than anger.” Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him.’’ Saul himself could see the divine presence. There is an indefinable something about elect men which guards them without display, and announces them without ostentation.
Our object is to gather what instruction and comfort we can from a study of the severe discipline which David underwent immediately after his victory. Keep in mind the undoubted anointing of David, and then see what untoward and heart-breaking experiences may befall men whom God has sealed as the special objects of His favour and the liigli ministers of His empire. Given a man called of God to a great work, and qualified for its execution to find the providences which will distinguish his course. A child might answer the easy problem: His career will be brilliant his path will be lined with choice flowers; he will be courtedj blessed honoured on every hand. Look at the history of David for a contradiction of this answer. We shall find persecution hatred, difficulty, hunger, cold, loneliness, danger upon danger; yet he who endures them all is an anointed man — a favourite of heaven.
The history, so far as we shall be able to trace it, shows four things respecting the discipline of an anointed man: —
-I. That geeat honours aee often followed by great TRIALS. The graciousness of this arrangement in human training-. These trials not to looked at in themselves, but in their relation to the honours which went before. Imagine a garden discussing the year as if it were all winter. Look at the temptation assailing David, in the fact that he alone had slain the enemy of Israel. Something was needed on the other side to chasten his feeling. Men must be taught their weakness as well as their power.
II. That great trials generally bring unexpected ALLEVIATIONS. ‘^^ TliG soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.-’^ Jonathan and David made a covenant,, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow and to his girdle.^^ The love of one true soul may keep us from despair. Love is fertile and enersfetic in device. See what Jonathan did. Jjove is more than a match for mere power. Love is most valued under such circumstances as Davids. ‘^^ There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.^’
III. That no outward trials can compare in
SEVERITY WITH THE SELF-TORMENT OF WICKED MEN.
We are apt to think that Saul did all the mischief, and David suffered it. That is an incomplete view of the case. Saul was himself the victim of the cruellest torment. When the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music, they said, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Then there entered into Saul the cruellest of all infernal spirits, the spirit of jealousy. “Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him, and he said. They have ascribed unto David ten thousands and to me they have ascribed but thousands; and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward,“‘And truly, even in suffering, Saul had the worst of it. See how unjust is jealousy, — the great work of David undervalued. Saul was the slave of jealousy, and as such all his ]jeace was destroyed. There was bitterness in his wine: the charm of sleep had perished: the bloom of summer had faded: there was a cruel serpent gnawing at Iris heart.” The way of transgressors is- hard. ■’^ Do not suppose that unjust opposition or enmity has an easy life. Better be the martyr than the persecutor — the oppressed than the oppressor. Read Sauls inner life, — anger, envy, madness, murder, evil scheming, chagrin, hell I
“lY. That geeat trials, though calling for self-scrutiny, MAY NOT CALL FOE SELF-ACCUSATION. TlllS is a
point which should be put with great delicacy, because we are too apt to exempt ourselves from self-reproach. David would be utterly at a loss to account for his treatment, so far as his own behaviour was concerned; foi he had the distinct consciousness that God was with him; and as to his outward relations, it is upon record that David behaved himself wisely in all his ways,^^ and that Saul was afraid of him because of the wisdom of his behaviour.
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The question which the tried man generally asks himself is, ^’^ What have I done? ‘^ Days of misery have been spent in brooding over that inquuy. The question is only good so far as it goes. It should be succeeded by another — “What is God doing? ‘’ Imagine the silver in the rejfining fire asking, ‘’ What have I done? “not knowing that it is being prepared to adorn the table of a king! Imagine the field asking, ‘”’^What have I done, that the plough should cut me up? ^’ We are strong only so far as we see a divine ptirpose in the discipline of our life. “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” “Let patience have her perfect work.” We are polished by sharp friction. We are refined by divine fire. Sorrow gives the deepest and sweetest tone to our sympathy. We should be driven mad by uninterrupted, ever-augmenting prosperity. Over every jealous soul the hand of the Lord is omnipotent. Look at Saul, and the case of David is hopeless: look beyond him, and see how by a way that he knew not the shepherd was being trained to be mighty among kings, and chief of all who sing the praises of God.