DAVID’S TEARS

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book?” —Psalm 56:8.

DAVID, the man after God’s heart, had a broad experience. While yet a youth, he was anointed as king over Israel by the godly prophet Samuel. David was the youngest in his father’s house, and was not given much consideration by the sons of Jesse. But the Lord told His servant Samuel that he was to anoint David to be king over the people of Israel. How glorious does God’s electing love shine forth here in the anointing of the youngest son of Jesse.

David had experienced much trouble and adversity before he ascended the throne of Israel. Through God’s holy providence he came to the court of king Saul and Jonathan the king’s son became his bosom friend. King Saul gave him a place in his army and he became an officer to fight against the enemies of the Lord. He obtained victory after victory and became the favorite of the people of Israel. Saul saw in David a rival to the throne. The people loved David more than Saul, that was the cause that he decided that the son of Jesse must die. The king endeavors in various ways to destroy him but the Lord protected him. Finally the hate of the king became so great that David was forced to flee, for he was not safe anymore in the courts. A perilous time had come for David; he had to flee as a partridge on the mountains. Nowhere is he safe, everywhere he is threatened with danger. What was the innermost reason that Saul could not bear David? It was because David was a child of the Lord and Saul was not. David feared the Lord from his youth. He was not only anointed as king, but God anointed him with His Spirit. On earth all God’s people experience the bitter enmity of Satan. Who does not know of a wicked Saul, the prince of darkness, who persecutes him from place to place?

David wandered through the entire country to escape the sword of Saul. Often Saul would have captured him if the Lord had not watched over him in a particular manner. David was many times in the wilderness and in the deserts where he roamed around, often alone, to avoid falling into the hands of Saul.

Often the life of God’s children is as a wandering in the wilderness, how many troubles and adversities are there in their lives. Are they not often persecuted by the enemies of their soul? How burdensome life can become for God’s favorite people. It seems as if Saul has the upper hand, and that one day they will fall into his hands. Sometimes it is dark as the night and nowhere can we find a ray of light, we feel lonely and forsaken by God and men. All things seem to be against us, and the Lord hides Himself from our soul. David’s experience is no strange thing to the hearts of God’s dear children.

But the Lord never forgets His people, He thinks on them and He cares for them in a particular way. Sometimes unexpectedly, He prepares for them a table in the wilderness where they are satisfied with heavenly manna. God causes the bitter waters of Marah to become sweet and gives His people a lovely Elim where they may rest for a while in the Lord’s nearness. Do you know who was made to wander? Christ, the greater David’s Son, His life was truly a desert life. He left His heavenly glory and came upon our sinful earth.

Christ’s entire life on earth was one of continuous suffering and persecution. He once said: “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” Christ’s wanderings upon earth were as a surety, our wanderings on account of our sins. If we had not sinned against God in Adam, there would be no misery, grief and sorrow.

Do you know what is so great? That Christ had been willing to wander and roam about on this earth to deliver a wandering and roaming people from eternal death. Our wandering about is the result of our straying away from God in paradise.

When the Lord imparts the new life to us, we become strangers on earth. It is then experienced that the world becomes a foreign land to us, we do not feel at home on the earth. Our hope and expectation is toward that city, which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. It is a blessing if we may be spiritual strangers on earth. The Lord remembers these strangers and grants them His love and favour.

But do you know what is so terrible?

That God’s people so often wander and deviate from the paths of the Lord. What did David do when he had to flee from Saul? He went to the land of the Philistines, he sought refuge with the enemies of God’s Church. David thought he was safe there but he came in great danger of his life. Scarcely had David been there when the Philistines recognize him and they say one to another: “Is this not David, the king of the land?” And what did he do? In his need, he resorts to trickery to save his life. He pretends to be insane, knowing that the heathens believed that the idol-gods worked through those who were insane. Yet David feels that in this way he had not dealt wisely, it was a wandering from the Lord. David who had lived so tenderly before the Lord also had times that he leaned upon the arm of flesh, he was inclined to backslide every moment.

In our days there are many who call themselves Christians, who think that they never backslide. But the great question might well be, have they ever come upon the right path? No, we do not approve of wanderings, it is only God’s grace and special keeping that keeps us from wandering.

God’s people must confess to their shame, that they are a wandering and backsliding people. Sometimes we put more confidence in man than in God and lean on the arm of flesh. We forget the fountain of life and seek for it by broken cisterns that hold no water.

Who can understand his wanderings? May it often be our prayer, Lord cleanse me from my secret sins. Man so often builds upon sandy foundations, but they are no foundations for eternity. Even God’s child after receiving grace often seeks for rest and strength outside of the true rest — Christ. Now we build on our conversion, then on a pleasant revelation and a godly promise. May our souls learn to know Christ personally and His precious work as Surety. O that we may need Him more and more to be delivered by Him. The foundation of the salvation is alone in His finished work. Blessed are that people, who learn to know Christ as the only Redeemer for their soul. We must walk the right path and supplicate the Lord to come to the glorious assurance of faith. How many times God’s children wander on paths that draw their souls away from the precious Redeemer.

David might flee to God with all his needs and wants. He experienced moments that he could pour out his soul to God in stirring supplication. He was given to experience at times, that whatever took place, he could surrender all in God’s hands. Then David waited for the salvation of the Lord, giving up his own workings. The way that the Lord holds with His people, is very often through the vale of tears. Why does God work thus with His children? To cleanse and sanctify them. God marks out the way for His people, He knows all the sorrows and the griefs that they must bear. David says so beautifully: “Thou tellest all my wanderings.”

No, nothing happens by chance, all is ordered by the Lord according to His sovereign good pleasure. The Lord does not give His children more than they can bear, He holds the balances in His hand and measures out what each of His favorites can carry. David had need of this way of oppression to become king of Israel. God had first sent Joseph into slavery before he was made governor of Egypt. Moses had to tend sheep for forty years to lead Israel out of Egypt. The Lord brings His people in darkness and affliction, that He may exercise them thereby. And with the trials He also gives deliverance. It is all God’s love and goodness, which is experienced in the soul, if we are given light on it. Then we learn to praise and adore God’s ways. What a comfort it is for our heart when we may experience that God weighs all our griefs and sorrows. Then we learn to rest in God’s sovereign good pleasure and our murmurings cease. All is good because God does it. O blessed experience. Do you know what is then experienced in our heart? That Christ carries our cross and that He is with us in all our anxieties.

The Lord forgives His children their back-slidings and comforts them in their wanderings on earth and grants His blessed communion.

There is very much weeping done in the world. After our deep fall in Adam the world has become a vale of tears. Man comes into the world weeping; weeping he goes through life, and weeping he leaves the world. For thousands weeping is a prelude to the eternal sorrow, which will one day be their portion.

There is a great difference what we weep over. There is a two-fold sorrow in the world, a natural sorrow and a spiritual sorrow, a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. Natural sorrow is universal, godly sorrow is the working of God’s Spirit. Man weeps when he has trouble and is called to bury a loved one. So many tears are wept which bear no fruit for eternity. The sorrow of the natural man is always the sorrow of the world.

God’s children also weep. Are all the tears which they shed godly tears? No, they also shed many natural tears which do not come into God’s bottle. Which tears come into God’s bottle? Only godly tears.

When the Lord by His Spirit begins to work in our heart we learn to weep tears over our sins. Our heart is grieved that we have sinned against a holy and righteous God. The Lord leads His people with weeping and supplications. There is no conversion without tears. It is not on account of our tears that the Lord gives conversion, nor can it be without tears.

There is a great difference in people, the one weeps much sooner than the other. Some people are very easily moved, and they weep at the slightest disturbance, they make a habit of weeping. There are people who weep to be seen of men, but these tears have no value before God. Weeping over the loss of a dear one is to be understood, but godly sorrow is different. Who can fathom the sorrow and grief of the soul that has been operated upon savingly by the Holy Spirit? Immediately there comes a breaking with heart and bosom sins and a calling for mercy, the soul mourns to God. She weeps because she is a sinner and has offended a holy God by her deeds.

When God touches the heart by His miraculous power, be it ever so hard, it melts away in tears before God’s throne. Godly tears are sweet tears. Already the soul experiences some relief when she may mourn because of her sins. No, we do not say that tears give joy, but only when God speaks to the soul is there joy. The Lord comforts the sorrowing heart in His own time and speaks to the soul: “I am thy salvation.”

All those who learn to weep tears to God shall receive grace and consolation. O blessed moment when God causes the light to arise in our soul.

The Lord pours forth His divine love into our soul and speaks words of comfort to us. Promises of God’s Word are applied to our soul and unspeakable joy and blessedness comes in our heart. It is experienced: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.

What is experienced? We weep again, not for sorrow of our sins, but for joy. It is so great for us, that the Lord has shown us mercy. We cannot understand it, it is too great, too glorious. Has the Lord looked on me, has He heard my supplicant cries? We weep for joy and gladness, we bow in admiration and adoration before God. These tears are sweet and glorious. The tears that we wept for sorrow of our sins are already sweet. But the tears of joy over the wonder of grace that the Lord has performed on us, are much more glorious. May we be given to weep often over God’s goodness. Tears shed for communion with God are put into the bottle of the Lord.

David asks, if the Lord would put his tears into His bottle and he says: “Are they not in Thy book?” He means to say thereby, Lord, Thou knowest all my grief and sorrow, it is known to Thee, how I must wander about on the earth. I am persecuted by my enemies, and hindered from attending Thy house of prayer. Yes, the Lord knows all the grief and troubles of His child. He will deliver him out of his need and bring him on Israel’s throne. There is a book of remembrance with the Lord, all the prayers and sighs of God’s favorites are written therein. What a comfort and strength this is for a poor and helpless people. David does not plead on his tears, he pleads on God’s mercy.

And behold, light arises in his soul, he again experiences communion with God. Therefore amidst all his tears, sorrow and troubles he says: this I know, that God is for me. David had no need for anything more. When God is for us, who can be against us?

We all weep tears in our life. Has the Lord put our tears into His bottle? David was a stranger on earth because he was a child of God. Do we feel at home on the earth or do our hearts go out to a better land, to the heavenly Canaan?

In heaven no tears are wept. Then it will be fulfilled for all God’s poor and sighing people, everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen