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March 30       Today’s Reading: — 1 Samuel 21-24

David’s Men

1 Samuel 22:2

 

And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them.” — These were David’s men, those who gathered themselves to David, those over whom David was captain. In this, too, we see David as a great type of our dear Savior, the Lord Jesus, David’s son and David’s Lord.

 

My Experience

I see myself in these men. When first I came to the Lord Jesus by the sweet, irresistible force of his grace, I was a poor, guilty sinner, in distress, in debt, and discontented, bitter in soul, in the pain of great poverty and need of soul, pressed sore and heavy laden, disconsolate and troubled. Misery filled my heart. My soul was empty. And “no man cared for my soul.

Oh, what a precious thought it was that God the Holy Spirit put in my heart. — “Go to Christ.” And when I came to him, I found him able and willing to save to the uttermost! He graciously condescended to be my Captain, my mighty Savior. My insolvency he took away. Coming to him, I discovered that he had fully paid all my debt. Trusting him, I found that all the demands of God’s holy law and infinite justice had been fully satisfied for this poor sinner. For me he had already magnified the law and made it honourable! All my distress under the apprehension of divine justice he removed. My quaking, screaming conscience was immediately silent and at ease; for God’s justice, by Christ, is not only satisfied, but glorified! All that once disquieted my soul is now forever gone. My soul shall never again be discontent; for in Christ, my God richly supplies all my needs “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus!” All grace is mine here and all glory hereafter!

All praise, honor, and glory to Christ, the great and glorious Captain of my salvation! In him I see that Leader and Commander which Jehovah, the Father, promised to give to the people. He is that Holy One commissioned by the Father to this very purpose, that every one that is in soul distress by reason of sin, and are debtors to the broken law of God, may come to him, bow to him, and find in him their Captain.

Christ’s men, his army, like David’s, is composed of none but distressed souls. None will ever take him for their Captain whose spiritual circumstances are not desperate. None but those whose hearts are distressed by reason of sin, and are sinking under the heavy load of guilt will come under his banner.

 

Condescending Grace

Oh, but what condescending mercy, love, and grace there is in Christ. He condescends to receive such sinners and be gracious to them. Indeed, they are the very people he has chosen as the objects of his grace. Only to these poor, impoverished, empty, needy souls can he be all. But to such, he is all, all our Wisdom, all our Righteousness, all our Sanctification, and all our Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:26-30). I say to every poor sinner, to every insolvent debtor, to every needy soul who feels and knows the plague of his heart, come to Christ, the Captain of my salvation. He is the Near Kinsman, able to redeem and recover all you have lost. He is Jehovah the Healer, able to recover you from all your sorrow. Go to him, my brother, as I have done. He will take away your distress by taking away your sin. He will liberate you from all your debt, having paid it himself. He will banish all discontent from the mind, giving you peace with God by his blood.

 

Captain Over

And this Almighty Captain, the Lord Jesus, is Captain over his people, as well as Captain to his people. He is Lord of all and over all in the hearts of his own. By the sword of his Spirit, which is the Word of God, he works conviction in our hearts, makes all our enemies fall under him, leads all his people on to victory, and makes us more than conquerors by his omnipotent grace! Christ’s men shall be triumphant! Blessed Captain of my soul, put the military garments of salvation on my soul, the whole armour of God, that under your banner I may be found in life, in death, and for evermore!

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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