was kindled all the more. His ha tred grew in intensity so that David had to flee for his very life. On one occasion, David's faithful wife helped him to escape from his own home as the forces of Saul came to destroy him (I Samuel 19:11,12). Since God had destined David to be king, the years of his persecu tion from satanically inspired Saul were powerless to do him harm. David refers to these blessed pres ervations throughout the Psalms. God was his shield and buckler; his rock and his fortress; his light and his salvation. In these times there came the prophecy of David's greater Son, who would someday come to bring truth and righteous ness to the hearts of all men, even the Lord Jesus Christ. In II Kings 11:1-5 we have the picture of King Joash. This man, when he came into the world, had to be hidden in the temple to be kept from the wicked clutches of the evil queen. God would not al low her to put him to death, for it was through him that ultimately the Lord was to come. Again we see the devil's business in this “ conflict of the ages." It was to King Joash that the testimony of the law was given which brought him and his people back again to Jehovah. There was a tremendous spiritual revival as a result of it. We have the privilege in this present age of using the Word of God to look back through the cen turies of time seeing how the Lord has moved in the lives of men. The most thrilling things to observe, of course, is the way in which, de spite the attacks of Satan, God has given us His Son. His purpose is to redeem us from our sins and to
ship. Since Saul was now the tool of the devil, God had to intervene to bring the eternal plan of re demption for mankind back to its rightful place of prominence. The youngest of Jesse's eight sons, David had been reared on the ancestral property which Boaz had bought for Ruth. It was near to the city of Bethlehem. Certainly David was taught by the Holy Spir it who revealed God to him in na ture as well as through the writings of the ancient saints. When he was anointed by Samuel, he realized the purpose for which the Lord had called him. From that moment on, the devil was aware of God's plan, too. Therein began his evil and re lentless attack against Jehovah's appointed servant through whom would eventually come the Mes siah. Jealousy was one of the tools which the devil effectively used. Saul was the medium for its weld ing. We see this in I Samuel 18:5- 11. God's power and protection are thrown around young David. The women were giving praise to Da vid rather than to Saul. You can imagine how this infuriated the sel fish king. Saul thought, and rightly so, that the kingdom was too near David's hand. He therefore sought to kill this brave warrior on many occasions. Yet, through it all, the Lord protected the coming mon arch. This was motivation enough for the devil's increased activity. The Philistines had mustered all of their best forces, including Go liath, against Israel. That David was able to bring victory caused melan choly to sweep over jealous Saul. Despite the calm and quiet music of the Psalmist, the wrath of Saul
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