The heart of a good ruler . . . David, so consistently, shows a loyal and compassionate and forgiving heart. He would never lift his hand against Saul, though Saul often tried to kill him, and David even mourned his dying. Abner had fought against David, but David was quick to accept him, and when Joab killed Abner, David lamented the passing of his enemy. David graciously provided for Mephibosheth, Saul’s crippled son, who might have made a claim on the kingship (ch. 4). David had the sort of heart a good ruler must have. How did the Lord put it to Saul? “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and has appointed him commander of his people” (1 Samuel 13:14). Oh, for leaders, national and religious, like that! Yet, our ultimate hope is placed in another:
Lord, Thou art my Rock of Strength,
And my home is in Thine arms;
Thou wilt send me help at length,
And I feel no wild alarms.
Sin nor death can pierce the shield,
Thy defence has o’er me thrown;
Up to Thee myself I yield,
And my sorrows are Thine own. -- August Hermann Francke (1861)