King David playing the harp, painted by Sir Peter Paul RubensPsalm 71
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1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.
7 I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
10 For my enemies speak concerning me;
those who watch for my life consult together
11 and say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him.”
12 O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.
24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
who sought to do me hurt.
David left his father, Jesse's, flock as a boy deciding to answer King Saul's call for someone to defeat Goliath.
Archaeologists digging at the biblical hometown of Goliath have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine's name, "Goliath" lending historical credence to the Bible's tale of David's battle. This supports biblical depiction of life at the time of the battle. It dates to about 950 B.C. within the correct time span.
In 1902 archaelogist Robert Macalister found several large skeletons of women, 2 meters tall, at Gezer, 6 km south of Gath, 30 km west of Jerusalem. Gezer was Philistine territory. Goliath was about 9 feet tall in Biblical measurements.
Numbers 13:29 describes the sons of Anak are described as being huge. An Egyptian papyrus, written by Hori, in 1200 BC warned traveler about giants south of Megiddo, the hills of lower Galilee.
1 Kings 2:1-4
When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word
In our marriage class, we thought of the television programs like "Bachelor" celebrating the youthful human body. When I was younger, most of the movie stars were John Wayne, David Niven, Jimmy Stewart. Dean Martin. Most of these men were in their 60s. Few of the 'stars' were young. Now, the lines at the grocery stores, magazines are filled with young faces - I have no idea who they are. Isn't it a complex world where we live in a country we are all aging, the median age is increasing, and yet.... we glamorize youth more than when we did when I was younger.
Consider David killing Goliath at a young age. Living for 22 years after being anointed King of Israel before he was King. Goliath was at his top game and physical condition. Yet it didn't work the way Goliath wanted.
And that leads to the next charge of David to Solomon to "be a man." What did David mean about being a man?
For today's example, Sir Peter Paul Rubens led a colorful, long life. "My passion comes from the heavens, not from earthly musings." (28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) Rubens was at the top of the list during the Jesuit reformation, an art awakening - becoming the leader of the art era - painting a tremendous number of Biblical portraits, altarpieces and then later surprising many by moving into landscapes. Rubens also celebrated women.
Rubens came into his own style of painting in 1615, being different from the other painters. His style was bold and not full of details. He didn't outlive the popularity of his art. He traveled to many countries, and had a diplomatic career while many other artists never rose beyond a trades' man status.
Rubens married in 1609, Isabella Brant Rubens, his letters wrote of her liveliness, honor, respect - the dedication they had to their 3 children and her help in his efforts.
Rubens was shaped by life experiences and had been raised after his family experienced some serious trouble. One of the reasons, perhaps, for this marriage dedication, Rubens was born after his father had been imprisoned for his affair with Anna of Saxony, Princess of Orange. Wife of ruler William I of Orange. His family returned to Cologne, Germany the next year. In 1589, two years after his father's death, Rubens moved with his mother to Antwerp, where he was raised as a Catholic.
53 year old Rubens married again 2 years after his wife's death, to 16 year old Hélène Fourment. They had five children. The fifth child being born 8 months after Rubens' death.
Most of the world would applaud Rubens for his good sense to marry again to a much younger woman and have 5 more children. And yet - Hélène acquired fame as the subject of many Rubens' works. Many women bless Rubens' for the recorded beauty of larger women and middle-aged beauty.
In life, a lot of happiness is the gratitude for what we are and who we are - today.
Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Proverbs 16:32
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
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