Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
The verse belongs to a song David composed while Saul was pursuing him. Saul was pursuing him to kill him. The song recounts David's dangers and the ways he was rescued. It expresses his trust that God protected and delivered him through severe trials. It praises God as the merciful one who preserved him.
God gives salvation as a shield. His gentleness makes a person great. His grace softens the heart and refines and purifies the feelings, giving a delicate sensitivity and sense of propriety that comes from heaven. For that reason a Christian does not exalt himself. The verse applies to a father who follows Christ's example, so that Christ's tender love, meekness, and gentleness are shown through the father in his treatment of children.
The verse belongs to a song David composed while Saul was pursuing him. Saul was pursuing him to kill him. The song recounts David's dangers and the ways he was rescued. It expresses his trust that God protected and delivered him through severe trials. It praises God as the merciful one who preserved him.
God gives salvation as a shield. His gentleness makes a person great. His grace softens the heart and refines and purifies the feelings, giving a delicate sensitivity and sense of propriety that comes from heaven. For that reason a Christian does not exalt himself. The verse applies to a father who follows Christ's example, so that Christ's tender love, meekness, and gentleness are shown through the father in his treatment of children.