David

Here, says the author, is a "devotional study of what God can do with a man who, though terribly tough and passionate, has a will set to do God's will." The first of a series, this volume describes the life of David, the shepherd-king, under King Saul. Constantly showing how believers today can meet God through this story, Keller deals with the drama and color of David's stormy relationship with Saul, his friendship with Jonathan, his love for Abigail, Nabal's widow, his interaction with the soldiers he commanded, and his respect for prophet, priest, and king in Israel. Keller's readers have learned to expect just this kind of faithfulness to the biblical record, along with the author's knowledge of the primitive setting of the Bible, and his ability to knife through pretense and self-importance with sharp spiritual perception. On every page, the reader is confronted with stark calls to obedience such as this. It was David's lot to follow Israel's first king, Saul -- a concession in governance which God allowed only at Israel's willful insistence. As Saul proved to be equally willful, Keller observes that "Sorrow up sorrow, both to ourselves, to Christ, and to others, most of us prefer to do our own thing in life, to please ourselves rather than Him." Similarly, with unblinking frankness, Keller refuses to gloss over David's lapses in courage, faith, and obedience. But he finds in the giant-killer and king-to-be a heart that could be touched by its own infirmities, repent, and search eagerly for God's renewing Spirit. As with believers today, whose lives are mixtures of darkness and light, there is hope in the story of David that we might yet be anointed for the Master's use. This is a book to be savored in quiet personal study, read for both its historical and devotional content, or used for stimulating group discussion.