God's Gentleness Restraining
H. O. Mackay. 2 Samuel 22:36 You have also given me the shield of your salvation: and your gentleness has made me great. A lady visiting Germany was surprised to find in the midst of a city a lovely little garden of flowers, quite unprotected, at the base of a huge equestrian statue. Remarking that here in England such an experiment would be very tempting to the children, the startling answer was given, "Why, the reason the flowers were planted was to save the statue from the children's destructive attentions. They were constantly mounting the back of the horse, and occasionally falling off from it; but since the flowers have been here there has been no more trouble. Such is the German child's love for flowers, and fear to hurt anything living, that they form a perfectly sure protection to anything round which they are planted." When our hearts are right with God, it is His very gentleness and love that saves us from sin and folly; the thought that He might be grieved is an effectual barrier against offences. Thus His gentleness makes us jealously careful, as well as great. (H. O. Mackay.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. WEB: You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your gentleness has made me great.