(2 Samuel 15:19-22)

How noble a thing faith is! How it transforms a naturally selfish, deceitful character into a true and faithful one! Ittai was of Gath, a Philistine; apparently attracted to David during his sojourn in the Philistines' land. He had attached himself to David and enjoyed the prosperity of the earlier part of his reign. But all that was changed now: David was driven away from Jerusalem by Absalom; it was uncertain whether he could ever regain his throne. With characteristic nobleness the king releases Ittai from identification with his fallen fortunes: "Return to thy place … mercy and truth be with thee."

The reply of Ittai causes a thrill in all who would be like-minded. "As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be."

Believers in Christ follow a Greater than David—rejected too by most. Many have turned from Him. "Will ye also go away?" He asks. Let Paul answer for us: "According to my earnest expectation and my hope that … with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death" (Philippians 1:20).

—Samuel Ridout