by Saul as a designation of David in I Sam. xvii. 33, when he said, " Thou art but a youth," and, therefore, not fit to go forth to fight with Goliath, who was " a man of war from his youth."[1]
By the same word, also, Jeremiah designates himself when, feeling the awful responsibilities of the prophetic office to which he was being called, especially in an age like his, he tried to excuse himself by exclaiming, " Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child."
This fact should be an encouragement to those of any age who have a message from and for God. He can speak to and through men at any and every time of life. He presses into His service the hoary-headed, and sanctifies the experience of years; but He also reveals Himself " by the Word of the Lord " to the child Samuel, and speaks through him His message to the aged high priest: " I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight ": yea, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings He can ordain strength, and perfect His praise, in order to silence His enemies and to confound the worldly-wise and experienced. Let us despise neither age nor youth in God's servants. The question to be asked in reference to those who profess to speak in the Name of God is not about age, experience, education, or worldly position; but are they really the Lord's messengers, and do they, like Haggai, speak "in the Lord's message"? Zechariah was contemporary and fellow-labourer with Haggai (Ezra v. i) to this extent, that his first message was uttered in the eighth month of the second year of Darius; while Haggai's ministry which, as far as it is known to us, spread over a period of scarcely four months altogether closed on the 24th day of the ninth month of the same year; that is, scarcely two months after Zechariah
- ↑ Some, indeed, deny that the term nyj, naar, is used of the prophet; but we will enter into this question when we come to the exposition of that passage. See p. 60.
