THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH


THE RUTH AND DAVID WINDOW

(West, or Old Testament Wall)


David and Ruth Window


Ruth is important in Old Testament history as an ancestor of Christ (Matthew 1:5) and is a curiosity in that she is one of the few known non-Hebrew members of what came to be the royal family of David.. The beautiful story of her devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, is movingly told in the Old Testament book which bears her name. Her tender words, "For whither thou goest, I with go" (Ruth 1:16) are, in our window, inscribed above her head, and they surround the symbols of a sickle and a sheaf of wheat reminiscent of the manner in which the impoverished widow eked out her living.

Ruth's great-grandson, David, was Israel's second and greatest king. Davids early years were spent as a shepherd, but later he joined the entourage of Saul, Israel's first king. With the defeat of the Israelites and the death of Saul and his sons, David was anointed king over Judah at Hebron (II Sam 2:4). David undertook far-reaching reforms in national institutions and administration. He also began preparations for, and chose the site of, the temple in Jerusalem. David chose this neutral city for the new capital of his kingdom, and increased the status of the "City of David" the by bringing to it the Ark. He organized the priesthood under the chief priest.(II Sam. 8:17-18), and laid the foundations for the division of the country into districts, also reorganized the army. David was not only a very powerful leader and personality as both solder and statesman, he was also a first-class poet. He was the author of the poignant dirge in 2 Samuel 1 as well as many of the compositions the book of Psalms ascribed to him, thus the harp held in his left hand, and the crown upon his head in our window. Inscribed above his head his words praise: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel" (II Samuel 22), surrounding a crown and the cross.

The quatrefoil at the top of this window pictures the most famous of all the psalms, one closely associated with David in the mind of Israel, Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd ..." The inscription at the bottom of this window reads: "In memory of George D. Hart."