A YOUNG man once lived all alone on an island in the Pacific Ocean, because he chose to. His name was Alexander Selkirk and his home was far away in Scotland. As a boy he was quick to be angry and often quarreled with other boys. One day he caused so much disturbance that he was ordered to appear before a town officer. Instead of doing so, he ran away to the sea coast and got work on a ship.
After many months, Alexander came home, but he was in fights and quarrels again and went away angry. This time the ship was bound for distant ports. One day, the ship was anchored in the bay of a small island for repairs.
Soon the ship was ready to set sail, but Alexander had a dispute with the captain, and in his great anger he said, “Put me off this ship. I will not sail a day longer with such a captain!”
The captain was a rough, hard man, and at once gave the order, “Off with him, put him ashore; he is turned out of service.”
Alexander got his chest with clothes and tools and without further word was rowed ashore. He stepped quickly from the small boat and stood unconcerned as the sailors bade him a sorrowful good-bye and started to row back to the ship.
Alexander stood on the shore watching them, still indignant and angry. Suddenly his feelings changed: his anger was gone, and instead he was fearful, and realized what a dreadful choice he had made. He realized that he would have to stay alone on the island where there was no house or provisions, no friends, but only wild animals. He might never have another chance to leave, or to see another person.
Alexander stepped to the edge of the water, waving his hands wildly and shouting, “Come back! Come back!”
He thought he could hear the captain mock and laugh at him, but the boat did not come back; the sailors climbed aboard the ship, and soon the ship sailed out of sight.
Alexander threw himself on the sand in awful despair, but before dark, he got up and found a cave in the rocks, built a fire outside to keep off wild animals, threw down some seaweed for a bed, and placed his trunk across the narrow entrance. Then he rolled himself in his blanket and went to sleep for the night.
In the morning Alexander got some shellfish for food, then climbed to the top of the rocks, hoping to see a ship to signal, though he knew the island was far off the usual course of ships. He stayed on the rocks all day but saw no ship. At night he went back to the cave.
Day after day Alexander climbed the rocks to watch, but no ship came in view. He felt more and more despairing and more lonely, and he was always blaming the cruel captain for his miserable lot. After many days of feeling sorry for himself, Alexander took an article from his chest, and his hand touched a book which his mother had put in when he left home. He knew it was God’s holy Book, the Bible, but he had never cared to open or read it.
That morning the Bible made him think of his parents, and he longed to see them. He carried the Bible to his lookout place on the rocks, and when he opened it he read these words: “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way: they found no city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.” Psa. 107:44They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. (Psalm 107:4).
Alexander thought this verse was like himself, lonely and in trouble. He read on: “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. He led them forth by the right way.” vv. 6, 7.
As Alexander read of the Lord’s care, and that “His mercy endureth forever,” he knew that God’s mercy had been over him. For the first time he realized his own strong will and his bad temper had been the cause of all his troubles.
Alexander knew that God sent His Son to earth to suffer for man’s sins, but he had never thought he needed to be forgiven. Now he felt ashamed of his life, and knelt down on the rock, and confessed to God how wrong he had been, and he accepted Christ as His Saviour and Friend.
After that Alexander did not feel alone; he knew the Lord saw him. He began to go about the island and found much to help and interest him. The trees and plants were lovely and he found fruit and nuts. The cave was too damp so he built a small hut on a higher, level spot and made shelves and benches in it. He tamed a wild goat and some rabbits which were company to him, and even the roaring of the seals which he had thought sounded so terrible, now sounded friendly to him.
Each day Alexander read his Bible and found much to enjoy. He cut a notch in a tree every day to keep track of time, and one day out of each seven he did no work, but read more of God’s words, and prayed and sang hymns he had known in boyhood. So the days passed really pleasantly and he even became fond of the quiet.
At last one day Alexander saw a ship in the distance. He built a big fire on the sand to attract attention, and waved a white cloth tied on a pole. He was seen by the ship’s crew and a boat was sent to shore. The captain was very willing to take him with what things he could carry away. Months later Alexander reached his Scottish home. He no more felt the dreadful anger to anyone; he had learned how much he himself needed the mercy of God.
ML-09/12/1971