Life and Times of David Part 17

[21] Not exactly the "life of _faith_," but the life of saints. The conflicts and trials so general in the people of G.o.d, while they testify to faith within, result from the flesh which, not having been kept under judgment, rea.s.serts itself against the Spirit in the child of G.o.d. It is of this Gal. v. 16-25 speaks. Were the "walk in the Spirit" a constant thing with us, the l.u.s.t and warrings of the flesh would be kept under--kept in the place of death, where G.o.d has a.s.signed the flesh. The apostle could say as to himself, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. iv.

10). [Ed.]

There is a considerable difference in the way in which the return of the ark is recorded in Samuel and in Chronicles; in the one we have the simple statement of the facts; in the other, we have the moral training through which the soul of David pa.s.sed during the time that he was afraid of G.o.d, or, in other words, during the time that he was laboring under the effects of his own mistake. In Samuel we read, "And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of G.o.d. So David went and brought up the ark of G.o.d from the house of Obed-edom, into the city of David with gladness." David learnt that so far from standing aloof from the ark through fear, it was really his privilege and blessing to be near it. In 1 Chronicles xiv., we find David in conflict with the Philistines, and obtaining victory over them. "David inquired of G.o.d, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt Thou deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thy hand. So they came up to Baal-perazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, G.o.d hath broken in upon mine enemies by my hand, like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim (_i. e._, a place of breaches)." There is a very great difference between "a breach" and "a place of breaches." G.o.d had made a breach upon Israel because of their error in reference to the ark; but as to the Philistines, it was not merely a breach made upon them, they were altogether in a place of breaches; and David might have learnt what a poor example he had followed when he, like them, made the cart to carry the ark. And he did learn his mistake, for in chapter xv. we read, "And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of G.o.d, and pitched for it a tent.

Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of G.o.d but the Levites; for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of G.o.d, and to minister unto Him for ever." And again, addressing the chief of the fathers of the Levites, he says, "Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord G.o.d of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For _because ye did it not at the first_, the Lord our G.o.d made a breach upon us, for that we sought Him not _after the due order_."

Thus had David learned by the "breach" upon Uzza. He was brought to see that to follow in the current of man's thoughts was contrary to "the due order." None can teach like G.o.d. When David was wrong, G.o.d made a breach upon him by His own hand. He would not allow the Philistines to to do this: on the contrary, He allows David to see them in a place of breaches, and enables him to smite them--to break in upon them, like the breaking forth of waters. Thus G.o.d taught, and thus David learned, what was "the due order,"--thus he learned, as it were, to remove the ark from the new cart, and place it upon the shoulders of the Levites, whom the Lord had chosen to minister unto Him for ever,--thus he was taught to cast aside human traditions, and follow, in simplicity, the written word of G.o.d, in which there was not a word about a cart and oxen to carry the ark. "_None_ ought to carry the ark of G.o.d but the Levites." This was very distinct. The entire mistake had risen from forgetfulness of the Word, and following the example of the uncirc.u.mcised, who had no capacity to understand the mind of G.o.d on any question, much less the solemn and important one of carrying the ark.

But in what a wonderfully gracious way did the Lord teach His servant!

He taught him by victory over His enemies! Thus it is the Lord frequently leads His children into the apprehension of His mind, when they vainly seek to follow in the track of the men of this world. He shows them that they should not adopt such models. _The breach_ taught David his mistake; _the place of breaches_ taught him G.o.d's due order: by the former he learnt the folly of the cart and oxen; by the latter he learnt the value of the Levites, and the place which they held in the service of G.o.d. He would not allow His people to depart from His prescribed order with impunity. And the ark might have remained to the end in the house of Obed-edom, had David not learned to lay aside his own way of bringing it up, and take up G.o.d's way.

"So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord G.o.d of Israel. And the children of the Levites bare the ark _upon their shoulders_, with the staves thereon, _as Moses commanded, according to the word of the Lord_." The Lord was glorified in all this, and He could therefore give real joy and gladness, strength and energy. There was no more stumbling of oxen--no more human effort to keep the ark from falling; the truth of G.o.d was dominant, and the power of G.o.d could act. There can be no real power where truth is sacrificed. There may be the appearance of it, the a.s.sumption of it, but no reality. How can there be? G.o.d is the source of power, but He cannot a.s.sociate Himself with what is at variance with His truth. Hence, although "David and all Israel played before G.o.d with all their might," there was no divine power. G.o.d's order was shut out by the human arrangement, and all ended in confusion and sorrow. How different is it in chap. xv. There is real joy--real power. "It came to pa.s.s, when _G.o.d helped the Levites_ that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams. And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song, with the singers." In a word, this was a scene with which G.o.d could consistently connect Himself. He did not help the oxen; He did not help Uzza; the oxen had not borne the ark, of old, through the waters of Jordan; neither had they borne it round the walls of Jericho. No; it was on the shoulders of the Levites that G.o.d had put it, and His order is the only happy one. It may not always commend itself to human judgment; yet it will ever have the stamp of Divine approval, and this is abundantly sufficient for every faithful heart. David was enabled to bear the sneer of contempt from Michal, the daughter of Saul, because HE WAS ACTING BEFORE THE LORD. Hear his fine reply to her reproach: "It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; _therefore will I play before the Lord. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight._" Precious determination! May it be ours, through grace.

Base in our own eyes--happy in G.o.d. Humbled to the very dust in the sense of our own vileness--lifted up on high, in the sense of the grace and loving-kindness of our G.o.d.

The reader will remark that 1 Chronicles xvi. is just the development of the spirit breathed in the above quotation. It is the hiding of self and the setting forth the character and ways of G.o.d. In short, it is a song of praise, which one has only to read to be refreshed thereby. I would only direct the reader's attention to the last verse, in which he will find the four great characteristics of the people of G.o.d fully set forth. "Save us, O G.o.d of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to Thy holy name, and glory in Thy praise." The Church of G.o.d is a _saved_ company. Salvation is the basis of everything. We cannot answer to any of the other characteristics in this copious verse, until we know ourselves as saved by the grace of G.o.d, through the death and resurrection of Christ.

In the power of this salvation the Church is gathered by the energy of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. The true effect of the Spirit's operation will be to lead into fellows.h.i.+p all who submit to His leading. His order is not isolation, but blessed a.s.sociation and unity in the truth. But if there be ignorance as to salvation, our gathering together will not be to the glory of G.o.d, but rather for the promotion of our own spiritual interests, as it is termed. Men frequently a.s.sociate on religious grounds without the a.s.surance of being perfectly saved by the precious blood of Christ. This is not the Spirit's mode of gathering, for He gathers to Christ on the glorious ground of what He has accomplished. Confessing Christ, as the Son of the living G.o.d, is the rock on which the Church is built. It is not agreement in religious views that const.i.tutes church-fellows.h.i.+p, but the possession of a common life, in union with the Head in heaven.

Now, the more this divine unity is realized, the more will we enter into the next characteristic presented to us, viz., _separation_: "and deliver us from the heathen." The Church is called out of the world, though called to witness for Christ in it. All within the Church is to be under the government of the Holy Ghost; all outside alas, is morally under the lords.h.i.+p of Satan, the prince of this world.

Finally, we have the Spirit of a wors.h.i.+ping people: "That we may give thanks to Thy holy name." This follows from all that we have been looking at. Salvation, a.s.sociation, separation, and wors.h.i.+p are all connected together. The Church, breathing the atmosphere of G.o.d's salvation, is led by the Spirit into holy and happy fellows.h.i.+p, and thus being separated unto the Lord Jesus, without the camp, presents the fruit of her lips to G.o.d, giving thanks to His name.

CHAPTER VII

DAVID'S HOUSE AND THE HOUSE OF G.o.d

2 Samuel vii. and 1 Chronicles xxix.

There is nothing in which the narrowness of the human heart is so manifested as in its apprehensions of divine grace. Legalism is that to which we are most p.r.o.ne, because it gives self a place, and makes it something. Now this is the very thing which G.o.d will not allow. "No flesh shall glory in His presence," is a decree which can never be reversed. G.o.d must be all, fill all, and give all.

When the psalmist inquired, "What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits?" the answer is "_I will take_ the cup of salvation." The way to "render" to G.o.d is to "take" yet more largely from His bounteous hand. To be a thankful, unquestioning recipient of grace glorifies G.o.d far more than all we could render unto Him.

The gospel of G.o.d's grace comes to man as a ruined, guilty, helpless being. Hence G.o.d must be the great Actor in redemption. By His counsel alone it was planned; through His mercy alone it was accomplished in "the one offering of Jesus Christ once for all;" and by the Spirit's power alone is the sinner quickened into life and believes the glorious and peace-giving tidings of salvation.

Now, this stops man's mouth altogether as to his own righteousness. It excludes boasting, for we cannot boast of what we are but the unworthy recipients. How happy should all this make us! How happy it is to be the subjects of such grace--grace which blots out all our sins, sets the conscience at rest, and sanctifies all the affections of the heart! Blessed forever be the Fountain from which this saving grace flows to guilty sinners!

The 7th chapter of 2 Samuel is full of instruction as to the great principle of grace. The Lord had done much for His servant David; He had raised him from the depth of obscurity to an exceedingly high elevation, and David felt this, and was disposed to look around him and survey the precious mercies which, in rich profusion, strewed his path.

"And it came to pa.s.s, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of G.o.d dwelleth within curtains." Observe, "David _sat in his house_." He was surrounded by his own circ.u.mstances, and thought it needful to do something for G.o.d; but, again, he was in error as to his thoughts of building a house for Jehovah. The ark was within curtains, truly, because the time had not yet come for it to find a resting-place. G.o.d had ever moved in the fullest sympathy with his people. When they were plunged in the furnace of Egyptian bondage, He was in the burning bush; when they were treading their long and dreary journey across the burning desert, His chariot traveled in company with them all the way. When they stood beneath the frowning walls of Jericho, He was there as a man of war, with a drawn sword in His hand, to act for, and in sympathy with, them. Thus, at all times, G.o.d and His Israel were together. While they toiled, He toiled, and until they could rest, He would not rest. But David desired to build a house, and find a resting-place for G.o.d, while there were both "enemies and evil occurrent."

This could not be. It was contrary to the thoughts and counsels of the G.o.d of Israel. "It came to pa.s.s _that night_, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell My servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build Me a house for Me to dwell in?--whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle." The Lord would not allow another sun to rise without correcting the error of His servant. He sets before him His own past actings toward Israel and toward himself; He reminds David that He had never sought a house or a rest for Himself, but had wandered up and down with His people in all their wanderings, and been afflicted in all their afflictions. "In all the places wherein _I have walked_ with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, Why build ye not Me a house of cedar?"

What lovely, what soul-stirring grace breathes in these words! The blessed G.o.d came down to be a traveler with His traveling people. He would set His foot on the sand of the desert, because Israel was there; He caused His glory to dwell beneath a covering of badgers'

skins, because His redeemed ones were in militant circ.u.mstances.

Jehovah sought not a house of cedar; it was not for that He had come down to visit His people in the hour of their affliction in Egypt; He had come down to _give_, not to _take_; to dispense and minister to His people, not to exact from them. True, when the people had put themselves under a covenant of works, at Mount h.o.r.eb, G.o.d had to test them by a ministration which was characterized by the words "_do_" and "_give_;" but had they only walked in the power of G.o.d's original covenant with Abraham, they would never have heard such words uttered in connection with the terrific thunders of Mount Sinai. When G.o.d came down to redeem them out of the hand of Pharaoh, and out of the house of bondage; when He bore them on eagles' wings, and brought them unto Himself; when He made a way through the sea for His ransomed to pa.s.s over, and overwhelmed the hosts of Egypt in the depths; when He showered down manna from heaven, and caused the refres.h.i.+ng stream to gush from the rock; when He took His place in the pillar of fire by night, and the pillar of cloud by day, to guide them through the trackless desert; when He did all these things for them, and many more, surely it was not on the ground of anything they could _give_ or _do_; but simply on the ground of His own everlasting love, and the covenant of grace made with Abraham. Yes, this was the ground of His acting toward them. What _they_ did was to reject His grace; trample on His laws; despise His warnings; refuse His mercies; stone His prophets; crucify His Son; resist His Spirit! Such were their actings, from the beginning, the bitter fruits of which they are now reaping, and shall reap, until they are brought, humbly and thankfully, to bow to His covenant of grace.

By bringing all these past ways of G.o.d in review before David, the Lord taught David his mistake in seeking to build Him a house. "Shalt thou build Me a house? whereas, etc.... Now, therefore, so shalt thou say to My servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheep-cote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel: and I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great that are in the earth.

Moreover, I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies.

Also the Lord telleth thee that He will make thee a house." David is here taught that his own history, like that of his people, was to be a history of grace from first to last. He is conducted, in thought, from the sheep-cote to the throne, and from the throne into the ages of the future, and sees the whole course marked by the actings of sovereign grace. Grace had taken him up; grace had set him on the throne; grace had subdued his enemies; grace was to bear him onward; grace was to build up his throne and his house to all generations. It was all grace.

David might justly feel that the Lord had done much for him: the house of cedar was a great thing for the shepherd of Bethlehem; but what was it when compared with the future? What was all that G.o.d had done, compared with what He would do? "When thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Thus we see, that it was not merely his own short span of forty years that was to be characterized by such actings of grace; his house too was spoken of "for a great while to come,"

even forever.

Reader, to whom, think you, are we directed in all these promises made to David? Are we to regard them as fully actualized in the reign of Solomon? Surely not. Glorious as was the reign of that monarch, it by no means corresponded to the bright picture presented to David. It was, in one sense, but a pa.s.sing moment, during which a bright gleam of suns.h.i.+ne flashed across Israel's horizon; for hardly are we conducted to the lofty pinnacle on which Solomon was elevated, when the chilling words fall on the ear, "_But Solomon loved many strange women_," etc. Hardly has the cup of exquisite delight been raised to the lips than it is dashed to the ground, and the disappointed heart cries out, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of spirit."

The book of Ecclesiastes will tell us how far short the reign of Solomon came of actualizing the magnificent promises made to David in this 7th chapter of 2 Samuel. In that book we trace the yearnings of a heart that felt an aching void, and was ranging through creation's wide domain in search of a satisfying object, but ranged in vain. We must, therefore, look beyond the reign of Solomon to a greater than he, even to Him of whom the Spirit in Zacharias speaks, in that fine prophecy in Luke i.--"Blessed be the Lord G.o.d of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began; that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He sware to our father Abraham." Again, in the angel's address to Mary, "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord G.o.d shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." Here the heart can repose without a single check. There is no doubt, no hesitation, no interruption, no exception. We feel that we have beneath our feet a solid rock, the Rock of Ages, and that we are not, like the writer of Ecclesiastes, constrained to lament the absence of an object capable of filling our hearts, and satisfying our desires; but rather, as some one has observed, like the bride in Canticles, to confess our entire lack of capacity to enjoy the glorious object presented to us, who is the "fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely."

"Of His kingdom there shall be no end." The foundations of His throne are laid in the deep recesses of eternity; the stamp of immortality is upon His sceptre, and of incorruptibility upon His crown. There shall be no Jeroboam then, to seize upon ten parts of the kingdom; it shall be one undivided whole forever, beneath the peaceful sway of Him who is "meek and lowly in heart."

Such are G.o.d's promises to the house of His servant David. Well might the astonished recipient of such mercies, when speaking of all that had been done for him, exclaim, "And this was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O Lord G.o.d." What was the past when compared with the future! _Grace_ shone in the past, but _glory_ glistened in the future. "The Lord will give grace and glory." Grace lays the foundation; glory garnishes the superstructure. This is true of all; it is true, in an eminent degree, of the Church, as we learn from the epistle to the Ephesians: "Blessed be the G.o.d and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love ... to the praise of the glory of His _grace_, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved ... that in the dispensation of the fulness of times ... we should be to the praise of His glory." And again, "But G.o.d, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

Here we have grace and glory set forth most blessedly: grace securing, on immutable principles, the full forgiveness of sins through the precious blood of Christ, and full acceptance in His beloved Person; glory in the distance, gilding with its immortal beams the ages to come. Thus it is that the word of G.o.d addresses itself to two great principles in the soul of the believer, viz., faith and hope. Faith reposes upon the past; hope antic.i.p.ates the future; faith leans upon G.o.d's work already accomplished; hope looks forward with earnest desire to His actings yet to be developed. This puts the Christian into a deeply interesting position; it shuts him up to G.o.d in everything. As to the past, he leans on the Cross; as to the present, he is sustained and comforted by Christ's priesthood and promises; and as to the future, he "rejoices in hope of the glory of G.o.d."

But let us inquire what was the effect produced upon David by all this burst of grace and glory on his spirit? One thing is certain, it effectually corrected his mistake in seeking, as another has said, to exchange the _sword_ for the _trowel_. It made him really feel his own thorough littleness, and the greatness of G.o.d in His counsels and actings. "Then went king David in, and _sat_ before the Lord, and he said, _Who am I_, O Lord G.o.d?" It is impossible to convey, in human language, the deep experience of David's soul, as expressed in his att.i.tude and inquiry on this occasion. First, as to his att.i.tude, "_he sat_." This gives us the idea of the most complete repose in G.o.d, without a single intervening cloud. There is no doubt, no suspicion, no hesitancy. G.o.d, as the almighty and gracious Actor, filled his soul's vision, and hence, to have entertained a doubt would be calling in question either G.o.d's willingness or ability to do all that He had said. How could he doubt? Impossible! The record of the past furnished too many substantial arguments in proof of both the will and ability of G.o.d to admit of a doubt on the subject.

And truly blessed it is thus to realize our place before the Lord--to allow the heart to dwell upon His wondrous ways of grace--to sit in His presence in the full, unclouded sense of His pardoning love. True, it is hard to understand why it should be so--why He should set His love on creatures such as we. Yet so it is; and we have only to believe and rejoice.

But observe his inquiry, "_Who am I?_" Here we have the hiding of self. David felt that G.o.d was all, and self nothing, when he sat before the Lord. He no longer speaks of his actings, his house of cedar, his plan of building a house, etc. No; he expatiates on the actings of G.o.d, and his own little doings sink into their proper nothingness in his estimation. The Lord had said, "Shalt thou build Me a house?" And again, "The Lord telleth thee that He will make thee a house." In other words, the Lord taught David that He should be superior in everything, and that He could not, therefore, be antic.i.p.ated in building a house. This might seem an easy lesson; but all who know anything of their own proud, self-righteous hearts, know that it was far otherwise. Abraham, David, Job, Paul, and Peter experienced the difficulty of hiding self and exalting G.o.d. This is, in fact, the most difficult lesson for a man to learn; for our whole being since the fall is set upon the very opposite, viz., the exaltation of self, and the setting aside of G.o.d.

It is needless to adduce any proofs of this; Scripture and experience alike demonstrate the fact that man seeks to be somewhat; and this cannot be attempted without setting aside the claims of G.o.d. Grace, however, reverses the matter, and makes man nothing, and G.o.d everything. "Is this the manner of man?" No, indeed, it is not the manner or law of man, but it is the manner of G.o.d. Man's manner is to set himself up, to rejoice in the works of his own hands, to walk in the sparks of his own kindling; G.o.d's manner, on the contrary, is to turn man away from himself, to teach him to look upon his own righteousness as filthy rags, to loathe and abhor himself, and repent in dust and ashes, and cling to Christ, as the s.h.i.+pwrecked mariner clings to the rock.

Thus was it with David when he sat before the Lord, and, losing sight of himself, allowed his soul to go out in holy adoration of G.o.d and His ways. This is true wors.h.i.+p, and is the very reverse of human religiousness. The former is the acknowledgment of G.o.d by the energy of faith; the latter is the setting up of man in the spirit of legalism. No doubt, David would have appeared, to many, a more devoted man when seeking to build a house for the Lord than when sitting in His presence. In the one case, he was trying to do something; in the other, he was apparently doing nothing. Like the two sisters at Bethany, of whom one would seem, in the judgment of nature, to have been doing all the work, and the other to have been sitting idle. How different are G.o.d's thoughts! David sitting before the Lord was in a right position, rather than seeking to build.

It must, however, be observed, that while grace leads us away from our own actings, it does not hinder real acting for G.o.d. Far otherwise. It only hinders self-importance. It does not abolish service; it only puts it in its right place. Hence, when David learnt that he was not the man, nor his the time to lay aside the sword and take up the trowel, how readily did he acquiesce! How readily did he draw forth his sword from its scabbard, and take his place once more on the field of battle! How ready was he to be the militant servant to the end, and allow the curtain to drop upon him as builder! How ready was he to retire, and allow another to do the work!

In chapter viii. we find David smiting, slaying, taking, and thus earning for himself a still more extensive fame as a man of war, and proving how effectually he had learnt the Lord's lesson. Thus will it ever be with all who have learned in the school of G.o.d. It matters little what the character of service may be, whether building the house, or subduing the foes of the Lord. The true servant is ready for anything. David came forth from amid the holy repose of the Lord's house to fight the Lord's battles, in order that he might clear the ground for another to lay the foundation of that house, which his heart had so fondly desired to build. Thus David was the servant throughout. In the sheepfold, in the valley of Elah, in the house of Saul, on the throne of Israel, he maintained the character of a servant.

But we must pa.s.s to other scenes, in order to learn other and deeper principles in reference to David's connection with the house of G.o.d.

He had to learn, in a remarkable manner, where the foundation of the Lord's house was to be laid. Let the reader turn to the 21st chapter of 1 Chronicles and read it. It is parallel with 2 Samuel xxiv., and furnishes the account of David's fall in numbering the people. He became proud of his hosts, or rather the Lord's hosts, which he would fain regard as his. He desired to count his resources, and, alas! he had to learn the emptiness thereof; the sword of the destroying angel mowed down seventy thousand of his boasted numbers, and brought home to his conscience, in terrible solemnity, his grievous sin in attempting to number the Lord's people. However, it had the effect of eliciting much of the sweet, self-renouncing grace that was in David.

Hear his touching words, as he exposes his own bosom to the stroke of judgment: "And David said unto G.o.d, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even _I_ it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let Thy hand, I pray thee, O Lord my G.o.d, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on _Thy_ people, that they should be plagued." This was precious grace. He learned to say, "Thy people," and was ready to stand between them and the foe.

But there was mercy in the midst of wrath. By the thres.h.i.+ng-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the angel of judgment sheathed his sword. "Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the thres.h.i.+ng-floor of Ornan the Jebusite." Here, then, was the place where mercy triumphed, and caused her voice to be heard above the roar of judgment. Here the blood of the victim flowed, and here the foundation of the Lord's house was laid. "At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the thres.h.i.+ng-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon: but David could not go before it to inquire of G.o.d: for he was afraid, because of the sword of the angel of the Lord. Then David said, This is the house of the Lord G.o.d, and this is the altar of the burnt-offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel: and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of G.o.d." Blessed discovery! Thus impressively and solemnly, and effectually, was David taught the place where the Lord's house should be built, and its deep significance! The Lord knows how to lead His people, and to instruct them in the deep secrets of His mind. He taught His servant David by the instrumentality of judgment first, and mercy afterwards, and thus led him to the place and its meaning where He would have His temple built. It was by his necessities he learnt about the temple to G.o.d, and he went forth to make preparation for it as one who had learnt G.o.d's character by his own deep failure.

"This is the house of the Lord G.o.d"--the place where mercy rejoiced against judgment--the place where the blood of the victim flowed--the place where David had his sin blotted out. This was very different from going to build on the ground of his dwelling in a house of cedar, as in 2 Samuel vii. Instead of saying, "Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar," he might say, "Lo, I am a poor, pardoned sinner." It is one thing to act on the ground of what _we_ are; and quite another thing to act on the ground of what _G.o.d_ is. The house of G.o.d must ever be the witness of His mercy, and this holds good whether we look at the temple of old or the Church now. Both show forth the triumph of mercy over judgment. At the cross we behold the stroke of justice falling upon the spotless Victim, and then the Holy Ghost came down to gather men around the person of Him who was raised from the dead. Just as David began to gather the hewed stones, and the materials for the joinings of the house, the moment the place of the foundation was settled. The Church is the temple of the living G.o.d, of which Christ is the chief corner stone. The materials for this building were all provided, and the place of its foundation purchased, in the season of Christ's trouble; for David represents Christ in His sufferings, as Solomon represents Him in His glory. David was the man of war; Solomon, the man of rest. David had to grapple with enemies; Solomon was able to say, "There is neither enemy nor evil occurrent." Thus do these two kings shadow forth Him who, by His cross and pa.s.sion, made ample provision for the building of the temple which shall be manifested in divine order and perfectness in the day of His coming glory.

David proved, in the end, that though his _thoughts_ as to the time of building the house needed to be corrected, his _affection_ for the house itself was not the less fervent. He says, at the close, "Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my G.o.d, the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the bra.s.s for things of bra.s.s, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood: onyx-stones, and stones to be set, glistening stones and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance" (1 Chron. xxix. 2).[22] Thus does grace put service into its proper place, and not only so, but imparts an energy to it which ill-timed service can never exhibit. David had learnt lessons when he sat in the Lord's presence, and when he stood on the thres.h.i.+ng-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, which wonderfully fitted him for making the needed preparations for the temple. He could now say, "I have prepared with _all my might_." And again, "Because I have set _my affection_ to the house of my G.o.d, I have of my own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my G.o.d, _over and above_ all that I have prepared for the holy house, even three thousand talents of gold," etc. His strength and affection were both devoted to a work which was to be brought to maturity by another.

[22] In 2 Samuel xxiv. 24, we read, "So David bought the _thres.h.i.+ng-floor_ and the _oxen_ for fifty shekels of silver." And in 1 Chron. xxi. 25, we read, "So David gave to Ornan _for the place six hundred_ shekels of gold by weight." In Samuel, only the "thres.h.i.+ng-floor and the oxen" for sacrifice at the time of the plague are mentioned; while in Chronicles "the place"--the whole temple hill--seems to be comprehended.

Grace enables a man to hide himself and make G.o.d his object. When David's eye rested on the glittering pile which his devoted heart had raised, he was able to say, "Of _Thine own_ have we given Thee."

"Blessed be Thou, Lord G.o.d of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thy hand is power and might, and in Thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our G.o.d, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name. But _who am I_, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for _all things come of Thee_, and of Thine own have we given Thee. For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. O Lord our G.o.d, all this store that we have prepared to build Thee a house for Thy holy name, cometh of Thy hand, and is all Thine own." "Who am I?" What a question! David was nothing, and G.o.d was all and in all. If ever he had entertained the thought that he could offer anything to G.o.d, he entertained it no longer. It was all the Lord's, and He, in His grace, had allowed them to offer it all. Man can never make G.o.d his debtor, though he is ever seeking to do so. The 50th Psalm, the 1st of Isaiah, and the 17th of Acts, all prove that the unceasing effort of man, whether Jew or Gentile, is to give something to G.o.d; but it is a vain effort. The reply to man, thus endeavoring to make G.o.d his debtor, is, "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee."

G.o.d must be the giver, man the receiver. "Who," says the apostle, "hath _first_ given to Him?" The Lord will graciously take from those who are taught to say, "Of Thine own have we given Thee," but eternity will declare G.o.d to be THE GREAT FIRST GIVER. Blessed that it should be so! Blessed for the poor, guilty, broken-hearted sinner, to recognize in G.o.d the giver of all--of life, pardon, peace, holiness, everlasting glory! Happy was it for David, as he drew near the end of his checkered career, to hide both himself and his offerings behind the rich abundance of divine grace! Happy for him to know, as he handed the plan of the temple to Solomon, his son, that it should ever be the monument of G.o.d's triumphant mercy! The house was, in due time, to rise in magnificence and splendor from its foundation; the effulgence of divine glory was yet to fill it from end to end; yet would it never be forgotten that it stood on that sacred spot where the devastating progress of judgment had been stayed by the hand of sovereign mercy, acting in connection with the blood of a spotless victim.

And, my reader, in pa.s.sing from the temple of Solomon to that which in the latter day shall arise in the midst of G.o.d's beloved people, how fully may we trace the development of the same heavenly principles!

Still more, when we pa.s.s from the earthly to the heavenly temple, may we behold the glorious triumph of mercy over every barrier; yea, rather, the glorious harmony effected between mercy and truth, righteousness and peace. From amid the brightness of millennial glory, shall Israel below, and the Church above, look backward to the cross as the place where justice sheathed its sword, and the Hand of mercy began to erect that superstructure which shall s.h.i.+ne, with everlasting light and glory, to the praise and honor of G.o.d, the blessed Giver of all.