Our Daily Homily

Our Daily Homily

BY

F. B. MEYER, D.D.,

AUTHOR OF

"Peter: Fisherman, Disciple, Apostle."

ETC., ETC.

1 SAMUEL - JOB.

MARSHALL, MORGAN & SCOTT, LTD.,

LONDON & EDINBURGH.

"WELL -- What are ages and the lapse of time

Match'd against truths, as lasting as sublime?

Can length of years on God Himself exact?

Or make that fiction, which was once a fact?

No -- marble and recording brass decay,

And, like the graver's memory, pass away;

The works of man inherit, as is just,

Their author's frailty, and return to dust;

But Truth divine for ever stands secure,

Its head is guarded as its base is sure;

Fix'd in the rolling flood of endless years,

The pillar of the eternal plan appears,

The raving storm and dashing wave defies,

Built by that Architect who built the skies."

COWPER.

OUR DAILY HOMILY.

_____

I have poured out my soul before the Lord.1 Sam. i. 15.

HANNAH'S soul was fall of complaint and grief, which flowed over into her face and made it sorrowful. But when she had poured out her soul before the Lord, emptying out all its bitterness, the peace of God took the place of her soul - anguish, she went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. What a glad exchange! How great the contrast! How much the better for herself, and for her home!

Is your face darkened by the bitterness of your soul? Perhaps the enemy has been vexing you sorely; or there is an unrealized hope, an unfulfilled purpose in your life; or, perchance, the Lord seems to have forgotten you. Poor sufferer, there is nothing for it but to pour out your soul before the Lord. Empty out its contents in confession and prayer. God knows it all; yet tell Him, as if He knew nothing. "Ye people, pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us."

"In everything, by prayer and supplication make your requests known unto God."

As we pour out our bitterness, God pours in his peace. Weeping goes out of one door whilst joy enters at another. We transmit the cup of tears to the Man of Sorrows, and He hands it back to us filled with the blessings of the new covenant. Some day you will come to the spot where you wept and prayed, bringing your offering of praise and thanksgiving.

His mother made him a little coat.1 Sam. ii. 19.

WHAT happy work it was! Those nimble fingers flew along the seams, because love inspired them. All her woman's art and wit were put into the garment, her one idea and ambition being to make something which should be not only useful, but becoming. Not mothers only, but fathers, are always making little coats for their children, which they wear long years after a material fabric would have become worn out. How many men and women are wearing today the coats which their parents cut out and made for them long years ago!

Habits are the vesture of the soul. The Apostle bade his converts put off the old man, "which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts," and to put on the new man, "which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness"; to put off anger, wrath, and malice, whilst they put on mercy, humility, and meekness.

What words could better establish the fact that habits are (as the name indicates) the clothing of the inner life! Where and how are habits formed? Not in the night passage of life, but at its dawn; not in great crises, but in daily circumstances; not in life's arena, but in the home, amid the surroundings of earliest childhood. Oh that the spotless robe of Christ's righteousness may ever be exhibited before those with whom we daily come in contact!

By their behaviour to each other and to their children; by the ordering of the

home‑life; by their actions, more than by their words; by the way in which they

speak, and spend their leisure hours, and pray ‑‑ men and women are making the

little coats which, for better or worse, their children wear ever after, and

perhaps pass down to after generations.

And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel! 1

Sam. iii. 10.

SEE the urgency of God! Four times He came, and stood, and called. Mark how He

stands at the door to knock. At first He was content to call the lad once by

name; but after three unsuccessful attempts to attract him to Himself, He

uttered the name twice, with strong urgency in the appeal, Samuel! Samuel! This

has been called God's double knock. There are seven or eight of these double

knocks in Scripture: Simon, Simon; Saul, Saul; Abraham, Abraham.

How may we be sure of a Divine call?

We may know God's call when it grows in intensity. ‑‑ If an impression comes

into your soul, and you are not quite sure of its origin, pray over it; above

all, act on it so far as possible, follow in the direction in which it leads ‑‑

and as you lift up your soul before God, it will wax or wane. If it wanes at

all, abandon it. If it waxes follow it, though all hell attempt to stay you.

We may test God's call by the assistance of godly friends. ‑‑ The aged Eli

perceived that the Lord had called the child, and gave him good advice as to the

manner in which he should respond to it. Our special gifts and the drift of our

circumstances will also assuredly concur in one of God's calls.

We may test God's call by its effect on us. ‑‑ Does it lead to self‑denial? Does

it induce us to leave the comfortable bed and step into the cold? Does it drive

us forth to minister to others? Does it make us more unseIfish, loving, tender,

modest, humble! Whatever is to the humbling of our pride, and the glory of God,

may be truly deemed God's call. Be quick to respond, and fearlessly deliver the

message the Lord has given you.

Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. 1 Sam. iv. 3.

ISRAEL had been defeated with great loss. Their only hope of being able to hold

their own against the Philistines and the people of the land was in the

protection and help vouchsafed to them by God. They knew this, and thought that

they would be secured, if only the Ark of the covenant were on the field. They

forgot that it was only the material symbol of a spiritual relationship; that it

was useless unless that relationship was in living force; and that the bending

forms of the cherubim, emblematic of the Divine protection, would not avail if

their fellowship with the God of the cherubim had been ruptured by backsliding.

There is a sense in which we are always sending for the Ark. The reliance on

outward rites, such as Baptism and the Lord's Supper, on the part of those who

are alienated from the life of God ; the maintenance of the forms of prayer and

Scripture‑reading, which no longer express the passionate love of the soul; the

habit of churchgoing, which so many practise, not because they love God, but

because they think that it will in some way secure his alliance in life's battle

‑‑ all these are forms in which we still fetch the Ark of the covenant, whilst

our hearts are wrong with the God of the covenant.

It should never be forgotten that nothing can afford to us protection and

succour but vital union with Christ. We must hide in his secret place if we

would abide under his shadow. We must dwell in the most holy place if we would

be shadowed by the wings of the Shekinah. There must be nothing between us and

God, if we are to walk together, and enjoy fellowship with the Father and with

his Son, Jesus Christ.

Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth

before the Ark of the Lord. 1 Sam. v. 3.

THE idols of the heathen represent demons who are their accepted gods, just as

the Ark was the symbol of the presence of Jehovah. In the one case there was a

material representation of the demon; but in the case of the Ark there was only

a throne, the Mercy Seat; and no attempt was made to represent the appearance of

the God of Israel. When placed in the Holy of Holies, the Shekinah shone between

the cherubim; this alone spoke of the Divine Spirit who filled the apparently

vacant throne. When the effigy of the fish‑god was confronted by the Sacred Ark,

it was as though the demon spirit and the Divine Spirit had come into contact,

with the inevitable result that the inferiority of the one ensured the crash of

its effigy to the ground.

What a lesson this must have been to the Philistines ‑‑ similar to that given

Pharaoh in the plagues of Egypt, and with the same object of leading them to see

the superior greatness of Jehovah! How great the encouragement to Israel ‑‑ to

know that God could defend his superiority! And how striking the prognostication

for the future, when all the Dagons of the world shall be broken before the

symbol of Divine power and love!

Bring the Ark of God into your life. Set it down in your heart, and forthwith

the Dagons which have held sway for so long will one after another succumb. "The

idols He will utterly abolish." Let Christ in ‑‑ that is the one need of the

soul; and let Him take full possession of you. Then He will do his own work.

Darkness cannot abide light; nor the defilement of the Augean stable the turning

in of the water of the river.

And the kine went along the highway,

lowing as they went. 1 Sam. vi. 12.

THAT two milch kine which had never borne the yoke should move quietly along the

high road, turning neither to the right nor to the left, and lowing for the

calves they had left behind, clearly indicated that they were possessed and

guided by some mysterious power, which we know to have been God's. And if He

were able thus to overpower the instincts of their nature, and to compel them to

do his will, may we not infer that all circumstances, and all men, however

unwittingly, and against their natural instinct, are subserving the purposes of

his will, and bearing on the Ark? The fish yields the tribute money; the colt of

the ass waits where two ways meet to bear the Redeemer; the man with the

waterpot leads to the upper room; the Roman soldiers enable Paul to fulfil the

mission of his life, in preaching the Gospel without hindrance in the very heart

of Rome.

As we go forth into the world, let us believe that the movement of all things is

towards the accomplishment of God's purpose. Herein is a fulfilment of the

Psalmist's prediction about man, which can only be perfectly fulfilled in Jesus

Christ, the second Adam ‑‑ that all things are under his feet, all sheep and

oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field. Everything serves Christ, and those who

serve Christ. In a true sense all things are ours; they minister to us, even as

Christ to God.

And against our natural inclinations let us always regard the claims of God as

paramount; and dare to go his way, though our heart pines for those we leave

behind. "He that loveth father or mother, son or daughter, more than Me, is not

worthy of Me."

Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God. 1 Sam. vii, 8.

SAMUEL was famous for his prayers. They are repeatedly referred to in the brief

record of his life. In the Psalms he is spoken of as the one "who called upon

God's name." Indeed, he fought and won Israel's battles by his strong

intercessions. Mary of Scots said that she dreaded the prayers of John Knox more

than the battalions of the King of France. So his people were accustomed to

think that if the prophet's hands were held out in importunate prayer, their

foes must be restrained.

In the Life of Mr. Reginald Radcliffe, one who contributes a reminiscence

interjects a remark which deserves to be carefully pondered: ‑‑ "The great

secret of the blessing which came from God to the awakening of whole districts,

the quickening of Christians, and the salvation of multitudes, was prayer,

continued, fervent, believing, expectant. There was never anything striking in

the addresses; but through communion with the living Christ, the word came forth

with living and life‑giving power. Often would the forenoon be spent in

continuous prayer." This may well convict some of us of the cause of our

failure. We have expected the Lord to thunder and discomfort our Philistines,

and with a great deliverance ; but we have ceased to cry unto the Lord.

Ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, cease not to cry unto Him. If the judge

avenged the unfortunate widow, shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day

and night? It is recorded of our Lord that He prayed early and late, and all

night. He prayed when He was about to be transfigured; for his disciples; in the

Garden of Gethsemane; and for his murderers. How much more do we need to "pray

without ceasing"!

But the thing displeased Samuel....

And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 1 Sam. viii. 6.

A LITTLE further down in the chapter we learn that Samuel rehearsed the words of

the people unto the Lord. His prayer, to a large extent, was a rehearsal of all

the strong and unkind things that the people had said to him; and in this way he

passed them off his mind, and found relief. There is a suggestion of close

communion with God in the expression, "He rehearsed them in the ears of the

Lord." It had been the habit of his life to be on intimate terms with his God.

Things do not always turn out as we had hoped, and we get displeased for our own

sakes and God's. We had planned in one direction, but events have issued in

another; and the results have threatened to become disastrous. There is but one

resource. If we allow vexations to eat into our heart, they will corrode and

injure it. We must rehearse them to God ‑‑ spreading the letter before Him, as

Hezekiah did; making request like Paul; crying like Samuel.

Surely it is the mistake of our life, that we carry our burdens instead of

handing them over; that we worry instead of trusting; that we pray so little.

The grass grows thick on the pathway to our oratory; the cobwebs hang across the

doorway. The time we spend in prayer is perhaps better spent than in any other

way. It was whilst Samuel prayed thus, that he saw the Divine programme for

Israel:

"And he who at the sixth hour sought

The lone house‑top to pray,

There gained a sight beyond his thought ‑‑

The dawn of Gentile day.

Then reckon not, when perils lour,

The time of prayer mis‑spent;

Nor meanest chance, nor place, nor hour,

Without its heavenward bent."

Behold, there is in this city a man of God. Sam. ix. 6.

THERE is a street in London, near St. Paul's, which I never traverse without

very peculiar feelings. It is Godliman Street. Evidently the name is a

corruption of godly man. Did some saint of God once live here, whose life was so

holy as to give a sweet savour to the very street in which he dwelt? Were the

neighbours who knew him best, the most sure of his godliness? Would that our

piety might leave its mark on our neighbourhoods, and the memory linger long

after we have passed away!

A generation or two ago in the Highlands, there were earnest and holy men who

were known by the significant title of the men. No great religious gathering was

deemed complete without them. Their prayers and exhortations were accompanied by

an especial unction.

In such manner Samuel's godliness was recognised far and wide. The fragrance of

his character could not be concealed. And this gave men confidence in him. They

said, "He is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass." How

much credit redounds to godliness, when it is combined with trustworthiness and

high credit amongst our fellows!

Let us seek to be God's men and women. Let us live not only soberly and

righteously, but godly, in this present world. Let us remember that God hath set

apart the godly for Himself. The godly are the godlike. They become so by

cultivating the fellowship and friendship of God. Their faces become enlightened

with his beauty; their words are weighty with his truth. After being for a

little in their company, you detect the gravity, serenity, gentleness, beauty of

holiness, which are the court manners of heaven.

Thou shalt do as occasion serve thee. 1 Sam. x. 7.

THIS is an example of how God demands of us the use of our sanctified

common‑sense. Samuel sketches to Saul the course of events during the next few

days; showing how clearly our lives lie naked and open to the eyes of God, and

how easily He can reveal them when necessary. But whilst the various incidents

are told, the prophet does not feel it incumbent to tell this goodly young man

how he should behave in any given instance. "When these signs are come upon

thee, thou shalt do as occasion serve thee."

We are reminded of a parallel in the life of Peter. The angel of God unbarred

the prison‑doors, and led him forth, because nothing short of Divine power would

avail. He led the dazed Apostle through one street, because he was too

bewildered to realize what had happened. But, as soon as the night‑air had

brought him to his senses, the angel left him "to consider the meitter" ‑‑ to

use his own judgment. The result of which was, that he went to the house of

Mary.

One of the divinest of our faculties is the judgment, before which the reasons

for and against a certain course of action must be adduced, but with which the

ultimate decision lies. It is a tendency with some to depreciate the use of this

wonderful power, by looking for signs and visions to point their path. This is a

profound mistake. God will give these when there are complications in which the

exercise of judgment might be at fault; but not where it is sufficient. Where no

sign is given, carefully divest yourself of selfish considerations, weigh the

pros and cons, ask for guidance, dare to act; and having acted in faith, never

look back or doubt.

Come let us go to Gilgal, and renew

the Kingdom there. 1 Sam. xi. 14.

IT is good to have days and occasions for renewing the kingdom. Already Saul had

been anointed king. It was a recognised matter that he should inaugurate the

days of the kings, as distinguished from those of the judges. But his great

victory at Jabesh‑Gilead seems to have wrought the enthusiasm of the people to

the highest pitch, and to have presented a great opportunity for renewing the

kingdom. They went to Gilgal to do this, because there, on the first entrance

into Canaan, Israel had rolled away the reproach of uncircumcision, which

symbolised their lack of separation.

Jesus is our King. The Father hath anointed Him, and set Him on his holy hill;

and we have gladly assented to the appointment, and made Him King. But sometimes

our sense of loyalty and devotion wanes. Insensibly we drift from our strenuous

endeavour to act always as his devoted subjects. Therefore we need, from time to

time, to renew the kingdom, and reverently make Him King before the Lord.

Go over the old solemn form of dedication; turn to the yellow leaves of the

diary; bring under his sceptre any new provinces of influence that have been

acquired; tell Him how glad and thankful you are to live only for Him. Let this

be done at Gilgal, the place of circumcision and separation, with the Jordan of

death flowing behind, and the Land of Promise beckoning in front. There is a

sense in which we can consecrate ourselves only once; but we can renew our vows

often.

"Blessings abound where'er He reigns;

The prisoner leaps to burst his chains;

The weary find eternal rest,

And all the sons of want are blest"

The Lord will not forsake his people

for his great Name's sake. 1 Sam. xii. 22.

THE certainty of our salvation rests on the character of God. Moses, years

before, had pleaded that God could not afford to destroy or forsake Israel, lest

the Egyptians and others should have some ground for saying that He was not able

to carry out his purpose, or that He was fickle and changeable. "What wilt Thou

do for thy great Name?" Samuel uses the same argument. We also may avail

ourselves of it for our great comfort.

God knew what we should be ‑‑ how weak and frail and changeful ‑‑ before He

arrested us and brought us to Himself. Speaking after the manner of men, we

might say He counted the cost. He computed whether his resources were sufficient

to secure us from our foes, keep us from falling, and present us faultless

before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. He foreknew how much

forbearance, pity, consolation, and tenderness, we should require. And yet it

pleased Him to make us his people. He cannot, therefore, now run back from his

purpose; otherwise it would seem that difficulties had arisen which either He

had not anticipated, or was not so well able to combat as He had thought. What

an absurd suggestion! In the former case there would be a slur on his

omniscience; on the other, upon his omnipotence.

"What if God should cast you into hell?" was asked of an old Scotchwoman.

'Well," she answered, "If He do, all I can say is, He will lose mair than I

will."

The gracious promise given to Joshua may be appropriated by every trembling

saint of God: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." To the poor and needy

He says, "I the God of Israel will not forsake them."

I forced myself, therefore, and offered

a burnt‑offering. Sam. xiii. 12.

THIS was wholly outside Saul's province. Samuel had engaged to arrive within the

seven days: they had nearly expired, and still there were no signs of the

prophet; and Saul, yielding to the promptings of his impetuous nature, took the

matter into his own hand, and rashly assumed an office to which he had no right.

He protested that he had been very unwilling to add the function of priest to

that of king. But this was notoriously contrary to the truth. For some time he

had chafed against Samuel's prerogative, and now sought to supersede the Divine

order.

It seemed but a small act, and, to superficial judgment, not enough to warrant

the loss of his kingdom; but it was symptomatic of a great moral deficiency. He

had not learned to obey the commandment of the Lord: how could he rule? He could

not control the hasty suggestions of his own nature, in favour of the deliberate

movement of the Divine order: how could he be God's chosen agent? He acted on

the showings of expediency, rather than of faith: how could he be a man after

God's own heart? The restlessness and haste which characterize the present age

must not be allowed to affect our service for God; for thereby the progress of

the Gospel will be hindered rather than helped.

We must learn to wait for God. He may not come till the allotted time has almost

passed; but He will come. He waits for the exact moment in which He can best

succour you. Not till patience has been exercised, but before it has given out.

In the meanwhile, be sure that your safety is secured; He will see to it that

the Philistines shall not come down to overwhelm you.

His eyes were enlightened. 1 Sam. xiv. 27.

THE Philistines were in full flight. The Israelites followed hard at their heels

through the wood. It was there that the honey dropped in rich abundance on the

ground, and there Jonathan tasted a little, dipping the end of his rod into it.

It made all the difference to him, warding off the excessive exhaustion which

paralysed the rest of the army.

The Word of God is sweeter than the honeycomb. ‑‑ Luscious to the sanctified

taste; enlightening to the dimming eyes; strength‑giving to the weary. It drops

in abundance to the ground, as though inviting the hand of the Christian warrior

or wayfarer to take it freely. If there is no taste for the written Word, it may

be assumed that the living Word has not been enthroned in the heart; for where

He reigns supreme, there is a longing for the food which alone can fit us for

the Christian life.

Where we cannot take much, let us take some. ‑‑ There was not time for Jonathan

to sit down and take his fill. He could only catch up some as he hastily passed

through the forest‑glade; but that little made all the difference to him. So, in

the early morning, or at mid‑day, if we cannot fill our hearts with Scripture,

we may catch up a morsel, which will minister untold refreshment, and clear our

spiritual vision.

We specially need to do this when flushed with success. ‑‑ Too often, when we

have had success in the battles of the Lord ‑‑ a good time in preaching or

teaching ‑‑ we are apt to congratulate ourselves, and suppose that we can live

on the emotions excited. But, probably, there is no time when we need more

absolutely to turn to the Word of God. In victory, as in defeat, we must be fed

and nourished.

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to

hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Sam. xv. 22.

THIS is a great principle, which is repeatedly enforced throughout the Bible.

Men have always been apt to divorce religion and morality, and to suppose that a

certain tribute of sacrifice to God will be sufficient compensation for

notorious evil‑doing. But in every age God's servants have protested against the

notion, and have insisted, as Samuel did with Saul, that it were better to obey,

although there should be no spoil from which to select victims for sacrifice.

This was Christ's perpetual protest against the Pharisees.

Let the Ritualist beware. ‑‑ There is a grave fear lest extreme attention to the

outward rite may be accompanied by carelessness to the inward temper. Where the

outward observance is the expression of the attitude of the soul, it is to be

respected even by those of us who feel that excessive symbolism is hostile to

the devout life; but where the rite takes the place of the soul's devotion, or

condones a lax morality, it cannot be too sternly deprecated. Though all the

Levitical rites should be observed without flaw, they could not compensate for

the persistent neglect of the least item of the decalogue. "God is a Spirit; and

they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

Let us all beware. ‑‑ We are apt to make sacrifices of time and money and energy

for God, and to comfort ourselves with the reflection that such as we are may be

excused if in small lapses of temper, or disposition, we come short of the

Divine standard. No; it cannot pass muster. One sin mastered, one temptation

resisted, one duty performed, is dearer to God than the most costly sacrifices

that were ever piled upon the altar.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon

David from that day forward. 1 Sam. xvi. 13.

WHAT may not a day bring forth! Here was a shepherd lad, summoned hastily from

his sheep, and anointed king. But an even greater blessing came into his life

that day, for he was mightily endued with the Holy Spirit. Without doubt, during

his early years the Spirit of God had dwelt within him, moulding his character,

inditing his songs; but, henceforth, the Spirit was to abide on him, as a Divine

unction.

Why should not this day witness a similar transformation for you; not in the

change of earthly position, but in your reception of the "power from on high "

through a renewed enduement? Why should not the Spirit of the Lord come mightily

upon you from this holy hour, even as your eyes glance down this page? Though it

is quite possible that you have been empowered once, there is no finality in

God's bestowals; the apostles were filled and filled again (Acts ii. and iv.).

The age of Pentecost in which we live is distinctly one of Divine anointing. It

awaits all who will separate themselves to God, and receive it for his glory.

The characteristic preposition of this age is on. If you have not received

power, seek it; he that seeketh findeth; nay, receive it ‑‑ to ask is to get. If

the Master, though begotten of the Holy Spirit, forebore to preach the Gospel,

and bind up broken hearts, till He had been anointed as the Christ by the

Spirit, who descended on Him at his baptism; how foolish it is for us, who were

born in sin, to attempt similar work, apart from similar enduement! The promise

to each child of God is: "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is

come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me" (Acts i. 8).

The armies of the living God. 1 Sam. xvii. 26, 36.

THIS made all the difference between David and the rest of the camp. To Saul and

his soldiers God was an absentee ‑‑ a name, but little else. They believed that

He had done great things for his people in the past, and that at some future

time, in the days of the Messiah, He might be expected to do great things again;

but no one thought of Him as present. Keenly sensitive to the defiance of the

Philistine, and grieved by the apathy of his people, David, on the other hand,

felt that God was alive. He had lived alone with Him in the solitude of the

hills, till God had become one of ‑the greatest and most real facts of his young

existence; and as the lad went to and fro among the armed warriors, he was

sublimely conscious of the presence of the living God amid the clang of the

camp.

This is what we need. To live so much with God, that when we come amongst men,

whether in the bazaars of India or the market‑place of an English town, we may

be more aware of his over‑shadowing presence than of the presence or absence of

any one. Lo, God is here! This place is hallowed ground! But none can realize

this by the act of the will. We can only find God everywhere when we carry Him

everywhere. The miner sees by the candle he carries on his forehead.

Each of us is opposed by difficulties, privations, and trials of different

sorts. But the one answer to them all is faith's vision of the Living God. We

can face the mightiest foe in his name. If our faith can but make Him a passage,

along which He shall come, there is no Goliath He will not quell; no question He

will not answer; no need He will not meet

David behaved himself wisely. 1 Sam, xviii. 5, 14, 15, 30.

THERE must be some strong reason for the four‑fold repetition of this phrase in

so short a space. It is as though the Holy Ghost would lay very distinct stress

on the Divine prudence and circumspection, which must characterise the man whose

life is hid in God. Let us walk with God, abiding in Him, subjecting our

thoughts and plans to his, communing about all things with Him, talking over our

lives with Him, before we go out to live them in the presence of our fellows.

Then we too shall have this gracious wisdom, which is more moral than

intellectual ‑‑ the product of the grace of God rather than of human culture.

Our life shall commend itself to men (5). ‑‑ David's was good in the sight of

all the people, and more wonderful still, in the sight of Saul's servants, who

might have been jealous. A life lived in God disarms jealousy and envy. He who,

as a boy, did his Father's business increased in wisdom, and in favour with God

and men.

Our life shall rebuke and awe our foes (15). ‑‑ Saul stood in awe of him. When

traps and snares are laid for us we shall be enabled to thread our way through

them all, as Jesus did when they tried to entangle Him in his talk. We shall

have a wisdom which all our foes together shall not be able to gainsay or

resist.

Our name will be precious (30). ‑‑ People loved to dwell on the name of David;

it was much set by; they noticed and were impressed with the beauty and nobility

of his character. We must always view our lives, amusements, and undertakings,

in the light of the result which will accrue to Him whose name it is our

privilege to bear.

And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan. 1 Sam. xix, 6.

IT was a noble act of Jonathan. He might have withdrawn from his friendship with

David when it threatened his relations with his father; but, instead, be stopped

into the breach, and pleaded for his friend, endeavouring to eradicate the false

ind ungenerous conceptions of which Saul had become possessed. It is an example

we do well to study and copy. For his love's sake, as well as for his father's,

he was extremely eager to effect a reconciliation between him to whom he owed

allegiance of son and subject, and this fair shepherd‑minstrel‑warrior, who had

so recently cast a sunny gleam upon his life.

Men often misconceive of one another. Jealousy and envy distort behaviour and

actions which are in themselves as beautiful as possible. Misrepresentation will

blind us to the true excellences of one another's characters. Wrong

constructions are often put on the most innocent incidents. We cannot help these

things, they are part of the sad heritage of the Fall; but we may often take up

the cause of a misunderstood man, and at the risk of losing our own reputation,

and diverting to ourselves some of the odium which attaches to him, we may stand

as his sponsors.

Even if we dislike another, as Saul did David, let us give scope to the good

Spirit to plead his cause at the bar of our hearts, as Jonathan did for his

friend. Let us consider all the kind and loving things that may be said of him;

let us put ourselves in his position; let us be willing to believe and hope all

things. Let us plead for others, since this is a work in which Christ's

followers most closely approximate to Him who ever liveth to intercede.

Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat

will be empty. 1 Sam, xx. 18.

JONATHAN and David had entered into a covenant,each loving the other as his own

soul. Anxious to shield his friend from the wrath of his father, Jonathan

discloses to David the plan by which he shall know how matters fared in the

royal palace. David's vacant seat suggests a lesson for us.

There are a good many empty seats in our houses. Those that occupied them can

never do so again; they have gone never to return again, and we miss them

sorely.

Let us see to it that we do not leave our seats in the home circle needlessly

vacant. Let not the mother be away at the dance, or even at the religious

meeting, when she should be at home, joining in her children's evening prayers.

Let the father be very sure that God has called him elsewhere, before he

habitually vacates his place in the evening family circle. Let each of us avoid

giving needless pain to those we love by leaving empty seats. But if God calls

us away to his service, then for those who miss us, another Form shall glide in,

and sit in the vacant chair; and they will become conscious that the Master is

filling the gap, and beguiling the weary moments.

Above all, let not your seat be empty in the house of God, at the ordinary

service, or at the Lord's Table. We are too prone to allow a trifle to deter us

from joining in the sacred feasts. At such times we are missed, our empty seat

witnesses against us; there is a lack in the song and prayer, which cries out

against us; there is a distinct loss to the power of the service, which is in

proportion to the number of earnest souls present. Oh that there may be no empty

seats at the marriage supper, vacated through our unfaithfulness!

There is none like that; give it me. 1 Sam. xxi. 9.

WHAT David said of the sword of Goliath we may say of Holy Scripture ‑‑ the

sword of the Spirit ‑‑ "There is none like that."

There is no book like the Bible for those convinced of sin. ‑‑ The Word of God

assures the sinner of God's love in Christ, whilst it refuses to condone a

single sin, or excuse one shortcoming. The Bible is as stern as conscience

herself against sin, but as pitiful as the heart of God to the sinner. It,

moreover, discloses the method by which the just God becomes the justifier of

those who believe.

There is no book like the Bible for the sorrowful. ‑‑ It tells of the Comforter;

it reminds us that in all our sorrow God also is sad; it points to the perfect

plan according to which God is working out our blessedness; it insists that all

things are working together for good; it opens the vision of the blessed future,

where all the griefs and tears of men shall be put away for ever.

There is no book like the Bible for the dying. ‑‑ "Read to me," said Sir Walter

Scott, on his dying bed, to his friend. "What shall l read?" "There is only one

book for a dying man," was the answer; "read to me from the Bible." The Book

which tells of the Lord, who died and rose again; of the mansions which He has

gone to prepare; of the reunion of the saints; of the fountains of water of life

‑‑ is the only pillow on which the dying head can rest softly.

In these days of debate and doubt there is no such evidence for the Divine

authority of the Bible as that which accrues from its perpetual use, whether in

our own life, or in the conviction of the ungodly.

Till I know what God will do for me. 1 Sam. xxii. 3.

WE shall never get to the end of all that God will do for us, if only we

perfectly give ourselves up to Him. David had a very imperfect vision of all

that was in God's plan for him; he had an inkling, but that was all. And we have

still less. Yet let us recapitulate some of the things which God will do for us.

He waits to give us the spirit of Sonship: so that we may ever be conscious of

his Fatherhood, and look up into his face in the garden of Gethsemane, and on

the Mount of Transfiguration alike, calling Him Abba, Father.

He longs to lead us to full consecration; to lead us into such close association

with Jesus in his redeeming purpose, that we may become his willing

bond‑servants, with no other purpose and aim in life than his service and glory.

He desires to deliver us from all known sin: that we may be blameless and

harmless, his children without rebuke in this sinful world, who walk before Him

in holiness and righteousness all our days.

He wants to anoint us with the Holy Spirit: so that our ministry to men may have

more of the savour of Christ; may plough deeper furrows in human hearts; may

have more abiding results.

He desires us to come into partnership with his Son ‑‑ here in his redemptive

purpose, yonder in his throne. To this indeed He calls us.

Who can know all that God waits to do, not here only, but yonder, when life has

entered upon its eternal stage! "Now are we children of God; and it is not yet

made manifest what we shall be" (1 John iii. 2, R.V.).

He said to Abiathar the priest,

Bring hither the ephod. 1 Sam. xxiii. 9.

DAVID was passing through one of the most awful experiences of his life, when

his men spoke of ‑stoning him instead of taking up his cause. How many times in

this chapter we are informed that David inquired of the Lord! Some three or four

times the appeal for direction was renewed, as though he were fearful to stir

one step by the light of his own unaided wisdom. In that changeful life of his,

it must have been extremely difficult to set the Lord always before him, and

await Divine direction. Many a time his circumstances might seem to demand

immediate action rather than prayer; and the rude soldiery must have insisted on

their voice being heard rather than a priest's; but David was not deterred by

one or the other, and still held to his practice of consulting the Urim and

Thummim stone, set in the ephod; which was probably a splendid diamond, flashing

with God's distinct "Yes," or growing cloudy and dark with his definite "No."

Let us inquire of the Lord. The answer will surely come, if we wait for it. If

we are not sure of it, let us still wait, for it will come ‑‑ not so early as to

save us from using our faith, not so late as to permit us to be overwhelmed.

Direction will come in the growing conviction of duty, in the drift of

circumstances, in the advice of friends, in the perceptions of a sanctified

judgment. None that wait on God can be ashamed. Whether our duty be to arise and

pursue, to sit still, or to escape ‑‑ "the meek He will guide in judgment; the

meek He will teach his way." He gives us a white stone in which a name is

written, which only they know who receive.

And David's heart smote him. 1 Sam. xxiv. 5.

IT is well to have a tender conscience, and to obey its least monitions, even

when men and things militate against it. Here was an opportunity for David and

his band to end their wanderings and hardships by one thrust of the spear; but

though it was a very small thing that he had done, David was struck with remorse

for having taken advantage of Saul's retirement in the precincts of the cave,

where his men and he were hiding, and cut off a piece of his robe.

It was a trifling matter, and yet it seemed dishonouring to God's anointed king;

and as such it hurt David to have done it. We sometimes in conversation and

criticism cut off a piece of a man's character, or influence for good, or

standing in the esteem of others. Ought not our heart to smite us for such

thoughtless conduct? Ought we not to make confession or reparation?

Circumstances seemed to favour it. ‑‑ Of all the scores of caves in the

neighbourhood, the king had happened to choose the very one, in the dark

recesses of which David and his men were sheltering. What more natural than to

obtain some token to convince the king how absolutely he had been in his young

rival's power? But favouring circumstances do not justify an act which is not

perfectly healthy and right. Opportunity does not make a wrong thing right.

His men unanimously approved the act, nay, they wanted him to go further. Their

standard was a very low one, not only in this case, but in others. How wonderful

that David kept such a high ideal amid such comrades! We shall not be judged

hereafter by the standard which obtained among our comrades.

This shall be no grief unto thee. 1 Sam. xxv. 31.

THERE was an inimitable blending of woman's wit with worldly prudence in the

words of the beautiful Abigail. Poor woman, she bad had a sorry life of it,

mated to such a man as Nabal was! An ill‑assorted pair certainly, though

probably she had had no hand in bringing about the alliance. Like so many

Eastern women, she was the creature of another's act and choice. But she

succeeded in averting the blow which David was hasting to inflict, by asserting

her belief that the time was not far distant when he would no longer be a

fugitive from his foes, and by suggesting that when that happy time came it

would be a relief to feel that he had not allowed himself to be carried to all

lengths by his hot passion.

It was very salutary advice. Let us always look at things from the view‑point of

the future, when our passion shall have subsided, when time shall have cooled

us, and especially when we review the present from the verge of the other world

‑‑ how then?

We can well afford to do this since God is with us, and our life is bound up

with Him in the bundle of life. Abigail reminded David that God would do to

him all the good of which He had spoken, and would sling out his enemies as from

a sling. So God will do for us; not one good thing will fail of all that He hath

promised; no weapon that is formed against us shall prosper. Within a little,

Nabal was dead, and David's wrong righted. So shall the evil that now molests us

pass away. God will deal with it. Let us leave it to Him: before Him mountains

shall melt like wax; and we shall have nothing to regret.

Then said Saul, I have sinned. 1 Sam. xxvi. 21.

THE Apostle makes a great distinction, and rightly, between the sorrow of the

world and the sorrow of a godly repentance which needeth not to be repented of.

Certainly Saul's confession of sin belonged to the former; whilst the cry of the

latter comes out in Psalm li., extorted from David by the crimes of after years.

The difference between the two may be briefly summarized in this, that the one

counts sin a folly and regrets its consequences; whilst the other regards sin as

a crime done against the most Holy God, and regrets the pain given to Him.

"Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight."

Obviously Saul's confession was of the former description, "I have played the

fool." He recognised the unkingliness of his behaviour, and the futility of his

efforts against David. But he stayed there, stopping short of a faithful

recognition of his position in the sight of God, as weighed in the balances of

eternal justice.

Many a time in Scripture do we meet with this confession. The Prodigal, Judas,

Pharaoh, David, and Saul, uttered it; but in what differing tones, and with what

differing motives! We need to winnow our words before God; not content with

using the expressions of penitence, unless we are very sure that they bear the

mint‑mark of heaven, and deserve the master's Beatitude, "Blessed are they that

mourn, for they shall be comforted."

When sin is humbly confessed, the Saviour assures us: "Thy sins, which are many,

are forgiven thee, go in peace." "lf we confess our sins, He is faithful and

just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. "

And David said, I shall now perish one day

by the hand of Saul. 1 Sam. xxvii. 1.

WHAT a fit of despondency and unbelief was here! We can hardly believe that this

is he who in so many psalms had boasted of the shepherd care of God, who had so

often insisted on the safety of God's pavilion. It was a fainting fit, brought

on by the bad air he had breathed amid the evil associations of Adullam's cave.

Had not God promised to take care of him? Was not his future already guaranteed

by the promises that he should succeed to the kingdom? But nothing availed to

check his precipitate flight into the land of the Philistines.

Bitterly he rued this mistake. The prevarication and deceit to which he was

driven; the anguish of having to march with Achish against his own people; the

sack and burning of Ziklag : these were the price he had to pay for his

mistrust. Unbelief always brings many other bitter sorrows in its train, and

leads the soul to cry,

"How long, 0 Lord? Wilt Thou forget me for ever?

How long wilt Thou hide thy face from me?"

Let us beware of losing heart, as David did. Look not at Saul, but at God, who

is omnipotent; not at the winds and waves, but at Him who walks across the

water; not at what may come, but at that which is ‑‑ for the gIorious Lord is

round about thee to deliver thee. He shall deliver thy soul from death, thine

eyes from tears, and thy feet from falling. He that has helped will help. What

He has done, He will do. God always works from less to more, never from more to

less. Dost thou not hear ‑‑ hast thou not heard ‑‑ his voice saying, I will

never leave thee, nor forsake thee? What, then, can man do unto thee? Every

weapon used against thee shall go blunt on an invisible shield!

Because thou obeyest not the voice

of the Lord, therefore . . . 1 Sam. xxviii. 18.

THUS unforgiven sin comes back to a man. We cannot explain the mysteries that

lie around this incident; but it is clear that in that supreme hour of Saul's

fate, that early sin, which had never been confessed and put away, came surging

back on the mind and heart of the terror‑stricken monarch. "Because thou

obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon

Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee This day. Moreover the

Lord will deliver Israel also with thee into the hands of the Philistines"

(R.V.). But Saul did not realize that even then the gates of God's love stood

open to him, if only he would pass through them by humble penitence and faith.

If instead of applying to the witch, he had sought God's mercy, light would have

burst on his darkened path, and he had never perished by his own hand on Mount

Gilboa.

In strong contrast with this, let us put the assurance of the new covenant:

"Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." When God forgives, He blots

out from the book of his remembrance. The sin is gone as a pebble in the ocean;

as a cloud in the blue of a summer's sky.

Saul's was a sin of omission. The question was not what evil he had done, but

the good be had failed to do. Let us remember that we need pardon for the sad

lapses and failures of our lives, equally as for the positive transgressions.

And if such things are not forgiven, they will lie heavy on our consciences when

the shadows of death begin to gather around us. The New Testament especially

judges those who knew and did not do ‑‑ the slothful servant, the virgin without

the oil, the priest that passed by on the other side.

What do these Hebrews here? 1 Sam. xxix. 3.

IT was a very natural remark. The Philistines were going into battle with the

Hebrew king and his troops, and it was very anomalous that a strong body of

Hebrews should be forming part of the Philistine array. They had no business to

be there. The annoyance of the chief captains and lords that surrounded Achish

was natural enough. For long, probably, it had been smouldering; now it broke

out into flame.

It is very terrible when the children of the world have a higher sense of

Christian propriety and fitness than Christians themselves, and say to one

another, "What do these Hebrews here?" The word "Hebrew" means one that has

passed over ‑‑ a separatist. The death of our Lord Jesus was intended to make

all his followers separatists. Through Him they have passed from death unto

life; they have been delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into

the kingdom of God's dear Son. The appeal of his cross to us all is, "Come out

from among them, and be ye separate." Too often, however, that call is unheeded;

and, for fear of man, we mingle with the ranks of the enemies of our Lord.

If Christians attend the theatre; if Sunday‑school teachers, elders or deacons

of a church, are found participating in the pleasures of the ungodly; if the

young Christian man is found loosely consorting with the card‑players of the

smoking‑room of an ocean steamer ‑‑ may not the sneer go round, "What do these

Hebrews here? " "What doest thou here, Elijah! " is the remonstrance of God.

"What do these Hebrews here? " that of the world, which not unfrequently has a

truer sense of propriety than God's professing followers.

David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. 1 Sam. xxx. 6.

HIS God! Doubtless the chronicler heard him say repeatedly, as he was so fond of

saying, "My God, my God. " "I will say unto God, my rock, why hast Thou forsaken

me?" Though he had seriously compromised God's cause, by the failure of his

faith, by consorting with Achish and the Philistines, by a tortuous and

treacherous policy, yet God was still his God; and, in the supreme crisis which

had overtaken him, he naturally betook himself to the covert of those loving

wings.

He encouraged himself. ‑‑ He would go back on promises of forgiveness and

succour, which had so often cheered him in similar straits. He would recall his

songs in former nights as black as this, and therefore would have hope. He would

remember that he had been brought through worse trials; and surely He who had

helped him against Goliath and Saul would not fail him against the Amalekites.

Besides, he had probably left his dear ones in the protection of the encamping

angel; and though his faith might be tried, it could not be entirely

disappointed. In this way he encouraged himself. All around was tumult and fear;

but in God peace and rest brooded, as swans on a tranquil lake. His men might

speak of stoning him; his heart be greatly distressed for wives and children;

his life be in jeopardy: but God was a very present help, "Why art thou cast

down, and disquieted, 0 my soul? Hope thou in God."

In similar circumstances, let us have resort to similar sources of comfort; hide

in God, and encourage ourselves in Him. It was in this spirit that John Knox,

when about to face death, said to his wife, "Read to me where I first cast

anchor."

All the valiant men . . . 1 Sam. xxxi. 11, 12.

THIS was a noble and generous act. At the beginning of his reign, in the early

dawn of youthful promise and prowess, when he was the darling of the nation,

Saul had interposed to deliver their beleagured city. And now, as the awful

tidings of his defeat and suicide spread like fire through the country, the men

whom he had succoured remembered his first kingly act, and showed their

appreciation for his kindness by doing a strong and chivalrous deed in rescuing

his remains from dishonour. They could not help him, but they could save his

honour. When David heard of this act, he sent messengers to the men of

Jabesh‑Gilead, thanking them for their chivalrous devotion to the memory of the

fallen king, and promising to requite the kindness as one done to the entire

nation, and to himself

Are we careful enough of the honour and name of our dear Lord? He has done for

us spiritually all that Saul did for Jabesh‑Gilead, and more. He has delivered

our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. Let us be

swift to maintain the honour of his name among those who are so apt at making it

their scorn.

It was well that these men did not wait for others to act. Had they done so, the

body of Saul might have rotted piecemeal on the walls of the temple at Bethshan.

If they had left this act of reparation for Abner, or Ish‑bosheth, it would

never have been done. There is no order of precedence, when a wrong has to be

righted, or a friend vindicated. The man who is next must act. Let us strike

into the fray, and count that our opportunity is warrant enough. He who can,

may.

Saul and Jonathan were lovely

and pleasant in their lives. 2 Sam. i. 23.

IT was very lovely and pleasant of David to say so. He had no hesitation, of

course, in saying this of his beloved Jonathan, every memory of whom was very

pleasant, like a sweet strain of music, or the scent of the spring breeze; but

he might have been excused for omitting Saul from the graceful and generous

epithets he heaped on the kindred soul of his friend. But death had obliterated

the sad, dark memories of recent days, and had transported the Psalmist across

the dream of years to Saul as he was when he was first introduced to him. All

that could be said in praise of the first Hebrew king was crowded into these

glowing lines ‑‑ the courage, martial prowess, swiftness to aid those who

required help, his pleasantness and courtesy in address.

This is the love of God, which He breathes into the hearts of his children. They

become perfect in love, as He is. "God commendeth his love towards us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." It is God‑like for his children

to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, and pray for all who

despitefully use and persecute them. Is such love ours? Do we forbear from

thinking evil? Do we look on the virtues more often than the failures of our

friends? Do we cast the mantle of forgiveness over the injuries done to us, and

dwell tenderly on the excellences of our foes? Such is the love which never

fails, but endures when faith has turned to fruition, and hope has realized its

dreams.

We need most of all a baptism of love. A piece of clay will become fragrant if

placed in contiguity to attar of roses. Let us lie where John did, on the bosom

of incarnate love, till we begin to love as he.

The men of Judah came, and there

they annoited David king. 2 Sam. ii. 4.

THUS was David anointed a second time. Hitherto he had been the leader of a

troop; now he became king of his own tribe: and his kingdom clustered around the

ancient city of Hebron.

Typically, we learn that our blessed Lord will be acknowledged King of his own

people, the Jews, before He is accepted by the world at large. Now, his kingdom

is in mystery ‑‑ it is in the Adullam stage. Men are gathering to Him from all

quarters; but as yet the world does not recognise it in their political

calculations. But ere long the Jews will recognise Him as King, and then we may

begin to expect his enthronement over the populations of the globe. When they

repent and are converted, times of repenting will come to all the world.

Experimentally we are taught, that as each new department of our life unfolds,

we should give Christ a fresh coronation. The attitude which we took up years

ago, of complete consecration, must be applied perpetually to each fresh

development of experience. Each new step should be characterised by a definite

waiting on God, that there may be a fresh enduement of power, a recharging of

the spirit with his might. Was He King in the cave, then be sure to acknowledge

Him as such, now that you are called from obscurity into the glare of noon.

Whenever God says, by the circumstances of your life, Go up; always kneel at the

feet of Jesus, saying, "Lord, in the very little I found my joy and strength in

serving Thee only; and now, amid the greater responsibility and publicity of my

life, I desire to be thy earnest, simple‑minded, whole‑hearted follower."

Have you anointed Jesus as your King? Do not fail. Remember how near of kin He

is.

David wared stronger and stronger,

and the house of Saul wared weaker. 2 Sam. iii. 1.

THE war between the flesh and the Spirit is Iong, but the end is sure. As the

Baptist said of Jesus, so must the flesh say of the Spirit, He must increase; I

must decrease. Sometimes, in the long strain of the war, our spirit dies down.

Will the bugle never cease to ring out its alarm? Will the assaults never come,

to an end? When shall we be able to lay aside sword and breastplate, and to

enter the land of rest? Oh to be able to say with the Apostle, "I have fought

the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith"!

Yet take heart. The assaults diminish in frequency and strength in proportion as

they are faithfully resisted. Each time you resist successfully you will find it

easier to resist. The strength of the vanquished foe enters the vanquisher.

Moreover, ultimate victory is secured. " Whatsoever is born of God overcometh

the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son

of God? " (1 John v. 4, 5). It makes a great difference to the soldier, when he

belongs to an All‑Victorious Legion, and serves under a Captain that never lost

a fight. And there can be no doubt as to the issue in your heart or mine. "He

must reign till He has put all enemies under his feet."

At any moment we may look for the sudden collapse of a great portion of the

confederacy of evil, which has so long menaced us; as when Abner suddenly came

to Hebron to give in his adhesion to David. What a hugh piece of cliff fell that

day into the sea! Expect the sudden collapse of evils which have long troubled

you.

As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul

out of all adversity. 2 Sam. iv. 9.

IT was the mid‑day of David's life, and, looking back, he saw how good the Lord

had been to him. Step by step God had brought him up out of a horrible pit, and

from the miry clay, setting him upon a rock, and establishing his goings. What

need was there, then, that men should interfere to hasten the unfolding of the

Divine purposes? It had been his lifelong habit to wait. Whatever he needed he

looked to God to supply. Whatever difficulties blocked his path, he looked to

God to remove. Whatever men stood in his way, he looked to God to deal with

them. Twice in the wilderness he refused to take Saul's life. He had executed

the Amalekite because he claimed to have slain Saul on Gilboa. And, in pursuance

of the same policy, he could have no complicity in the act of the murderers of

Ishbosheth, even though they made his way clear to the throne of Israel.

Let God redeem thee out of all thine adversities. Do not lose heart or hope. Do

not put forth thy hand to snatch at any position or deliverance by an act which

might afterwards cause thee shame or sorrow. "Trust in the Lord, and do good.

Roll thy way upon the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him " (Psa. xxxvii. 3‑7, R.V.). He who

turns glaciers to rivers that pass away, will remove all thy difficulties and

perplexities. He shall cause thee to inherit the land. He will promote thee in

due time, and give thee to see thy desire upon thine enemies.He who redeemed thy

soul by his most precious blood cannot fail thee, however long He may

tarry.Remember that He ever liveth, and loveth, and reigneth

And David took him more wives out of Jerusalem. 2 Sam. v. I3.

THIS is terribly disappointing! According to the ideas of the surrounding

nations, the greatness of a monarch was gauged by the extent of his harem. But

the law of Moses put severe restraint on the multiplication of wives, "that his

heart turn not away " (Deut. xvii. 17). It seems as though the soul of David

sank into sensual indulgence and luxuriance. It lost much of its early hardihood

and strength in consequence; and at this period of his life those seeds were

sown, which in after years brought forth such a plentiful and terrible harvest

of anguish, murder, and impurity, in his family.

Few of us realize how much our character owes to the stern discipline to which

God subjects us. The only way to keep us healthy and vigorous is to send us many

a nipping frost, many a keen northern blast. The bleak hillside breeds stronger

natures than the warm sheltered valley. The difference between Anglo‑Saxon and

Negro is largely wrought by temperature and soil. The campaign, with its strain

on every power of endurance, trains better soldiers than the barracks. As David

was a stronger, better man, when hunted like a coney in the rocks of Engedi, so

are we braced to a nobler life, when all things seem against us.

Few of us can be trusted with unbroken happiness. God is compelled to withhold

what the flesh craves. But where prosperity has shone on your path, be very

careful not to abuse it. Consider it as indicating God's loving trust in you. He

would rather convey his lesson in sunshine than in storm. But walk carefully and

humbly, looking to Him constantly for daily grace, and never relaxing the girdle

about the loin.

They set the Ark of God upon a new cart. 2 Sam. vi. 3.

THIS was their mistake. The Divine directions were explicit that the Ark of the

living God must be carried on the shoulders of living men. There would have been

no stumbling of oxen, no swaying of the Ark to falling, no need for Uzzah to

reach out his hand, if only this simple direction had been obeyed. This breaking

forth of God was to recall men to simple absolute obedience to the rules and

regulations that had been so explicitly laid down in the Levitical code. It

could not fall into disuse without grave loss to the entire people. Better that

one life should be sacrificed for disobedience than that the whole nation should

be impoverished for the relaxation of that ancient law.

We are fond of bringing new carts to God. At every birthday we build the new

cart of good resolution, and place thereon the Ark of God. We will be different,

and on our fresh endeavours the Lord of Hosts shall ride; but we must drive, and

if needs be, steady the Ark. Ah! it is not long before the oxen stumble, and

Uzzah who drives is smitten to the dust of death.

God wants, not new carts, but the living shoulders of consecrated men. We must

live for Him, surrendering ourselves to his service; not driving, but being

driven; not conducting, but being impelled; not imposing our thoughts on Him,

but being willing to submit ourselves absolutely to Him. There is no need to

fear God, if only we will obey Him, and in obedience discover the laws by which

we may approach and serve Him. Then the power which otherwise flames forth to

destroy will become the useful servant of our faith, and we shall be able to

undertake great things for God.

Do as Thou hast said. 2 Sam. vii. 25.

THIS is the voice of a childlike faith.

Note what led to these words. ‑‑ Nathan had just unfolded to the king all the

purposes of God's heart towards him. That He would establish his throne, deliver

him from his enemies, and set up his dynasty to succeed him ‑‑ this and much

else. David's heart was full of joy and gladness ‑‑ he knew that God would not

run back from his word; but he felt none the less the duty of claiming the

fulfilments of these guarantees. So it is with all the promises of God; though

they are Yea and Amen in Christ, it is requisite for us to put our hand on them;

plead them before God; and claim their fulfilment with appropriating faith.

Notice the attitude in which David uttered these words. ‑‑ "He sat before the

Lord." Was not this the position of rest and trust? On another occasion, he lay

all night upon the earth (xii. 16), in an agony of prayer, because not sure of

God's purpose, and hoping to turn God by the extremity of his anguish. But there

is a marvellous alteration in the tone of our prayer, so soon as we can base it

on the declared purposes of God. We enter into his rest; we put ourselves in the

current of his purposes; we sit before the Lord.

Mark the blessedness of communion with God. ‑‑ It is as a man talks with his

friend. We are not retired always to kneel when we pray, or to con over a

certain form of words; we can sit and talk with God, catching up his words as

they fall on our hearts, and reflecting them back on Him in praise, and prayer,

and happy converse. All true prayer originates in the declarations of God's

love, to each of which we answer, Do as Thou hast said.

The silver and gold he had dedicated

of all nations which he subdued. 2 Sam. viii. 11.

DAVID might not build the temple, but he was bent on making provision for it.

Indeed, Solomon had never been able to do as he did, unless his father had

gathered these stores of gold and silver. Thus other men labour, and we enter

into their labours; but the accomplished building is credited by God to each. He

does not forget David when Solomon's temple stands complete. The reward is

proportioned to each man's service, according to his share.

It is a glorious thing when we not only defeat our foes, but get spoils out of

their overthrow which we can use for the service of God and man. It is as

possible for us as for David. Out of our failures, temptations, mistakes, let us

get the power of helping and directing others. In death Jesus won the keys of

death and Hades, and the power to become a merciful and faithful High Priest;

and now He ever liveth to make intercession for his people (Heb. vii. 25).

But the main lesson of this chapter is the foreshadowing of God's purpose, that

Gentiles should contribute to the building of his Temple. What was literally

true in the case of the temple of Solomon, is spiritually true of the heavenly

Temple, the Church. From every nation, and kindred, people and tongue, souls are

being gathered, who form a spiritual house, a holy Temple in the Lord. The whole

world is destined to contribute to that structure, which is being prepared

secretly and mystically, but shall ere long be manifested in its full glory. It

is very interesting to get this suggestion from the chronicles of a nation so

exclusive and haughty as the Jews. "They shall come from the East and West . . .

. "

Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 2 Sam. ix. 7.

FOUR times in this chapter we are told of the lame man eating bread at the royal

table. But what are these facts recorded and repeated for, save to accentuate

the infinite blessings which come to us through the Divine love!

Mephibosheth had done nothing to merit the royal favour. Not a word is said of

his being well‑

favoured and attractive. So far from that, he was lame on both his feet, and

probably a sickly invalid. In his own judgment he was worthless as a dead dog.

His state was impoverished; no deed of prowess could win David's notice; he was

almost entirely at the mercy of his servant, Ziba. In these respects there are

many analogies to our own condition in the sight of God. We are lame indeed;

and, so far as we are concerned, it is quite impossible that we should ever win

the Divine regard, or sit at his table among his sons.

But between David and Jonathan a covenant had been struck, which had provided

for the children of the ill‑fated Jonathan (1 Sam. xx. 14‑16). It was because of

this sacred obligation that Mephibosheth fared as he did. Look away, child of

God, to the covenant struck between God and thy representative, the Son of his

love. It is idle of thee to seek to propitiate the Divine favour, or earn a seat

at his table; but if thou art willing to identify thyself with thy Lord, and to

shelter thyself in Him by the living union of faith; if thou canst base thy plea

on the Blood of the everlasting covenant ‑‑ then the provisions of that covenant

between Father and Son shall be extended to thee: and because of God's love to

Jesus thou shalt sit at the Divine table, and be regarded as one of the heirs of

the great King.

The Lord do that which seemeth Him good. 2 Sam. x. 12.

ISRAEL was arrayed against overwhelming odds. To human sight it must have

appeared very improbable that Joab would be able to hold his own. However, he

made the best arrangements he could; exhorted his men to be of good courage and

do their utmost; and then piously left the issue to the God of battles.

There are times in all lives when the case seems desperate. How can we meet with

ten thousand him who cometh against us with twenty thousand! Heart and flesh

fail. What resource is there, then save in the flight of the lonely man to the

only God? It is for God to act, since the help of man is vain.

In your personal straits. ‑‑ When patience is exhausted; when the last handful

is taken from the barrel; when complicated trials meet and hem you in; when the

iron gate and the keepers before the door appear to render escape impossible ‑‑

then look up, God is marching with reinforcements to your aid.

In your work and war for God in the world. ‑‑ We too often act and speak as if

success were to be won by the forces that we may be able to bring into the

field, whereas God asks us for nothing more than fidelity and the right

disposition of such forces as we can command; He will do all the rest.

In your outlook on the conflict between good and evil. ‑‑ It is quite true that

there appears to be an infinite disparity between the one and the other. But

there are other forces in the field than appear. There is another host of which

God Himself is captain. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the

Lord lifts up the standard. "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who

rideth upon the heaven to thy help."

David tarried still at Jerusalem. 2 Sam. xi. 1.

AH! fatal dalliance in the arms of sensual ease! It led to David's undoing. It

was the time of the year when kings generally went forth to the fight; and in

earlier days David would never have thought of leaving to Joab or others the

strain and stress of conflict when there were hard knocks to give and take.

Indeed, on more. than one occasion his followers had remonstrated against his

exposing the Light of Israel to the risks of the battlefield. But now he sends

Joab and his mighty men to fight against Ammon, while he tarries securely at

Jerusalem.In this fatal lethargy he betrays the deterioration of his soul.

Already the walls were broken down, and entrance into the citadel was easy. We

are not surprised to learn that as he sauntered lazily on his palace roof in the

sultry afternoon he was swept away before the rush of sudden passion, and took

the poor man's ewe lamb to satisfy the va‑rant, hungry impulse which suddenly

came to him.

Beware of hours of ease! Rest is necessary; times of recruiting and renewal must

come to us all; nature positively demands re‑creation; but there must be no

neglect of known duty, no handing over to others of what we might and could do

ourselves, no tarrying behind the march of the troops when we should go forth

with them to the battle. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. Be

most on guard when not actively engaged against the enemy. One unlocked gate may

admit the foe to the citadel of the life, and rob you of peace for all

after‑days. The luxury of the plains of Capua was more fatal to the soldiers of

Hannibal than the passage of the Alps.

And David went to Rabboh, and fought

against it, and took it. 2 Sam. xii. 29.

VICTORY might seem to have been for ever forfeited after so great a fall. We

could not have been surprised had we been told that from this time onward the

course of David's conquests had stayed. And yet this thought would be a

misconception of God's dealings with the penitent. Where there is true

contrition, confession, and faith, He not only forgives, but restores; He not

only restores to the enjoyment of his favour, but reinstates in opportunities of

usefulness. So Jesus not only met the apostle who had denied Him, and put him

back into the old position of happy fellowship, but gave him a commission to

feed his sheep and lambs.

We have sometimes met backsliders who have doubted the possibility of their

forgiveness; or, if they have realized this, they have never dared to hope that

they could ever be what they had been. And so long as faith refuses to believe

in the perfect work of God's love, it must inevitably take a back seat. Let us

seek for such an entire faith in God's forgiving and restoring love as to dare

to believe that we are put again into the old place, and allowed to anticipate

the same victories as aforetime. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and

just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John

i. 9).

Directly David said, "I have sinned," in the dash of a moment Nathan said, "The

Lord hath put away thy sin"; and when Joab sent tidings that Rabbah was about to

fall, David was permitted the honour of its final capture, though it had been

associated so closely with Uriah's death. Where sin abounds grace superabounds,

and reigns through righteousness. Dare to believe this.

Then the king arose, and tare his garments,

and lay on the earth. 2 Sam, xiii. 31.

THROUGHOUT the incidents of this chapter, the soul of David touched the bottom

of the sea of anguish and remorse. The circumstances narrated were in themselves

sad enough; but there was a more bitter element in them for David, because he

knew that they were the harvest of which his own sin was the seed. Here began to

be fulfilled the sentence of God through Nathan, "The sword shall never depart

from thine house."

He had broken up the peace of another's home, and peace had quitted his home,

never to return. He had defiled the purity of Uriah's wife, and the purity of

his own daughter had been trampled under foot. He had smitten Uriah, and now

Absalom had murdered Amnon. Through those awful hours when the entire fate of

the whole of his family seemed trembling in the balance, he drank to the dregs

the cup of bitterness. Oh, how true are the apostle's words: "Whatsoever a man

soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the

flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap

life everlasting."

Sin resembles the Australian weed, which when once it is sown in the waters will

spread with such rapidity as to spoil their beauty, and choke their flow. We

must distinguish between the penal and natural results. The penal were borne by

Christ for us all, and are remitted for evermore; but the natural remain even to

forgiven penitents, as they did to David. Still, God's grace may transmute them

into blessings, and cause pearls to grow where before there had been gaping

wounds. Ask God to take in hand the natural consequences of your sins, and make

them means of grace and ennoblement.

Yet doth He devise means that his

banished be not expelled from Him. 2 Sam. xiv. 14.

THE means that David devised were really inadequate. He allowed his heart to

dictate to his royal sense of justice and rectitude, and permitted Absalom to

return to his country and home without one word of confession, one symptom of

penitence. The king was overmastered by the father; and the result was

disastrous. It shook the respect of his people, undermined the foundations of

just government, slackened the bands of every family in the land, and confirmed

Absalom in his wilful and obstinate career. "What!" said he to himself, "does my

father bid me come back without conditions? Does he demand no confession or

reparation? Then he condones my sin."

Lot parents be warned. If your children disobey, and violate the rules of your

home, you have no right to treat them as you did before, until they have owned

their sin. You must insist on penitence, confession, and reparation, though it

take hours or days or even weeks of suffering and pleading to bring it about.

Into what relief does David's mistake throw God's way of forgiveness and

salvation! Had he acted as David, and as so many wish us to believe, He would

have reinstated the human family in the Paradise of his love without waiting for

the work of the Mediator, or the confession of the prodigal. By the arbitrary

exercise of his sovereign will He might have wiped out the record of our sins

%without our concurrence. But it would have been to the irreparable undoing of

man. Hence it behoved Christ to suffer, by his blood making an atonement for our

sins, and by his Spirit bringing us to penitence and confession.

Here am I, let Him do to me as

seemth good unto Him. 2 Sam. xv. 26.

THERE is the patience of hope. We love to gird ourselves in the vehemence of our

self‑will, to go where we choose, to rule the lives of others; but as the years

pass and our pride is humbled, the sinews of our strength slackened, and the

radiance of early prospects overcast, we are willing to hand ourselves over to

our Father, saying, "Behold, here am I; let Him do to me as seemeth good unto

Him."

It was thus that Isaac was passive in the hands of Abraham. It was thus that

Jesus spoke to his Father, "I come to do thy will, 0 my God." It was thus that

the maiden who was blessed above women, answered the angel's message. It was

thus that Paul, when urged not to go up to Jerusalem, avowed his willingness to

live or die, as the Lord might choose.

God is ever working upon us through circumstances; and, as in the present case,

sometimes He overrules the plottings of wicked men to fulfil his Divine purpose.

His will is sometimes brought to us in a cup which a Judas holds to our lips.

How blessed to be able to say, as we go forth to meet our Father's will, Behold,

here am I! and to look beyond the plottings and machinations of our enemies to

One who loves us infinitely. Whatever He permits must be good. Good, if driven

as an exile from our home; good, if exposed to the revilings of a Shimei; good,

if the heart breaks in bitter tears. All must be good which the good Lord

permits or appoints. Many were the afflictions of David, but out of them all he

was delivered. When he had learnt the lesson, the rod was stayed. God did not

take away his mercy from him. Thou too art in his hands, and He will certainly

bring thee again, and show thee the city and his habitation.

The king and all the people came weary,

and refreshed themselves there. 2 Sam. xvi. 14.

A GREAT weariness falls often on our souls. We are wearied because of the

greatness of our way, and inclined to say there is no hope. Memory tires us,

perpetually casting up the record of past unfaithfulness and transgression. The

bitter way of the natural consequences of sin is toilsome and difficult to the

feet. We faint before the averted eve of former friends and the pitiless

criticism of foes. Longings for a vanished past, for life and love, for purity

and peace, grind heavily in the soul. Our King has known something of human

weariness, though not from all the sources that cause it in his subjects.

But amid the presence of our weariness the voice of God may be heard saying,

"This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the

refreshing." There is rest for weary souls beneath the shadow of the cross, in

the sight of which the burden rolls away. There is rest and refreshment as we

sit in the banqueting house of Christ's manifested and realized affection. There

is refreshment as we eat of his flesh and drink of his blood; as we yield our

will to his; as we sit with Him in heavenly places. We assuredly find Him to be

"a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water

in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" (Isa. xxxii. 2).

There is no hill Difficulty without its arbour; no desert without its oasis; no

sultry heat without its shadow of a great rock; no weariness without its pillow

; no intolerable sorrow without its solace; no weariness without its

refreshment; no failure of man without a very present help in God.

Arise, and pass quickly over the water. 2 Sam. xvii. 21.

THE water of Jordan may serve as an illustration for our position. Our David has

passed over the waters of death and in doing so has taken us with Him. There is

a sense in which in the morning light of Easter Day all who believed passed over

with Him, so that "by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was

not gone over Jordan."

We all hold the doctrine of Substitution. Do we sufficiently realize that of

Identification? Not only did Jesus die for us, but we died with and in Him. In

Him, as the true Noah's Ark, the whole Church passed over the Jordan of death

from the old world to the new. There are some who do not understand that in the

purpose of God we are already standing on resurrection ground. Across the water

we can hear the murmur of the world, and detect its corruption; but we are the

inheritors of the world in which there is no death nor corruption nor the

dominion of sin. When a man realizes this he no longer braces himself up to meet

death, because he knows that in the person of Christ he has left it behind for

ever.

What is true, however, in God's purpose should be the aim and goal of our daily

striving. To us there comes the unceasing call, "Arise, and go over Jordan."

There is always a thither and a hither side for every experience and act. We may

always do as the world does; this is to stay on the death side. We may always do

as Christ does; this is to pass over to the risen and living side. Reckon that

you have died, and mortify the deeds of your body. "And if Christ be in you, the

body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. "

Wherefore wilt thou run? . . . Come what may, said he,

I will run. 2 Sam. xviii. 22, 23 (R.V.).

MOAB did not love David, as Ahimaaz did, and could not understand what made the

young man so eager to carry the tidings. Doubtless Ahimaaz and Cushi entirely

misinterpreted the heart of David, and thought that he would be glad to hear

that the rebellion was stamped out, and Absalom was dead. And it was because of

the pleasure which he thought to give his king that the swift‑footed son of

Zadok pleaded for permission to run. What though there would be no reward, or

that it would fall to the lot of Cushi, who had already started at Joab's

command ‑‑ that mattered not, the love of David constrained him.

How often that question of reward is thrown at the servants of God! It is one of

the favourite taunts of the world; as Satan said of Job, that we do as we do

because we are paid. "Doth Job serve God for nought?" And nothing so startles

men as disinterested service. They cannot account for it; but it wins their

respect. "Reward or no reward; recompense or none; smiles or tears, come what

may, let me run." That is the spirit that becomes a Christian, and convinces the

world. "The love, of Christ constraineth us."

Ahimaaz outran Cushi. The one was a volunteer for love's dear sake; the other, a

bond‑servant, doing as he was told. Love lent wings to his feet, and speeding

past his fellow bore him first into David's presence. So God's will is done in

heaven: "The cherubim ran and returned like a flash of lighting." So God's will

is done on earth: "They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy,

and ran to bring his disciples word. And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All

hail!"

The King is near of kin to us. 2 Sam. xix. 42.

THERE are two derivations for the word king: one from the word can ‑‑ the king

is the man that can do things; the other from the word kin ‑‑ the king is

closely related to us, of our kith and kin. In either case, there is a beautiful

meaning, as touching our Lord and Saviour. He is King, because He has overcome

our enemies, and can overcome. He is King, because He has taken on Himself our

flesh and blood, and has for ever made us one with Himself. The King is our

kinsman. Our kinsman is King.

It is very comforting to know how really our Lord has identified Himself with

us. The Gospels are full of the wonderful story. His kinship was manifested in

‑‑

His Prayers. ‑‑ He bade us speak to God as our Father; in that marvellous

possessive pronoun, not only Iinking us all to one another, but including

Himself in our petitions, save when we ask for forgiveness.

His Infirmities. ‑‑ "We have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the

feeling of our infirmities." His hunger and thirst; his weariness and

exhaustion; his suffering unto death ‑‑ all accentuate the closeness of the tie

between us.

His Temptation. ‑‑ "In all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." The

avenues through which the tempter could approach Him were those by which He

assails us also. No temptation took Him, but such as is common to man. So to

every lonely soldier of his He draws near, saying, "Be of good cheer; I have

passed through it all. I am your brother in the fight; I feel for you with a

quick sympathy; the glories of my throne do not alter my true‑hearted love."

The men of Judah clave unto their King. 2 Sam. xx. 2.

WE are reminded of the exhortation of the good Barnabas, that with purpose of

heart the converts of Antioch should cleave unto the Lord. This is the test of a

true faith. We often come to the dividing of the paths. We stand on the

watershed of the hills: that way leads back to Moab with its fascinations; this

on to Canaan with its spiritual attractions. Orpah and Ruth must choose. Each is

equally profuse in speeches and tears; but the ultimate test of love is whether

they will stay or go. Which will cleave to the widowed Naomi? She is the truest

lover; her fidelity will attest the fervour and strength of her affection. Orpah

kissed her mother‑in‑law, and returned to her people and her gods, while Ruth

"clave unto her."

We must cleave to Jesus, in spite of the derision of the multitude. We must be

prepared to stand with Him when He stands alone, or goes forth alone to die. We

must be willing to stem the mighty tide of the world which has left Him and

pours past us. Though all forsake Him, yet we must cleave.

We must cleave to Jesus, in spite of the rebellion of the flesh. Our whole

nature may sometimes rise in insurrection, demanding some forbidden fruit. It is

no child's play then for the lonely will to stand by itself in unshaken fidelity

and loyalty; but it must.

We must cleave to Jesus when He seems to rebuff us. Only those who can stand so

sharp an ordeal, are exposed to it. But sometimes we are called to pass through

it as Job, that angels may learn how Christ's lovers cling to Him, not for his

gifts, but for Himself.

Because he slew the Gibeonites. 2 Sam, xxi. 1.

THE Gibeonites were under the protection of a special covenant, which had been

entered into between them and Joshua. That covenant was the outcome of a ruse on

their part. But since it had been most solemnly made by the leaders of Israel,

it held good. The fact of their deceit and chicanery could not absolve Israel

from the oath which had been passed for their safety. For centuries the

provisions of this covenant had been observed, till Saul invaded them, and slew

the Gibeonites. This was a grievous sin, which, according to the religious light

of the time, seemed to demand blood; and David proposed to atone for blood by

blood. Nothing but blood could atone for sin so black and dark.

We are also protected by a covenant, into which the Father has entered with the

Son, not for our worthiness or merit, but only because He would. The provisions

of that covenant engage to take us to be his people, to remember our sins no

more, and to make the Divine law the object of our love (Heb. viii.). And the

argument is irresistible, that if man is so mindful of a covenant as to feel

that its infraction is a sin which can only be expiated by blood‑shedding, it is

impossible to suppose that God will ever run back from his.

0 my soul, thou mayest rest secure in this: here is an everlasting rock; this

foundation shall suffice thee for evermore. Thou art in the Son of his love.

Though thou art sinful and evil, yet thou art included in the covenant which is

more lasting than that of day and night. Jesus has met its conditions on thy

behalf, and has undertaken to secure thy obedience and holiness.

Thy gentleness hath made me great. 2 Sam. xxii. 36.

THE triumph of God's gentle goodness will be our song for ever. In those far

distant ages, when we look back on our earthly course, as a grown man on his

boyhood, and when the words of this Psalm shall express our glad emotions, we

shall recognise that the Hand which brought us thither was as gentle as our

mother's; and that the things we craved, but faileth to receive, were withheld

by his gentle goodness. Our history tells what gentleness will do.

The Apostle besought the Corinthian converts by the gentleness of Christ (2 Cor.

x. 1). Though there were abuses amongst them that seemed to call for stringent

dealing, he felt that they could be best removed by the gentle love which he had

learned from the heart of Christ. The wisdom which is from above is gentle as

well as pure; and in dealing with the sin that chokes our growth, it is probable

that gentleness will do more than severity. The gentleness of the nurse that

cherishes her children; of the lover to her whom he cherishes above himself; of

the infinite love which bears and endures to the uttermost ‑‑ is the furnace

before which the foul ingredients of our hearts are driven never to return. We

might brave the lion; we are vanquished by the Lamb. We could withstand the

scathing look of scorn; but when the gentle Lord casts on us the look of

ineffable tenderness, we go out to weep bitterly.

That He has borne with us so lovingly; that He has filled our lives with mercy

even when compelled to correct; that He has never altered in his tender

behaviour towards us; that He has returned our rebuffs and slights with meekness

and forbearance; that He has never wearied of us ‑‑ this is an everlasting

tribute to the gentleness that makes great.

As the light of the morning when the sun riseth,

a morning without clouds. 2 Sam. xxiii. 4.

THE dealings of God with man are compared to morning light, and the sprouting of

tender grass in the sunshine that follows rain. The one may refer to youth, and

the other to age. In each there is sunlight: in the one case it is before the

clouds have gathered; in the other after they have dispersed.

Clouds. ‑‑ There are many different sorts: the cirrus, like platines in the sky;

the cumulus, in heaps, like the summits of distant mountains; the strata, or

long bars; the nimbus, heavy with shower. There is a counterpart for each in

human life, without which we should miss much of those experiences of light and

shade that so frequently reveal the nature of the light. We should not know

God's comfort and very present help, if it were not for the clouds which are

born in the marsh‑lands of trouble. Who does not prefer the changeful beauty of

an English spring to the unclouded blue of Italian skies?

The Light of the Morning. ‑‑ The love of God steals over hearts as the dawn. He

is the Rock; but his advent breaks gently as light. So God's love came to Lydia,

whose heart opened as a flower its petals. This makes it difficult for some of

us to decide the moment of our regeneration; only we know that, once darkness,

we are now light in the Lord.

Clear Shining after Rain. ‑‑ We all know something of cloud and rain. If we did

not, our lives would be arid as a desert. Rain is necessary to fructify the

seeds that lie buried in the soil but clear shining is needed too. Times of joy

are needed equally as those of sorrow. The tender grass is the child of rain and

sun. Hast thou had tears, thou shalt have smiles! Hast thou had clouds and rain,

thou shalt have clear shining!

Neither will I offer burnt offerings . . . of that

which doth cost me nothing. 2 Sam. xxiv. 24.

GOD'S love to us cost Him something. He spared not his own Son, and that Son

spared not his blood. But how little our love to Him costs us! Let us understand

that where there is true, strong love to Jesus, it will cost us something. Love

is the costliest of all undertakings.

It will cost us Self‑denial. Christ and self are perfectly incompatible; to have

the one we must be prepared to surrender the other. The heart subtly schemes to

hold both; but it does not deceive Christ. He knows in a moment when we have

preferred to spare ourselves and to sacrifice Him, or to obey Him and sacrifice

ourselves. We know it also. At first we may find it an effort to count all

things but loss for Him; but as we go on doing it, and drink in the fresh air

that breathes about the mountains of self‑denial ‑‑ above all, as we see the

smile of pleasure on his face ‑‑ our hearts leap with joy, and we love to give

Him everything, not thinking of the cost, any more than Mary did when she broke

the alabaster box of very precious ointment. After all, it is but fitting that

we offer our bodies "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God."

It will cost us Companionships. Those who knew us will pass us with averted

faces. It will cost us hard‑earned money; for we shall realize that we have no

property in anything that we possess. It will cost us high repute amongst our

fellows. But what shall we mind if we gain Christ? You cannot give up for Him

without regaining everything you have renounced, but purified and transfigured.

Did not the Lord say so? And did He not add a hundredfold, with persecution. Let

us heartily respond, "Lord, Thou knowest all things: Thou knowest that I love

Thee! "

As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul

out of all distress. 1 Kings i. 29.

"IN my distress I called on the Lord, and cried to my God." Never let there be

distress without its cry. He will hear your voice out of his temple, and your

cry will come before Him even into his ears. He will answer, and set you in a

large place. There is even a gain to be won from distress, because it brings out

new phases of Christ's redemptive help.

God redeemed David from the calumny of those who maligned him without cause. In

so many of his psalms he refers to the unjust and cruel hatred which

misrepresented him and his doings. But God, to whom he committed his cause,

vindicated him, so that his righteousness shone as the light, and his judgment

as the noonday. So He will do for you. Those who now lay all manner of unkind

charges to your door, will be compelled to admit your innocence. Only leave your

cause with God, and be still.

God redeemed David from all the afflictions that shadowed his early days: from

his wanderings in the wilderness; from his hairbreadth escapes in the eaves;

from meeting his death on many a terrible battlefield. We hardly realize, just

now, how much we owe to the Angel of God's redemption, who is ever beside us,

environing us with careful love, so that no evil may approach us, or snare take

our feet. Our pathway is thick with shares and dangers, as the pilgrims found it

when journeying through the valley of the shadow; but there is a way out, and in

the morning we shall marvel to see how we escaped.

God redeemed David's life from destruction. This was the greatest miracle of

all, when we consider the strong passions that slumbered within him, breaking

out whenever he broke loose from God's grace.

That the Lord may continue his word. 1 Kings ii. 4.

HOW strongly David held to God's promise! It was deeply graven in his soul. How

could he forget the word which guaranteed the succession of his race upon the

throne of Israel! At the same time be distinctly recognised that the fulfilment

was conditional. There was an if in it. It was only in so far as his children

took heed to walk before God in truth that God was bound to place them on the

throne of Israel; therefore he urged Solomon to keep the charge of the Lord,

that the Lord might continue his word. We also must obey the threefold condition

if we would enjoy a continuance of God's helpful care.

1. Be thou strong. ‑‑ The strength which is in Jesus Christ waits to make us

strong. In the Lion of the tribe of Judah there is the boldness which will not

swerve in the face of the foe. Timid women and little children in the days of

persecution have waxed valiant in the fight, and have not flinched from death,

because Jesus was beside them.

2. Keep the charge of the Lord thy God. ‑‑ He has committed to our care many a

sacred deposit, in return for our deposit with Him (2 Tim. i. 12, 14; R.V.,

marg.). They are his holy Gospel, the Rest Day, the doctrines of the Evangelical

Faith, and the Inspired Word. Let us watch them until we see them weighed out in

the temple as were the sacred vessels which Ezra committed to the priests for

transport across the desert (Ezra viii. 33).

3. Keep his statutes and commandments. ‑‑ We must obey with reverent care the

one great law of love, which includes all the rest. Acting thus, we shall put

ourselves in the way of enjoying a continuance of that favour which God has

promised.

I have also given thee that which

thou hast not asked. 1 Kings iii. 13.

THE understanding heart was Solomon's supreme request, and it was given him

before the morning light had broken over Jerusalem. But God did exceeding

abundantly beyond what he asked or thought. Riches and honour, victory and long

life, were thrown in as part of the Divine gift; as paper and string are given

by the tradesmen with the goods we purchase. It seems as though our Lord's words

were anticipated, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all

these things shall be added unto you."

Put first things first. ‑‑ One of the most important lessons of life is to

discern the relative value of the

objects within our reach. The child will take the handful of glass beads, and

leave the heap of diamonds in the rough. It is the terrible mistake of men that,

perplexed by earth's cross‑lights, they put evil for good and good for evil;

they make earth rather than heaven their centre; time rather than eternity their

measurement.

Seek God and all things in Him. ‑‑ Things without God cannot satisfy the craving

of the soul. To know God, and to be known by Him, is to possess all things. All

that is lovely, strong, or right, in any human being was in the Creator before

it entered the creature; having God, you possess all things in Him.

Be more careful of what you are than what you have. ‑‑ A man's life consisteth

not in the abundance of things that he possesseth; but in his purity, truth,

tenderness, and the properties of his soul. The fruit of the Spirit must ever be

manifest in the life of the believer ‑‑ "Love, joy, peace, long‑suffering,

gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."

Largeness of heart. 1 Kings iv. 29.

WE must all admit that our soul is too narrow. It holds too little, knows too

little, is deficient in willpower, and, above all, in capacity of love; and when

we are called to run in the way of God's commandments, we break down in despair,

and cry, "If I am to be a runner, Thou must first enlarge my heart."

How little we know of the experience which Madame Guyon describes when she says:

"This vastness or enlargedness, which is not bounded by anything, increases

every day; so that my soul in partaking of the qualities of her Spouse seems

also to partake of his immensity."

"There is," remarks one of the old Puritans, "a straitness, slavery, and

narrowness, in all sin; sin crumples up our souls; which, if they were freely

spread abroad, would be as large and wide as the whole universe. No man is truly

free; but be that hath his will enlarged to the extent of God's will, by loving

whatsoever God loves, and nothing else, he enjoys boundless liberty, and a

boundless sweetness." God's love embraces the universe. He "so loved the world

that He gave his only‑begotten Son." We who have partaken of the Divine nature

must also love as He does.

Thomas a Kempis says, finally: "He who desires glory in things outside of God,

or to take pleasure in some private good, shall many ways be encumbered and

straitened; but if heavenly grace enter in, and true charity, there will be no

envy, neither narrowness of heart, neither will self‑love busy itself, for

Divine charity overcometh all things, and enlargeth all the powers of the soul."

Give unto us, 0 God, this largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the

sea‑shore I

Now the Lord my God hath given me

rest on every side. 1 Kings v. 4.

GOD is the Rest‑Giver, When He surrounds us on every side with his protecting

care, so that our life resembles one of the cities of the Netherlands in the

great war ‑‑ inaccessible to the foe because surrounded by the waters of the

sea, admitted through the sluice ‑‑ then neither adversary nor evil occurrent

can break in, and we are kept in perfect peace, our minds being stayed on God.

"Hidden in the hollow of his blessed hand,

Never foe can enter, never traitor stand.

Have you experienced the rest which comes by putting God round about you, on

every side ‑‑ like the light which burns brightly on a windy night because

surrounded by its four panes of clear glass! Ah! what a contrast between the

third and fourth verse: Wars on every side; Rest on every side. And yet the two

are compatible, because the wars expend themselves on God, as the waves on the

shingle; and there are far reaches of rest within, like orchards and meadows and

pasture‑lands beyond the reach of the devastating water.

Out of such rest should come the best work. We are not surprised to find Solomon

announcing his purpose to build a house unto the name of the Lord. Mary, who sat

at the feet of Jesus, anointed Him. Out of quiet hearts arise the greatest

resolves; just as from the seclusion of country hamlets have come the greatest

warriors, statesmen, and patriots. Men think, foolishly, that the active,

ever‑moving souls are the strongest. It is not so, however. They expend

themselves before the day of trial comes. Give me those who have the power to

restrain themselves and wait; these are they that can act with the greatest

momentum in the hour of crisis.

There was neither hammer, nor axe,

nor any tool of iron heard. 1 Kings vi, 7.

IN absolute silence, like the growth of a palm in the desert, that noble

building arose in the symmetry of its fair proportions. But there was plenty of

quarrying and hammering and chiselling before the materials were brought to the

site.

The absolute silence with which the Temple rose is a meet emblem of the progress

of the Church, from its foundations laid in the Apostolate towards the top

stone, which before very long will be laid upon the completed structure. Amid

the rise and fall of dynasties and empires, the Church is being built. Soul

after soul, as so many added bricks, is being quietly placed upon the walls.

Some day the world will be amazed when it sees the New Jerusalem descend out of

heaven from God. The mightiest works of God are the fruit of silence.

You and I are now in the quarry, hewn, chipped, chiselled: or we are in the

saw‑pit, being sawn, planed, pierced by nails. Be of good cheer! It will not be

long, the preparatory work will be over, and we shall become part of the eternal

structure. Into heaven there can enter neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of

iron. The trial will have done its work. Sorrow and crying will flee away. The

apostle Paul, who knew more than any man what trial and pain meant, could

confidently declare: "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not

worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Then shall

the city of God shine forth in completed beauty, her walls Salvation and her

gates Praise; and the triumphant song of the redeemed shall ring forth:

"Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the

throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

In the plain of Jordan did

the king cast them. 1