July 1st, 2 Sam. 1; July 15th, 2 Sam. 15; July 31st, 1 Kings 7; Aug 15th, 1 Kings 22.

COMMENTS

2 Samuel gives us the history of David's reign, and 1 Kings begins with Solomon placed on the throne. David's grief and lamentation over Saul occupies 2 Sam, 1, followed by the account of his reign over Judah until the death of Saul's son, Ishbosheth (chs. 2-4). Chs. 5-21 record David's reign over all Israel, and the closing chapters give his song, his last words, his mighty men, and his sin in numbering the people.

The checkered history of this man whose piety cannot be doubted, yet whose failures are many, and some of glaring evil, serves a double purpose:we see him to be a type of Christ in rejection in 1 Samuel, he is also a type of Christ taking His kingly place and power to subjugate all enemies in 2 Samuel. David's weakness and failure teaches by way of contrast the perfect strength and moral glory of his Lord in whom there is no variableness, unevenness, or unsteadiness in a single step-all is absolute perfection in the One who is both the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star, yet also the Sun of Righteousness. While the shadow gives us certain features of the mind and spirit, as well as the official glory, of Him who is the substance, by the contrasts also exhibited the shadow preaches the absolute necessity for the manifestation of Him who is the substance-the One in whom every promise of God is yea and amen. Only Christ is everything and all that God desires and the creature needs. This on the one hand. And on the other the great contrasts found in David's history serve to bring out the ways of God in grace and government. The ways of man are found too, as in Joab, Abner, Absalom and others who come into connection with David, with the weakness, distress and sorrow such ways bring. The diligent soul will find lessons of great moral value in all this, while it also loudly tells us that the kingdom in power and glory, when all will be brought into its rightful place and kept there, must be in the hands of the Son of Man-no mere man is sufficient for the task.

In these brief comments we can only touch certain highlights of this history. First, the house of Saul is set aside. To make Ishbosheth king was an act of rebellion against God. Thus, we may say, Antichrist and all that is of his spirit will be dealt with in judgment, and as David then dwells in Jerusalem and is acknowledged by the united nation, so it will be when Christ sits upon the throne of His glory. It would appear that, as with David, the Millennial kingdom will be established through a progressive conquest, in which enemies will be destroyed by means of Israel. Compare Zech. 9 and 10; Micah 5. Another prominent feature is the bringing up of the ark. In connection with this there is failure at first, serving to teach how God is careful to maintain His own glory. His order must be observed, and not man's devices used; so it will be in the kingdom and glory, summary judgment falling when that is manifested which does not becomes the Divine Majesty. But later the ark is brought to Mt. Zion where David's throne is established. This is God being honored before all, while it also shows the identification of His power and glory with the king who now reigns as His elected and anointed ruler. This will surely be manifested in perfection when the angels of God ascend and descend upon the Son of Man, who is the Son of God and King of Israel.

But the ark is in a tent. God's house is not yet built -a work reserved for Solomon, type of Christ as the Prince of Peace, and not the warrior-king; of Him in that character David is the type. This appears to suggest that there is a transitional period at the commencement of the Millennial age during -which there is a work of judgment upon enemies who sire given space to manifest themselves and rush on to their doom by opposition to Israel and her glorious King. When this interim is over, then the Solomonic character will come in for Israel and the nations. The "rod of iron" must do its work first before such a scene as that of Isaiah 2 can be realized. It would seem that the great attack of Gog and Magog as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 takes place in this interim. Significantly, this is followed by the vision of the Millennial temple.

The beautiful manifestation of the kindness and grace of David, seen in his treatment of Mephibosheth, fittingly typifies the way the King in the day of His glory will treat all who submit themselves to Him. But in chapter ten we see what it will mean to those who despise grace.

Dark shadows now fall upon David and his house, involving too the welfare of the nation. There is not only strife in his own house, but strife and rebellion among the people. How dreadful are the results of forgetting God, of abandonment to ease and indolence, of leaving the path of simple dependence upon God with its un-escapable accompaniment of self-judgment, to pursue one's own will, and this though surrounded with the blessings of God's grace and power. "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." "He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity," or mischief. Amnon's crime, Absalom's vengeance, then rebellion, with all the details of intrigue, treachery, shame and grief-what a reaping! Through it all we can trace God's ways in government, for He must maintain the honor of His own name when he who stood for Him in the place of rule so fails as a witness to His government in holiness and truth. Yet the beautiful strand of His grace is woven in and out among the many dark sin-stained figures which appear in this weaving of David's life. So it has been with Israel, Jehovah's elect nation and chosen servant, yet as with David so with the nation, God will prove Himself faithful, and will bring to pass all His purpose and promise even though the way seems so tortuous and painful. Indeed, it is not different even with us. We give our ever-loving, gracious God difficulty in saving us along the way (1 Pet. 4:18, New Trans.). He has called us to His eternal glory, there can be no failure in this being realized, and along the way He will keep by His power through faith. When faith is not in exercise, as we see in many instances in David's course, there is room for sin to creep in, for man's way and wisdom to be followed in forgetfulness of God. Then there comes the reaping, and the chastening, for the very love as well as holiness of God requires it. What a history will unfold for each of us at the judgment-seat of Christ! And in that day shall not our song be like the song of. David when done forever with our enemies, and the flesh taken from us, we shall be found in the likeness of Him in whom is no sin? What a day it will be when the last shadow has gone, not another slip of the foot possible, no wandering of the mind, no straying of the affections, no unholy desire, no nature but the divine, no will but that of God-He our everlasting joy! And all of this we shall own then, as now, to be the fruit of that darkness, impenetrable to us, into which the Son of God entered to bear the judgment of our sins and to destroy the works of the devil-holy triumph of infinite love for those in themselves utterly worthless and hopelessly lost! Blessed Saviour and glorious Redeemer, how we (and David too) will praise Thee in that day!