413
September 1929
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
God’s Four Hundred B y P . W. P h ilpott , D.D. (For several years pastor Moody Memorial Church, Chicago, III.; commencing October 1, pastor Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles, Calif.)
“David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam; and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men." “And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them: I f ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you; but if ye come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said: Thine we are, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse; peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. “All these men of war, that could keep rank,' came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.”—! Sam. 22:1, 2; 1 Chron. 12:17, 18, 38. OU will know that when David was anointed king over all Israel he did not at once possess the throne. While Saul continued to reign, David spent the first nine years after his anoint ing with his court at the cave Adullam, during which time he was despised, rejected, and de nied that which God had given him. There was a second stage to his kingdom. At the end of those nine years he was crowned at Hebron and he reigned there, over the tribe of Judah alone, while the Jebusites held Jebus (now known as Jerusalem) for seven and a half years. Finally, however, the city was stormed and captured, and David began to reign at Jerusalem, the acknowledged king of all the tribes of Israel. It was during the period of his rejection—those first nine years—-that the four hundred men mentioned in our text gathered about him; men who were in “distress,” in “debt,” and “discontented.” He received them and became captain over them. In time they shared the great glory of David and ruled with him during all his years of triumph. Throughout the story of their achievements they are on various occasions referred to as “valiant men,” “mighty men,” and “men o f valor.” But it is well for us to note that these -distinctions did not come to them because of their own prowess. It was their association with David, their relation to him, that inspired them to do the noble and the honorable thing. It was their fidelity to David that exalted them and eventually brought them the reward that was theirs. Christ on one occasion, looking at a little company of men who were almost as destitute and discontented as those that came to David, called, saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers o f men.” That is, I will MAKE you; I will make the most possible of you. As you read the life stories of those men you see how literally the promise was fulfilled. They were known .by the scholars of their day as unlearned and ignorant men. Yet they came into the very front rank of greatness and have been classed among the world’s mightiest from that day to this.
“I am what I am by the grace o f God.” Paul, who made the statement, was a scholar, a keen thinker, an outr standing leader, before he ever met Christ. But I honestly believe that we would never have heard of Paul if he had not had a vision one day on the way to Damascus, and there declared his allegiance to Jesus Christ. Paul’s great ness was his God. Studying the characteristics of these Four Hundred, we find a story of grace, full of hopefulness for every one of us, and especially for those who feel beaten and de feated in the struggle. This is a story of courage! This is a story of hope! S orrow M akes U s K in First of all they were driven to David by the instinct o f common sorrow. It was their suffering, and failure, and sin that brought them to him. And it was David’s sorrow and the persecution through which he was passing that made it possible for him to appreciate their need and give them practical solace. “A fellow feeling makes one wonderfully kind.” One of the most profound explanations of the incar nation is found in the book of Hebrews. The writer tells us that Jesus was made a partaker of flesh and blood, not simply that He might die and make atonement, but also that He might be able to sympathize with the children of men. He was “made perfect through suffering.” “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed o f Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.” While He is Very God of Very God, we must remember that He is also the Son of man. In this title He delighted. Eighty times it is applied to Him in the Gos pels. If He were but God (and I speak reverently), then any suffering that He might pass through would mean nothing to me. But He was tempted in all points as we are, sin apart, that He might be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He suffered, being,tempted, that He might be able to succor them that are tempted. In Jesus, our precious Lord, we have—as these poor dejected men had in David—one who understands us, who is acquainted with our heartaches, who appreciates our weariness, who knows all about sorrow, suffering, loneliness and disap pointment. He passed through these experiences that He might sympathize, not sentimentally but experimentally. Is it a struggle to obtain bread and butter, money to pay the rent, to clothe the children, to exist ? I know it isn’t so with many of us. But there are others who do not have enough to live on. Are you poor? For your sake Christ became poor! He was rich. Yonder in the eternity of God He laid aside the crown of glory, and down to our level He came, with no. place on earth to lay His head. He did it that we, through His poverty, might be made rich. The thought is not that we might gain honor and material wealth, but that He might enrich us with His presence and practical sympathy. Oh, how rich you are
Made with FlippingBook Annual report