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T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
July 1927
definitely to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell David, my servant, Thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in ; for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent and from one tabernacle to another.” The Word of God is final in settling all mat ters of duty and responsibility; there are, however, matters of expediency which are to be settled by the peace of God which is: .to “rule in your hearts” (act as umpire). . Since David’s heart had gone out in such deep concern for God and he was putting God first, God' graciously sent answer back to bim that He would in turn honor his faith and love. God al ways, honors those who honor Him. In this message Nathan reminded David that God had taken him from “follow ing the sheep,” in order to be prince (shepherd) over the people of Israel and that God had cut off all ’of his enemies, thus giving him peace. Furthermore, God made some promises to David that were simply astounding. In the first place He promised to make his (David’s) name great like the great nations of the earth.’ This promise God has faithfully kept for he is known as Israel’s ideal king. A second promise God made to David wals, “I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them that they may dwell in their own place and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more as at (first, and from the days that I com manded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will subdue all mine ene- mies.% This promise has never been ful filled, but we can be certain that the faithfulness of God is a sure guarantee that at the proper time it will be fulfilled to the very letter. It is true that Israel for some, time was, as it were, a sojour ner in a siriall portion of the land which God promised to give to Abraham and his seed. All during the days of the judges and the monarchy and down to the de struction of the Hebrew nation in the year A.D. 70, Israel could not be said to have been planted in the land. The Can- aanites were never completely expelled; and those remaining were “thorns” in Israel’s flesh. Continually “the .children of wickedness” invaded their territory and devastated it. But when this prophecy is fulfilled they will be planted in their land never to be deported from same. The third promise which God made to David through Nathan was, “Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house.”' David had proposed to build a literal house (temple) but God makes a play upon the word “house” and promises to make David a house in the sense of a reigning dynasty. Of the house of David there were twenty kings arid one queen who sat upon his throne until it was overturned (Ezek. 21:27). Nathan im mediately proceeded to tell David that his immediate son and successor would build the house which he himself proposed building and that his (Solomon’s) throne should be established forever, adding, “I shall be his Father and he shall be My son; and I shall not take My loving kind ness away from him as I took it from him who was before thee,” and threatening, “If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with a rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men.” The entire Davidic line of kings was before Nathan’s spiritual vision as a mountain
task of building the temple was not com mitted to David? (1 Chron. 22:7-8). Can God do for believers now what He did for David? (v. 7; cp. Psa. 113:5-8). Did David have any better promises than believers now have? (v. 8; cp. Eph. 1:18-20; Isa. 55:3). In whom was the immediate and partial fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant? (1 Kings 8:20; 5:5; 1 Chron. 22:9, 10; 28: 6 - 10 ): In whom will be the final and complete fulfillment? (Isa. 9:6, 7; 11:1-3, 10; Matt. 22:42-44; Acts 2:30). Whose throne is it that is to be estab lished forever? (Isa. 9:7; Luke 1:32-33). Where is this eternal King sitting until the time comes when He shall have uni versal rule? (Acts 2:32-35). — o — G olden T ext I llustration Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom (Heb. 1:8). One of the most ancient hieroglyphic representations of God was the figure of an eye upon a sceptre, to denote that God sees and rules all things. “There is an Eye that never sleeps Beneath the wing of night: There is an Ear that never shuts When sink the beams of light. “There is an Arm that never tires When human strength gives way; There is a Love that never fails When earthly loves decay. “That Eye is fixed on seraph throngs, That Ear is filled with Angels’ songs; That Arm upholds the worlds on high; That Love is throned beyond the sky.” TN last Sunday’s •lesson we studied the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem and its historical setting. Though there was begun a ritualistic service in connection of the nation the central sanctuary at Jerusalem should eclipse all the other local places of worship. God takes men where they are arid not where they should be, for which fact we may well praise and thank His holy name. A parallel to this situation is seen in the New Testa ment days. The early church, as is seen in the study of the Acts of the Apostles, continued to attend the temple service as they had «formerly done before accepting Christ. This ‘situation continued for a period of 40 years until the fall of Jeru salem in A.D 70. God permitted the church in Jerusalem to continue their former habits of worship until they could get their bearings; then He permitted the Romans to come and destroy the nation. At that time the church had apprehended itself and was able to break away from the past. God deals with individuals upon with the Ark at J erusalem, t h e r e still continued the worship in Gibeah which had been car ried on for a long time. God permitted and accepted th e worship in the lat ter place for a time until in the minds
Tugging A t Your Own Bootstraps
T BELIEVE that an acute con- sciousness of sin is more needed now than an enormous accession of conceit. The old theologians, with all their dog matism, got down to the bed rock of human nature; they be lieved in the reality of sin, and they did their utmost to convict their audiences; some hearers walked out of church realizing their shortcomings,(Sand deter mined by the grace of God that something must be done to im prove the situation. And even now I believe that religious faith will elevate ■ the average man more effectively than he can do it by- talking encouragingly to himself. The latter method has all the disadvantage of trying to lift one’s self by tugging at one’s boot straps. S.M^Prof. William Lyon Phelps.
the same pririciple. God tolerates many things in the lives of young Christians as they are endeavoring to break from the past, at which His indignation would be aroused in the case !of older and more mature Christians, Upon David’s being thoroughly estab lished in his now extended domains, be ing at rest in his capital, and having built for himself a palace of cedar, he came to see the incongruity of the situation: he, by the blessing of God, was comfortably and luxuriously situated with a vast realm and its resources at his command; the Ark, the visible symbol of the presence of the Ever-Living God, was housed in a tent. He caught the vision which Haggai had, as is seeri in Haggai 1 :4ff “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your ceiled houses while this house (the tem ple) lieth waste?” David immediately divulged his ideas and purposes to his trusted friend, Na than, the prophet. In reply to David, Na than immediately gave his wholehearted sanction, saying: o!Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee.” Though Nathan was a prophet, God’s own spokes man to man,, he was not inspired by the Spirit of God when he made the above statement. He simply judged from out ward circumstances that surely it was time to build a temple “made with hands” for the dwelling of his God. Although all of the attendant circumstances seemed to point very definitely that it was but proper for David at that time to build a temple for God’s glory, Nathan was hasty in giving his approval to the royal plan. Favorable outward circumstances are not final proof and evidence concerning the will of God. . God must be consulted in earnest, there must be sincere prayer, in regard even to the least things of, life— those little things which man considers very insignificant. There was another con sideration in the case of David which en tered very vitally into his proposal and which neither the king nor the prophet had considered, namely that David was a man of blood (1 Cbron. 22:8; 28:3) ; hence, the same night God spoke very
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