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2 Samuel
Chapter Five
2 Samuel 5
Chapter Contents
David king over all Israel. (1-5) He takes the
strong-hold of Zion. (6-10) David's kingdom established. (11-16) He defeats the
Philistines. (17-25)
Commentary on 2 Samuel 5:1-5
(Read 2 Samuel 5:1-5)
David was anointed king a third time. His advances were
gradual, that his faith might be tried, and that he might gain experience. Thus
his kingdom typified that of the Messiah, which was to come to its height by
degrees. Thus Jesus became our Brother, took upon him our nature, dwelt in it
that he might become our Prince and Saviour: thus the humbled sinner takes
encouragement from the endearing relation, applies for his salvation, submits
to his authority, and craves his protection.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 5:6-10
(Read 2 Samuel 5:6-10)
The enemies of God's people are often very confident of
their own strength, and most secure when their day to fall draws nigh. But the
pride and insolence of the Jebusites animated David, and the Lord God of hosts
was with him. Thus in the day of God's power, Satan's strong-hold, the human
heart, is changed into a habitation of God through the Spirit, and into a
throne on which the Son of David rules, and brings every thought into obedience
to himself. May He thus come, and claim, and cleanse, each of our hearts; and,
destroying every idol, may he reign there for ever!
Commentary on 2 Samuel 5:11-16
(Read 2 Samuel 5:11-16)
David's house was not the worse, nor the less fit to be
dedicated to God, for being built by the sons of the stranger. It is prophesied
of the gospel church, The sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their
kings shall minister unto thee, Isaiah 60:10. David's government was rooted and
built up. David was established king; so is the Son of David, and all who,
through him, are made to our God kings and priests. Never had the nation of
Israel appeared so great as it began now to be. Many have the favour and love
of God, yet do not perceive it, and so want the comfort of it; but to be
exalted to that, and to perceive it, is happiness. David owned it was for his
people's sake God had done great things for him; that he might be a blessing to
them, and that they might be happy under him.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 5:17-25
(Read 2 Samuel 5:17-25)
The Philistines considered not that David had the presence
of God with him, which Saul had forfeited and lost. The kingdom of the Messiah,
as soon as it was set up in the world, was thus attacked by the powers of
darkness. The heathen raged, and the kings of the earth set themselves to
oppose it; but all in vain, Psalm 2:1, & c; . The destruction will turn,
as this did, upon Satan's own kingdom. David owns dependence on God for
victory; and refers himself to the good pleasure of God, Wilt thou do it? The
assurance God has given us of victory over our spiritual enemies, should
encourage us in our spiritual conflicts. David waited till God moved; he
stirred then, but not till then. He was trained up in dependence on God and his
providence. God performed his promise, and David failed not to improve his
advantages. When the kingdom of the Messiah was to be set up, the apostles, who
were to beat down the devil's kingdom, must not attempt any thing till they
received the promise of the Spirit; who came with a sound from heaven, as of a
rushing, mighty wind, Acts 2:2.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel》
2 Samuel 5
Verse 2
[2] Also
in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and
broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people
Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
Shalt feed —
That is, rule them, and take care of them, as a shepherd doth of his sheep, Psalms 78:70,71. This expression, he useth to
admonish David, that he was not made a king to advance his own glory, but for
the good of his people; whom he ought to rule with all tenderness, and to watch
over with all diligence.
Verse 3
[3] So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David
made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king
over Israel.
A league —
Whereby David obliged himself to rule them according to God's laws; and the
people promised obedience to him.
Verse 6
[6] And
the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of
the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and
the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
Cannot come —
They confided in the strength of their fortifications, which they thought so
impregnable, that the blind and the lame were sufficient to defend them,
against the most powerful assailant. And probably they set a parcel of blind
and lame people, invalids or maimed soldiers, to make their appearance on the
wall, in contempt of David and his men.
Verse 8
[8] And
David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the
Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall
be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not
come into the house.
To the gutter —
That is, whosoever scaleth the fort, or getteth up to the top of it, where the
gutter was.
That are hated —
The Jebusites, and the lame, and the blind, Who had probably themselves insulted
him, and blasphemed God.
He shall be —
These words are fitly supplied out of 1 Chronicles 11:6, where they are expressed.
They said … —
That is, whence it became a proverb, or a common saying, used by David, and
others, the blind and the lame Jebusites, were set to keep the house, that is,
the fort of Zion; and to keep others from coming into it; but now they are shut
out of it, and none of them, either of the Jebusites, or of blind and lame
persons, shall be admitted to come into it again. Which David might ordain, to
keep up the memory of this great exploit, and of the insolent carriage of the
Jebusites.
Verse 9
[9] So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David
built round about from Millo and inward.
Millo —
Which seems to have been the town-hall or, state-house, near the wall of the
city of Zion.
Verse 12
[12] And
David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he
had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.
King over Israel —
That he might be a blessing to them, and they might be happy under his
administration.
Verse 13
[13] And
David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come
from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
David took, … —
This may well be reckoned amongst David's miscarriages, the multiplication of
wives being expresly forbidden to the king, Deuteronomy 17:17. It seems to have been his
policy, that hereby he might enlarge his family, and strengthen his interest by
alliances with so many considerable families. But all these did not preserve
him from coveting his neighbour's wife. Rather they inclined him to it: for men
who have once broke the fence, will wander carelesly.
Verse 17
[17] But
when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all
the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to
the hold.
The hold — To
some fortified place to which his people might conveniently resort from all
places, and where he might intrench his army, which lay towards the
Philistines.
Verse 20
[20] And
David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath
broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he
called the name of that place Baalperazim.
Baal-perazim-Whither the Philistines were
come from the valley of Rephraim, 1 Chronicles 14:11. Baal-perazim, signifies the
master of the breaches: So he ascribes all to God.
As waters — As
floods or rivers of waters, which break the banks, and overflow a land, and
overturn all that stands in their way.
Verse 21
[21] And
there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
Images —
When the ark fell into the hand of the Philistines, it consumed them: but when
these images fell into the hands of Israel, they could not save themselves from
being consumed.
Verse 22
[22] And
the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of
Rephaim.
And spread themselves — The expression intimates, that they were very numerous, and made a very
formidable appearance. So we read, Revelation 20:9, of the church's enemies going
up on the breadth of the earth. But the wider they spread themselves, the
fairer mark they are for God's arrows.
Verse 23
[23] And
when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a
compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
Go up —
Directly against them, as the following words explain it.
Behind —
Where they least expect thee; God's purposes and promises do not exclude men's
endeavours.
Verse 24
[24] And
let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out
before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
The sound — A
noise as it were of persons walking upon the tops of them, which I shall cause;
and by this sign, both thou shalt he assured that I am coming to help thee; and
the Philistines shall be affrighted, and not perceive the noise of thy army,
until thou art upon them.
Bestir —
Fall upon them.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 2
Samuel》
DAVID,
KING OVER ISRAEL.
11. Samuel. 5:1-12.
David as king
over Israel. There is a sevenfold characteristic of David as king.
Ⅰ. He was an appointed king:
“ The Lord said to thee” (ver.2). He did not seek the office, but he was sought
for the position (1. Samuel 16:11-13). The same is true of Christ. He was God
sent in His work ( John 3:17-18), God-qualified for the work (Luke 4:18), and
God-honoured in the position He occupies (Psalm 2:7). The blessed man of Psalm
1, is the honoured man of Psalm 2.
Ⅱ. David was a kinsman king.
He was no foreigner imported for the place, but was one of the people. “ We are
thy bone and flesh” (verse 1). He was one of their race, and not a stranger.
This was according to the righteous rule of Deut.17:15. Christ also is one of
us. “ He was one of us,” was on a banner at the centenary of Stevenson. So we
say of Christ, “ He was one of us.” He is our kinsman (Heb.2:14).
Ⅲ. David was a fitted king.
“ Thou leddest out,” ＆c. (verse 2).He had proved
himself worthy of the position. “ All through his past life, since the conflict
with Goliath, David had showed generalship, wisdom, skill, forbearance,
courage, knowledge of men, and trust in God.” How much more so is Christ! He
was fitted by His sufferings (Heb.2:10), and His whole life further
demonstrates His fitness to be the Ruler of men. Psalm 72. is a prophetic
statement of His reign in the days to come.
Ⅳ. David was a careful king.
“ Thou shalt feed,” ＆c. (verse 2). Literally, “
Thou shalt shepherd.” The metaphor expresses the care the ruler should have in
reigning over his people. “ The true king seeks not to obtain all he can from
the people, but to do all he can for them; not to plunder the sheep, but to
shepherd them.” Psalm 23. is the expression of the shepherdly care of Christ
for His people.
Ⅴ. David was an exemplary
king. “ Thou shalt be a captain” (verse 2). Not only to lead Israel in time of
war, but to be the leader in every good word and work. Christ is our Great
Leader, and it is to Him we are to look (Heb.12:2,3), of Him we are to learn
(Matt.11:29), and after Him we are to follow (Mark 8:34).
Ⅵ. David was a victorious
king. The Jebusites thought they were absolutely secure from the power of
David, but they soon found out their mistake ( verse 6-9). Christ is the Great
Victor over all foes (Luke 11:22; Heb.2:14; Col.2:15; Rom.16:20).
Ⅶ. David was the accepted
king. Israel desired him to be their king, and anointed him as such. Christ is
yet to be the acknowledged King on this earth (Isaiah 32:1).
The kingship of
David may not only be taken in a typical sense, as applicable to Christ; but as
an illustration of the believer’s conquering rule over himself (Proverbs
16:32), in the power of the Spirit (Phil.2:13).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
05 Chapter 5
Verses 1-9
Verses 1-12
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake
saying, Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh.
David king over all Israel
It was probably very soon after the death of Ishbosheth
that this visit of the tribes of Israel to Hebron occurred. Now, in this
request the elders urged three reasons why David should be their king.
1. Blood-relationship: “We are thy bone and thy flesh.” It was with
these words that Laban welcomed his nephew Jacob to Haran (Genesis 29:14); with these words also
Abimelech sought the allegiance of the men of Shechem ( 9:2).
2. David had been, under Saul, their leader in war, and as he had
been a victorious leader they are ready to acknowledge him as their king.
3. He had been called of God to be a shepherd and a prince over
Israel.
As the representatives of the tribes the elders come to Hebron
with this petition, and a covenant is entered into “before the Lord.”
1. All the tribes of Israel were now united and the family circle was
one under David.
2. There was peace in Israel, instead of the long, bitter strife of
so many years.
3. Their anointed king was he whom God had selected, so that, instead
of fighting against the Divine purpose, they were now in harmony with that
purpose, and the smile of Jehovah rested on their union.
4. The future was bright before them. So long as they were contending
with one another they had no strength to overcome the enemies of God, and the Jebusites could not be
driven out of Jerusalem. But now, the tribes united, led by such a prince as David and with God on
their side, they were strong to conquer all their enemies.
There are two profound thoughts in this closing verse:
1. The recognition by David of the hand of God in his position as
king over Israel.
2. The recognition of the truth that the purpose of this providence
was for the temporal and spiritual interests of the people of God. The people
are not created
for the king, but the king for the people. (A. E. Kittredge, D. D.)
David king ever Israel
I. Look at Israel
in those years of waiting for their king. Near five centuries before the
founding of the kingdom, the rule which was to govern the conduct of their
coming king had been lodged in the archives of their nation. He had been seen
at the helm of human affairs, of whom it was written: “He worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will.” The steppings of God are not swift enough for
us. Time spent waiting for deliverance or advancement seems lost time. We forget
that preparation is demanded for all promotions, all changes that are radical.
Because Israel would not wait for God to choose for them a king in his own
time, he gave them Saul, of their own choosing. They, however, found little comfort
in him. His life was “one long tragedy.” Human wisdom is often folly. That
which we judge will be for our large advantage often proves our peril. There is
no safety but in waiting for God to go before and lead.
II. Notice God’s
choice of David as king. In the midst of the commotion and desolation of
Israel, Samuel was commanded to go to Bethlehem, and there anoint one of the
sons of Jesse. No explanation was given of the meaning of that anointing.
Neither Jesse nor David understood it, though both must have had conception of
some great honour indicated. The choice was of God. Mighty changes were to take
place in the rule of Israel; a mighty man was required. He was found. God
always has instruments at hand for use.
III. Notice David’s
preparation for the kingship. God was preparing him, through the persecutions
of enemies and the treachery of friends, by a long and painful discipline, for
the kingship of Judah, at Hebron. There he reigned seven and a hail years, when
the throne of Israel became vacant. Purified in the furnace of affliction and
humiliations, grown strong in faith through wonderful deliverances and
exaltations, he was ready for the place which God had made ready for him.
IV. Notice David’s
exaltation to the throne. (Monday Club Sermons.)
David a type of Christ
David is made fully king. He has been, so to say, partially king;
now his kingship is to be completed. It is legitimate to inquire into the
typology of the whole case. Being the father of Christ according to the flesh,
it will be to our edification to ask where the lines coincide, where they
become parallels, and where they again touch one another. The study will be at
once interesting and profitable.
1. “David was thirty years old when he began to reign” (v. 4). How
old was Christ when he entered his public ministry? Was he not thirty years
old? The full meaning of this it is impossible to find out; nevertheless the
coincidence itself is a lesson: we stop, and wonder, and think. Providence thus
reveals itself little by little, and we are permitted to take up the separate
parts, bring them together, and shape them into significance.
2. “And they anointed David king over Israel” (v. 3.) Is that the
word which is used when men are made kings? Is there not another word which is
employed usually? Do we not say, And they crowned the king? The word here used
is anointed--a better word, a word with more spiritual meaning in it, and more
duration. The oil penetrated; the oil signified consecration, purity, moral
royalty. There was a crown, but that was spectacular, and might be lost. Was
not Jesus Christ anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows? Have not
we who follow Him and share His kingship, an unction, or anointing, from the
Holy One, through whom we know all things?
3. David reigned forty years. Forty is a perfect number. There are
many numerals which represent perfectness, and forty--the four tens--is one of
them. Or making the whole life seventy years we come again upon another aspect
of perfectness: perfectness in the life and in the royalty: perfectness in both
senses and in both aspects. And is not Jesus Christ to come to a perfect reign?
Has He not His own forty and His own seventy--His own secret number, which
represents to Him mysteriously the perfectness of His reign? He must reign,
till He hath put all enemies under His feet.
4. The Jebusites mocked David when he would go and reign in
Jerusalem; they said, “Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt
not come in hither” (v. 6). In other words: If you can overcome the lame and
the blind, you may enter into Jerusalem, but other soldiery we will not
interpose: even they will be strong enough to break the arms of David. Has no
defiance been hurled at the Messiah? Has He not been excluded from the
metropolis of the world? Are there not those who have mocked Him and wagged
their heads at Him? Are there not those who have spat upon His name, and said,
We will not have this man to reign over us? Let history testify, and let our
own conscience speak.
5. David advanced more and more. The tenth verse has a beautiful
expression: “And David went on, and grew great.” The words are short, but the
meaning is boundless. David was a persistent man--he “went one” It is the man
who steadfastly goes on, who enters the city and clears a space for himself, in
all departments and outlooks of life. And is not Jesus Christ going forth from
conquering to conquer? Is He not moving from land to land, from position to
position. “And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords.” “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms
of our Lord, and of His Christ.” Go on thou mighty Son of God!
6. Then we read in the eleventh verse, “And they built David a
house.” Even those who were averse to Him came to this at the last. And is no
house being built for Christ? Once He said, “The foxes have holes, and the
birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His
head.” Is it to be always so? or is not the whole earth to be the house of the living
Christ, the sanctuary of the crowned Lord? This is the voice of prophecy; this
is the testimony of all history: in this inspiration we pray our bolder prayer
and utter our grander hope. Jesus shall reign, and a house shall be built for
Him, and it shall be called the house of God.
7. “But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king
over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it,
and went down to the hold” (v. 17). Christ has enemies to-day. There are Philistines
who are banded against Him: they want to deplete His name of all spiritual
meaning, to take away from Him all the glory of His miracles, to deny even His
incarnation, to treat Him as a myth, a vision, or a dream; but still He goes
down to the hold, and still He advances His position.
8. Having overthrown the Philistines in one conflict, we read in the
twenty-second verse, “And the Philistines came up yet again.” These words have
modern meaning--namely, the words “yet again.” The enemy is not easily foiled.
One repulse is not enough. The victory is not secured until the enemy is under
foot--no truce, no compromise, no modification, no temporising, no living by
mutual concession. (J. Parker, D. D.)
King David a type of Christ
David, as king, was an illustrious type of Christ. “I have set my
king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalms 2:6.) “All Israel shall be saved:
as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the deliverer.” (Romans 11:26.) Jesus was recognised as
“The Son of David”; He is “King of the Jews”; “King of kings,” and “of His
kingdom there shall be no end.” This passage suggests several analogies between
King David and King Jesus.
1. David was king by Divine ordination (v. 2, 12.) And so Christ was
elected from eternity to be the Monarch of mankind, was predicted of old. “His
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.” (Daniel 4:3; Daniel 4:34.) It was asserted by Himself,
“My kingdom is not of this world.” He claimed kingship of Divine origin and
authority.
2. David was ordained to be king for two purposes: “Thou shalt feed
my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.” It is the function
of a shepherd to feed; of a captain to guide and protect. So Christ is the good
Shepherd and the Captain of Salvation. He supplies the need of His people, and
leads them to victory.
3. David was qualified by kindred relationship. “We are thy bone and
thy flesh.” So Jesus took our nature, “in all things was made like unto His
brethren.” “He is not ashamed to call us brethren.” His humanity, linked with
His deity, qualified Him to be the “Mediator between God and men”; the
Shepherd-King of His people; “the
Man Christ Jesus.”
4. David was king by mutual covenant. The Son of David is proclaimed
from heaven as King of men; and He engages to rule in equity, and to guard His
people from harm. We, on our part, accept Him as our Lord: we declare that we
desire Him to rule over us; there is a mutual covenant. He says, “Ye are My
people”; and we say, “Thou art our King.”
5. David assailed the strong fortress of his foes. David’s greater
Son lays siege to the human heart, fortified against Him by unbelief and sin.
He summons it to surrender; brings the battery of truth against its walls;
promises pardon if it will open its gates.
6. David conquered the-fortress and dwelt in it. So Jesus has entered
many a heart by its opened doors, and has proved His power to subdue the most
determined resistance. He then makes it His abode.
7. David enlarged the captured city. “He built round about.” Thus the
kingdom of David’s Son is constantly being enlarged. Faith in the soul grows as
seeds. The leaven leavens the whole lump. Every part of our nature
progressively owns the sway of its Lord.
8. The King of Tyre sent cedar-trees and carpenters to help to build
David’s house. So the Gentiles built up the Church of Christ. Earthly wealth is
consecrated to His service. Not Tyre alone, but every people and clime shall
help in raising up Jerusalem, and making Zion a praise throughout the earth.
9. David reigned in Hebron and Jerusalem forty years. David’s Son
reigns everywhere, and His kingdom shall have no end. “He shall reign for ever
and ever.”
10. David had the joy of being assured that God had exalted His
throne. “He perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel.” And
David’s Son “shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.”
Lessons:--Let us individually enter into covenant with Christ as our King. Let
us open our hearts for Him to dwell in. Though “blind and lame,” He will heal us,
and help us to fight
His battles and share His triumph. (N. Hall, D. D.)
Verse 2
Thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel.
Divine appointment and man’s doing
There are both sides of the great division in evangelical
theology--Arminianism and Calvinism: man’s doing, and God’s planning. The Lord
said that David should lead Israel; and David did lead Israel. And the people
of Israel gave a fair prominence to both sides of the question. They saw that
David could do what the Lord had said he should do; and they knew that the Lord
had said that David should do what they saw he could do. As a practical matter,
these two sides of the truth have to be considered by all of the Lord’s people,
in all their doing and in all their judging. If a man is called of God to a
special work, the man must show by his doing that he is the very man whom God
has called, and who was the man to be called of God. And in judging of another’s
fitness for his work, it is right for us to consider the call of God to that
man, as well as that man’s apparent success in his work. If the man is clearly
out of the place to which he was called of God, all his ability and apparent
fitness for this other place must be counted insufficient to inspire confidence
in him for permanent success here. It has been well said, as to a Christian’s
personal duty in God’s service, that he ought to work in his appointed sphere
as if everything, depended on his own exertions, while he ought to trust as if
everything depended on God’s strength as given to him in that sphere. (H.
Clay Trumbull.)
Verse 3
And King David made a league with them.
Making a league
For one born into the family, no formal covenant is necessary, in
order to bind to his support all who are of the same blood with himself. But
when one is taken in from outside, to be closer than a brother, or when a
number of persons who are not of one blood would bind themselves together in
mutual fellowship, a specific league must be made in ratification of the new
relation. The form of the league
is different in different cases. The simplest form, and one which has always
had a binding force in the East, is that of eating together, of breaking bread
in common, in token of mutual fidelity. Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, in his Among the Turks, gives various
illustrations of this truth. As he sat on the floor, at dinner, in a Turkish
governor’s residence, the boy gave him in his fingers a piece of roast mutton,
to be taken by the guest’s fingers and then eaten. “Now, do you know what I
have done?” asked the boy. “Perfectly well,” answered Dr. Hamlin. “You have
given me a delicious piece of roast meat, and I have eaten it.” “You have gone
far from it,” responded the boy. “By that act, I have pledged you every drop of
my blood, that while you are in my territory no evil shall come to you. For
that space of time we are brothers.” Coming from Smyrna, at one time, Dr.
Hamlin was on a vessel containing a large number of raw recruits for the
Turkish army. “Just before reaching port, some fifteen or so of these recruits
threw off their look of stolid resignation, cleared a place on the deck, as I
supposed, for a country dance; and I looked on with interest. I could see, by
their costumes, that they were all from the same village, or villages closely
associated . . . They stood in a ring, each man’s right hand upon his
neighbour’s left shoulder. Soon one came to take a vacant place, with a semeet,
a ring of bread, in his hand. He broke it into bits, and they all ate of it,
saying a few words of prayer, probably the first chapter of the Koran. It was a
religious act, plainly. About to separate, and be dispersed into the army, they
bound themselves to be faithful in memory, and in aid, should it ever become
possible. It was to them a kind of sacrament, an oath of brotherhood.” And so
they “made a league” with one another. (The Sunday School Times.)
Verse 5
In Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.
Jerusalem, the Holy City
It was highly desirable that the capital should be accessible to
the whole country, and should possess the necessary features that rendered it
fit to become the heart and brain of the national life. It must be capable of
being strongly fortified, so as to preserve the sacred treasures of the kingdom
inviolate. All these features blended in Jerusalem, and commended it to David’s
Divinely-guided judgment. In this he greatly differed from Saul, who had made
his own city, Gibeah, his capital--an altogether insignificant place, and the
scene of an atrocious crime, the infamy of which could not be obliterated. To
have made Hebron the capital would have excited the jealousy of the rest of
Israel; and Bethlehem, his birthplace, would have struck too low a keynote,
None were to be compared with the site of Jerusalem, on the frontier between
Judah and Benjamin, surrounded on three sides by valleys, and on the other
side, the north, strongly fortified.
I. Its previous
history. To the Jew there was no city like Jerusalem. It was the city of his
God, situate in His holy mountain: “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the
whole earth.” The high hills of Bashan were represented as jealous of the
lowlier hill of Zion, because God had chosen it for His abode. The mountains
that stood around her seemed to symbolize the environing presence of Jehovah.
The exile in his banishment opened his windows towards Jerusalem as he knelt in
prayer, and wished that his right hand might forget its cunning sooner than his
heart fail to prefer Jerusalem above its chief joy. The charm of the yearly
pilgrimage to the sacred feasts was that the feet of the pilgrim should stand within her gates; and
when at a distance from her walls and palaces, pious hearts were wont to pray
that peace and prosperity might be within them for the sake of those brethren
and companions who were favoured to live within her precincts. But it had not
always been so. Her birth and nativity were of the land of the Canaanite. An
Amorite was her father, and her mother a Hittite. In the day that she was born
she was cast out as a deserted child on the open field, weltering in her blood.
For a brief spell the priest-king Melchizedek reigned over her, and during his
life her future glory must have been presaged; the thin spiral columns of smoke
that arose from his altars, anticipating the stately worship of the Temple; his
priesthood foreshadowing a long succession of priests. Thereafter a long spell
of darkness befell her; and for years after the rest of the country was in
occupation of Israel, Jerusalem was still held by the Jebusites. Joshua,
indeed, nominally subdued the city in his first occupation of the land, and
slew its king; but his tenure of it was very brief and slight, and the city
speedily relapsed under the sway of its ancient occupants.
II. The capture.
Making a levy of all Israel, David went up to Jerusalem. For the first time after seven
years, he took the lead of his army in person. Passive, when he was called to
wait for the gift of God, he was intensely active and energetic when he
discerned the Divine summons. David’s first act was to extend the fortifications;
“He built round about from Millo and inward;” whilst Joab seems to have
repaired and beautified the buildings in the city itself. This first success
laid the foundation of David’s greatness. “He waxed greater and greater; for
the Lord, the God of Hosts, was with him.” Indeed, neighbouring nations appear
to have become impressed with the growing strength of his kindom, and hastened
to seek his alliance. (1 Chronicles 11:7-9; 2 Samuel 5:11).
III. A fair dawn. It
has been suggested that we owe Psalms 101:1-8 to this hour in David’s
life. He finds himself suddenly called to conduct the internal administration
of a great nation, that had, so to speak, been born in a day, and was beginning
to throb with the intensity of a long-suspended animation. The new needs were
demanding new expression. Departments of law and justice, of finance, and of
military organization, were rapidly being called into existence, and becoming
localized at the capital. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Verse 6
Except thou take away the blind.
Security not safety
A graphic picture of the haughty security of the Jebusites and of
their consequent weakness is given in Stanley’s Sinai and Palestine. The late
Dean wrote: “When David appeared under the walls of Jebus the ‘old inhabitants
of the land,’ the last remnant of their race that clung to that mountain home,
exulting in the strength of these ancient ‘everlasting gates” looked proudly
down on the army below and said, ‘Except thou take away the blind and the lame,
thou shalt not come in thither; thinking David cannot come in thither.’ The
blind and the lame they thought were sufficient to defend what nature had so
strongly defended. It was the often-repeated story of the capture of fortresses
through what seemed their strongest and therefore became their weakest point.
‘Precipitous, and therefore neglected.’ Such was the fate of Sardis, and of
Rome, and such was the fate of Jebus. (Sunday School Times.)
Jeering as a war-weapon
Long before the origin of the comic-caricature as a political
war-weapon, scoffs and jeers were a favourite projectile in Oriental
warfare--as they are, in the East, at the present time. The jeer of Tobiah,
against the Jews who were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem Under Nehemiah,
was: “Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down
their stone wall.” This was, in spirit, much like the Jebusite jeer at David,
Our blind and lame can keep your host at bay. “Come on, thou rider of a
kadesh!” (a hack-horse) was the cry of one shaykh to another in a combat in
Palestine, as reported by Mrs. Finn. And the response of the other was: “At
least I am not the son of a gypsy!” Arab warfare is so far not unlike Chinese
warfare; and so far the present is much like the days of David, in the East. (Sunday
School Times.)
Verse 8
Whosoever getteth up to the gutter.
The assault upon Zion
“Some far-seeing Hittite or Amorite had designed from the inside
of the city that a subterraneous passage should be cut through the rock to the
spring below, so that
in troublous times when the daughters of Zion could no longer venture outside
the gates to draw water from the fountain, the needful supply should be
obtainable without the knowledge of the besiegers, and without risk to the
besieged.” (Harper.) There is strong presumption that David obtained
information of this secret way through a citizen--Araunah the Jebusite. At all
events whoever disclosed to him the singular viaduct--“gutter” of our
Bibles--he issued forthwith the proclamation that an attack through it was
feasible. This has received the amplest confirmation from two other well-known
Palestine explorers by having themselves accomplished the feat. They worked
their way up through this same covered passage. (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)
Storming the citadel
Joab stormed the stronghold of Zion, which the Jebusites
thought-impregnable. Jonathan and his armour-bearer were scornfully despised by
the Philistine garrison (2 Samuel 5:1-25.) So General Wolfe
won the great victory which has made his name famous, by leading his men up the
Heights of Abraham above Quebec, his French opponents not dreaming that such a
feat was practicable.
Storming the fortress
The whole incident recalled a kindred adventure in Scottish
history; when during the wars of the Douglas, Dumbarton Rock--550 feet in
height, crowned with its fortress and castle, had its precipices of ballast
sealed by a few daring men, with the aid of ladders and grappling irons and
misty midnight. An ash tree growing in a crevice near the top served as an
equivalent for what, in the water-course of Jebus, helped materially to crown
the feat with success. (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)
Verses 10-25
Verse 10
David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of Hosts was with
him.
Greatness by gentleness
“Thy gentleness bath made me great.” So wrote David when he
rehearsed the history that had culminated in his advancement to the throne of
all Israel. He admits, therefore, that he was a “made” man, but not a
“self-made.” man. Here in the narrative of his prosperity he confesses that it
had been the Lord who established him king, who also exalted his kingdom; and
then in a Psalm of devotion he ascribes all his glory to Divine grace.
I. We consider the
greatness David had just reached. Six successive steps, at the least, had the
eternal God taken in his behalf on the way to his advancement.
1. He caused that a full and loyal call should come from the realm
over which he was now to rule as the second king (2 Samuel 5:1.)
2. The Lord trained David for the position he was to occupy by a long
and intricate process Of providential discipline (2 Samuel 5:2.)
3. Moreover, God had chosen David intelligently, years before, and
announced him as the man who should come after Saul (2 Samuel 5:3.)
4. Then, too, God helped on David’s greatness by providing for the
stability of his government a capital and a royal abode (2 Samuel 5:7.)
5. God’s gentleness made David great in that a perpetual presence was
vouchsafed to him for his entire life (2 Samuel 5:10.)
6. Then, also, God had made this monarch great by opening his
intelligence so that he should understand the meaning of Divine Providence,
past and future, and admit its special reach (2 Samuel 5:12.)
II. The gentleness
in the Divine dealing with him from his first recognition as a shepherd-boy to
this final establishment of him in the throne of Israel; is that in particular
among the attributes of God which he acknowledges just now. The poet Goethe has
left behind him, in his autobiography, this somewhat curious sentence as a
revelation of personal fact: “I was especially troubled by a giddiness which
came over me every time that I looked down from a height.” Many people, since
his day and before it, have had the same characteristic disturbance; but it has
more often been a height of ambition than merely a height of tower or
precipice. But there is no symptom of giddiness in the quiet ascription of his
gratitude: “Thy gentleness has made me great.”
1. God’s gentleness had borne with David’s want of memory.
2. Then, also, there was David’s want of faith, with which the
Almighty bore in a like spirit of gentleness.
3. To this we may add that God’s gentleness is disclosed in his
patiently bearing with David’s want of courage. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
David’s prosperity
I. What David did.
“He went on.”
1. He “went on” with his appointed work. David was not alone in this.
Every man has a work given him by God. David was, above all things, a servant
of God, and every man may be that if he will!
2. He “went on” in the face of opposition. He was opposed by the
Jebusites, and later by the Philistines. If we are in the path of duty, let us
go forward! ‘Tis patient going on that wins! In school and college, in workshop
and office, perseverance triumphs. Even so is it in the godly life. “He that
endureth to the end shall be saved.” “To patient faith the prize is sure,” etc.
II. What David
became. He “grew great.” David “grew great” in his kingly power, and honours,
and victories, great in the eyes of his foes, and great in the estimation of
his subjects. The large majority have to be content with mediocrity. Most
natures possess a spark of wholesome ambition, but in many cases it has become
smothered and buried! Many throw away splendid opportunities of becoming at any
rate greater than they are. The idler, the spendthrift, the drunkard, etc.
Ambition may be worthy or unworthy. He who aspires to be great in an honourable
calling by honourable means, to push his way by dint of hard work to the front,
is surely to be commended! Let us grow great without sacrificing our integrity,
or not at all! If we may not rise on the wings of righteousness let us be
content to keep on the ground! Above all, let it be our aim to grow great
morally and spiritually. But moral ennoblement comes from a higher source.
Tennyson’s Arthur, speaking of the Knights of the Round Table, says:--
“I
made them lay their hands in mine and swear
To
reverence the king as if he were
Their
conscience, and their conscience as their king,
To
break the heathen and uphold the Christ,
To
ride abroad redressing human wrongs,
To
speak no slander, no, nor listen to it,
To
honour his own word as if his God’s,
To
live sweet lives in purest chastity.”
Write “Christ” instead of Arthur and you have the patent of a
higher nobility than earthly sovereign ever bestowed.
III. The secret of
David’s prosperity. “The Lord God of Hosts was with him.” The secret of all
real greatness is in having the Lord on our side. How can we secure His
presence and help? How did David secure these?
1. He trusted God.
2. He acknowledged and consulted Him.
3. He obeyed God.
The same method of ensuring the Divine help is open to all. If we
would go on and grow great, if we would prosper in all right ways we must begin
to walk in those ways. Have we made the great commencement? He calls us now! (J.
Sellicks.)
Prosperity
I. The tide of
prosperity.
1. David as sole ruler over Israel. Every tide has a turning, and at
last the ebb-tide of David’s misfortunes began to flow. Judah had for seven and
a half years been subject to David’s sway, and now all Israel was anxious to
array itself under his banner. The account given in our lesson is very meagre,
but a fuller account in (1 Chronicles 12:23-40) will prove
that the whole proceeding was full of pomp. Adding up the military escorts
there mentioned, we find that they reached the grand total of three hundred and
forty thousand eight hundred, For three days there was universal rejoicing and
festivity. Thus with ceremonies of appropriate dignity, the former shepherd was
at last recognized as sovereign over all God’s chosen people.
2. As military conqueror. Soon after his installation as king over
all Israel, David began to cast wistful glances at Jerusalem. It was really the
Gibraltar of Canaan. But thus far, by reason of its impregnable situation, it
had defied the efforts of the Israelites to capture it, though on one occasion
they had been partially successful. David therefore laid plans for its complete
subjugation. Thus David gained a kingdom, a capital, and a religious centre
from which to rule his people.
3. As king among nations. Prosperity at home was followed by the
recognition of the sovereigns of other nations. Among them was Hiram, king of
ancient Tyre. Distant rulers sought alliance with the king of Israel, and
courted his favour. So he advanced, and became great. The tide of prosperity
swept far up on the sands of David’s life, and the promise of happiness and
usefulness was golden.
II. The cause of
prosperity.
1. David recognized that it was not for his own individual sake that
God had thus prospered him, but that it was “for his people Israel’s sake.” If
he had stopped to think, he would have recognized that he was no more talented
a man than Saul had been. Saul began well, when raised to the throne. In some
respects, indeed, Saul had the advantage over David. At this time in his life
David probably recognized all this, and ascribed the glory to Him to whom it
belonged. Had he only always borne this in mind, he would have made fewer
mistakes and committed fewer sins than he did. So long as his thought ran
God-ward he was safe; but as soon as his mind began to say, “by mine own
might,” he lost power and fell. These first few years of David’s reign were
among the happiest of his whole life. His hardships as an exile were at an end.
He no longer lay down and rose up in fear of his implacable enemy. He was no
longer separated from family and friends, and driven from post to pillar like a
wild beast. His heart was not tried by the apparent contradiction between God’s
promise and God’s performance. The promise of the kingdom had been made good,
and David felt that “all’s well that ends well.” Moreover, the people had not
yet become alienated from this ruler. The enthusiasm of a united and prosperous
nation, led by a wise and talented military chieftain, still pervaded all
classes. The great and overwhelming temptations of royalty had not yet
enfeebled the moral character of the king. Enlarged life, filled with unusual
opportunities for usefulness, spread out before him, and filled him with the enthusiasm
of full manhood. This was David’s “golden age.” He stood at the beginning of a
career which might be almost perfect in its achievements. So stands many a
young man and woman. Life stretches out before them, and is full of grand
possibilities. The restraints incident to childhood and the years of tutelage
are over. Powers of body and mind are in full vigour, and hope stands with face
erect and confidence on its brow. Friends applaud, and predict great success in
future days. Well is it for such persons to remember that God is the source of
all their talents and of the conditions of their future success. (A. F.
Schauffler.)
The nature of true progress
It is slow. Ewald would translate this phrase, “And David
gradually became greater and greater.” It was not a sudden and unexplained
outburst of prosperity, but a gradual growth. God’s greatest results are the
slowest of accomplishment. Haste is a sign of feebleness, but that which is to
abide must be slowly achieved. The lower forms of life quickly reach maturity,
and quickly decay. Man alone spends years of helpless childhood. The building
up of a kingdom and the formation of character are alike works that cannot be
hurried. The setting up of the Kingdom of God on the earth is a task more
difficult of accomplishment than was the establishment of David’s kingdom. We
must not be impatient. God has eternity in which to work. (R. C. Ford, M. A.)
Growing great
There are men
who go on and grow great, among or above their fellows, while the Lord is not
with them. Such growth and greatness are neither to be desired nor to be
admired. Again, there are men with whom the Lord is, who do not go on, as they
might go: and there are yet more of them who do not grow great by their doings,
or by the Lord’s planning. Having the Lord with us, is the chief thing. Going on
is the thing of next importance; that is, going on, while the Lord is with us.
Growing great, is of least importance; but if a man is to grow great, let him
see to it that he does not grow away from the Lord, and that he has the Lord
with him in all his going and in all his growing. (H. Clay Trumbull.)
Improvement a duty
Progress and improvement are every man’s duty. It is not right to
remain as we were, or as we are. We ought to be all the time gaining and growing
in experience and attainment and grace. It may be to our shame that we are just
where God put us, and that we have just what God gave to us. A man whose looks
were spoken of contemptuously, said in rejoinder, “You’ve no right to find
fault with my looks; I’m just as God made me.” “I know it, and that’s what I’m
blaming you for,” said his critic; “you’ve never made any improvement on
yourself.” That answer made a fair point. If God puts us at the bottom of a
hill, or at the beginning of a road, it may be for us to mount or to proceed,
and not to stop where we are. It was the man who retained just what his Lord
gave him, and who was ready to give back that at the day of reckoning, who not
only lost his possessions, but was cast out into outer darkness as an
unprofitable servant. Remaining just as God made us may be the cause of our
condemnation. (Great Thoughts.)
The laws of vigorous growth
Dr. Hugh Macmillan tells us that the motto on the crest of John
Spreull, of Glasgow, who, for his defence of religious liberty in the times of
Claverhouse, was imprisoned on the Bass Rock, in the Firth of Forth, was “Sub
pondere cresco”--I grow under a weight. His crest was a palm tree, with two
weights hanging on each side of it from the fronds, and yet maintaining, in
spite of this heavy down-dragging force, its upright position, carrying its
graceful crown of foliage up into the serene air. So the very things that
threatened to hinder the growth of the early Church became helps to its
progress. “The stumbling-block became the stepping-stone”; the weights became
wings.
Going and growing great
David went on growing. His activities were not fruitless. There
are some people who do a deal of the going, but all too little of the growing.
We want both of these. There must not merely be the signs of activity, but
there must really be actual improvement and development. A mill-wheel is always
going, but it never gets any further forward; no blame to the mill-wheel, for
it is doing its business by simply going round. A door is constantly moving on
its hinges, creaking, perhaps, as well, but it makes no progress. Still, there
it stands, day after day. This is all right for the door, but all wrong for
you. Keep on going, but see to it that the growing is not neglected either. (Thomas
Spurgeon.)
Verses 11-22
And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David.
The kingdom established
1. Now the tide fairly turned in David’s history, and that, instead
of a sad chronicle of hardship and disappointment, the record of his reign
becomes one of unmingled success and prosperity. The fact is far from an
unusual one in the history of men’s lives. How often, even in the ease of men
who have become eminent, has the first stage of life been one of disappointment
and sorrow, and the last part one of prosperity so great as to exceed the
fondest dreams of youth. Effort after effort has been made by a young man to
get a footing m the literary world, but his books have proved comparative
failures. At last he issues one which catches in a remarkable degree the
popular taste, and thereafter fame and fortune attend him, and lay their
richest offerings at his feet. A similar tale is to be told of many an artist and
professional man. And even persons of more ordinary gifts, who have found the
battle of life awfully difficult in its earlier stages, have gradually, through
diligence and perseverance, acquired an excellent position, more than
fulfilling every reasonable desire for success. But it is an encouraging thing
for those who begin life under hard conditions, but with a brave heart and a
resolute purpose to do their best, that, as a general rule, the sky clears as
the day advances, and the troubles and struggles of the morning yield to
success and enjoyment later in the day. David’s prosperity and enlargement in
every quarter were due to the gracious presence and favour of God. Unlike many
successful men, who ascribe their success so largely to their personal talents
and ways of working, he felt that the great factor in his success was God.
There is what the world calls “luck,” that is to say those conditions of
success which are quite out of our control; as, for instance, in business the
unexpected rise or fall of markets, the occurrence of favourable openings, the
honesty or dishonesty of partners and connections, the stability or the
vicissitudes of investments. The difference between the successful man of the
world and the successful godly man in these respects is that the one speaks
only of his tuck, the other sees the hand of God in ordering all such things
for his benefit. This last was David’s case. But is this way of claiming to be
specially favoured and blessed by God not objectionable? Is it not what the world
calls “cant”? Is it not highly offensive in any man to claim to be a favourite
of Heaven? This may be a plausible way of reasoning, but one thing is
certain--it has not the support of Scripture. If it be an offence publicly to
recognise the special favour and blessing with which it has pleased God to
visit us, David himself was the greatest offender in this respect the world has
ever known. What is the great burden of his psalms of thanksgiving? Is it not
an acknowledgment of the special mercies and favours that God bestowed on him,
especially in his times of great necessity? What the world is so ready to
believe is that this cannot be done save in the spirit of the Pharisee who
thanked God that he was not as other men. And whenever a worldly man falls foul
of one who owns the distinguishing spiritual mercies that God has bestowed on
him, it is this accusation he is sure to hurl at his head. The truth is, the
world cannot or will not distinguish between the Pharisee and the humble saint,
conscious that in him dwelleth no good thing. The one is as unlike the other as
light is to darkness. What good men need to bear in mind is that when they do
make mention of the special goodness of God to them they should be most careful
to do so in no boastful mood, but in the spirit of a most real, and not an
assumed or formal, humility.
2. Midway between the two statements before us on the greatness and
prosperity which God conferred on David, mention is made of his friendly
relations with the king of Tyre (2 Samuel 5:11.) The Phoenicians were
not included among the seven nations of Palestine whom the Israelites were to
extirpate, so that a friendly alliance with them was not forbidden. Tyre had a
great genius for commerce; and the spirit of commerce is alien from thee spirit
of war. That it is always a nobler spirit cannot be said; for while commerce
ought to rest on the idea of mutual benefit, and many of its sons honourably
fulfil this condition, it often degenerates into the most atrocious
selfishness, and heeds not what havoc it may inflict on others provided it
derives personal gain from its undertakings. But we have no reason to believe
that there was anything specially hurtful in the traffic which Tyre now began
with Israel, although the intercourse of the two countries afterwards led to
other results pernicious to the latter--the introduction of Phoenician idolatry
and the overthrow of pure worship in the greater part of the tribes of Israel. Meanwhile
what Hiram does is to send to David cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons, by
means of whom a more civilized style of dwelling is introduced; and the new
city which David has commenced to build, and especially the house which is to
be his own, present features of skill and beauty hitherto unknown in Israel.
For, amid all his zeal for higher things, the young king of Israel does not disdain to
advance his kingdom in material comforts.
3. Two campaigns against these inveterate enemies of Israel are
recorded, and the decisive encounter in both cases took place in the
neighbourhood of Jerusalem. The narrative is so brief that we have difficulty
in apprehending all the circumstances. The first invasion of the Philistines
took place soon after David was anointed king over all Israel. It is not said
whether this occurred before David possessed himself of Mount Zion, nor,
considering the structure common in Hebrew narrative, does the circumstance
that in the history it follows that event prove that it was subsequent to it in
the order of time. We see that the campaign was very serious, and David’s
difficulties very great. David attacked the Philistines and smote them at a
place called Baal-perazim, somewhere most likely between Adullam and Jerusalem.
Considering the superior position of the Philistines, and the great advantage
they seem to have had over David in numbers also, this was a signal victory,
even though it did not reduce the
foe to helplessness. For when the Philistines had got time to
recover, they again came up, pitched again in the plain of Rephaim, and
appeared to render unavailing the signal achievement of David at Baal-perazim.
Again David inquired what he should do. The reply was somewhat different from
before. David was not to go straight up to face the enemy, as he had done
before. He was to “fetch a compass behind them,” that is, as we understand it,
to make a circuit, so as to get in the enemy’s rear over against a grove of
mulberry trees. That tree has not yet disappeared from the neighbourhood of
Jerusalem; a mulberry tree still marks the spot in the valley of Jehoshaphat,
where, according to tradition, Isaiah was sawn asunder. When he should hear
“the sound of a going” (R.V., “the sound of a march”) in the tops of the
mulberry trees, then he was to bestir himself. It is probable that the presence
of David and his troop in the rear of the Philistines was not suspected, the
mulberry trees forming a screen between them. When David got his opportunity,
he availed himself of it to great advantage. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
Verses 23-25
When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself.
The special meaning of common things
What a different world this would be if we believed that God
governed it--that He was in it--that He was at work in it--that His footsteps
were still on its mountains--that He walked amidst its trees, and rode on the
wings of the winds--if we realised His presence, and ascertained and saw in the
ordinary things of everyday life the indications of His will. We believe there
was a time when God was in the world, but it seems to us now like a forsaken
world--like a world without God; for we act as if God had nothing to do in it
or with it. What a different Church there would be if we recognised spiritual
influences, recognised them in all their variety and modes of manifestation.
Divine interpositions do not interfere with human agency. Some men are-always
waiting--always looking for signs and wonders, for the sign of the Son of Man
in the heavens--looking for outpourings, for baptisms of the Holy Ghost, for
Pentecostal seasons. They do not see the meaning of common and ordinary things,
they do not avail themselves of the means at their disposal.
I. The same things
are to be done differently at different times: Men have sometimes to do the
same things in different ways--in ways prescribed by Divine intimations. David
had to contend with the Philistines. He had beaten them once, but they had come
up again in undiminished strength, in battle array. He is to adopt new tactics.
He is not to “go up,” but to “fetch a compass behind them.” In every age the
Philistines are coming up against the Israel of God. Our mode of warfare must
be regulated by providential intimations.
II. The presence of
Divine indications will be to us the revelations of the Divine will. If a man
desires to do the Divine will, he will have a Divine revelation. “If any man
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.” An
earnest man--that is, a man in earnest to do the Divine will--is never left in
utter ignorance of that will. The difficulty is not so much to find out the
will of God, but to reconcile our wills to it, so that we may be Willing to do
it.
III. Divine
intimations may come through any channel God pleases. We have no ephod, no
priest with Urim and Thummin, no response from the oracle, no audible voice
like that which fell on the ear of David. To us, however, have been committed
the books containing the successive” revelations God has made of His will to
men. In all that pertains to the way of salvation, the revelation is clear, distinct,
and definite. I hear a little
bird singing on the branches of a tree, pouring forth its song with the
infinite heavens above and the wide world around, singing in a world where
there is winter as well as summer, and I learn a lesson no words of mine can
express. There are. Divine intimations still in suggestions and impressions. I
am in perplexity. I want to know
what to do, or how to do what I have to do. There come sudden suggestions like
revelations. How am I to determine their source? If they lead me, in dependence
on the strength which God gives, to follow a course involving self-sacrifice,
and having a tendency to promote the Divine glory, may I not conclude that they
came from God? May not the Father of my spirit speak to me? May not the soul hear His
voice? There are Divine intimations in circumstances.
IV. The presence or
absence of Divine intimations make the difference between the same objects to
different men. The mulberry trees were seen by the whole army, but the
difference between David and his soldiers was the difference between a revelation
and no revelation. They merely heard a sound, the wind moving the tops of the
trees; there was nothing strange, nothing unusual in this, but David had
received an intimation as to the special meaning of this sound. They heard only
the movement caused by the wind, but David recognised the presence of the Lord,
who was going before them to smite the host of the Philistines. So with Saul of
Tarsus. The men who were with him on his way to Damascus saw only the
brightness of the light that shone round about him, but Saul saw Christ. They
heard only a sound, but he heard a voice. Be thankful for revelations in
spiritual matters. You must yourself be spiritual to understand spiritual
revelations. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for
they are foolishness unto him.” (H. J. Bevis.)
Waiting for a sign
Our victory was not sufficient to establish the security of the
newly-founded city;--the enemy returned and threatened a renewed attack. The
devout king has not lost faith in God, and again inquires of the Lord. Before
dismissing the history, it will be well for us to profit by the example of the
godly monarch, and to adopt the rule of his life as the rule of our own. That
no enterprises shall be commenced--no plans or projects carried into
execution--no movements made--without first consulting the will of God: seeking
His approval, and placing ourselves under His guidance. “Commit thy way unto
the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”
I. The sign
vouchsafed. The motives by which David was influenced in seeking a sign were
laudable in the highest degree. He sought information as to the best means of
encountering his enemies. Perhaps we may be disposed to think that a mode of
communication with heaven, which secured so distinct a declaration of God’s
will, was far superior to any means which we possess of obtaining a knowledge
of the path of duty. But herein we err for each successive dispensation of
God’s dealing with man has been in advance of that which preceded it. And yet
how often like Gideon we would lay the fleece upon the ground and ask that it
may be both wet and dry;--we want to stand with Moses in the cleft of the rock
while the Lord of Glory passes by and audibly proclaims His mercy;--with
Elijah, on the solitudes of Horeb, we would have mighty winds and the terrors
of earthquake and fire mingled with the still small voice;--with David, we
could wish that the mysterious movement on the tops of the mulberry trees
should remove our doubts and tell in bodily image, or visible sign, or audible
voice, that God is with us. It will be profitable for us to inquire what
advantages we possess under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, which are
comparable with these Divine communications made to the ancient Church. “For
the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22) They exalted the
material above the spiritual. A morbid love of the wonderful as it appealed to
their senses, so occupied them, that the wonder-words of Christ found no room
within them. It was not evidence that they sought, but the gratification of
mere idle curiosity. They were wrong at heart--and there can be no surer path
to the perversion of the intellect in relation to sacred truth. The Bible deals
very extensively with this tendency of men to amalgamate the spiritual and the
material. In such instances as the teraphim,--which were the objects of so much
solicitude on the part of Rachel,--and those kings of Judah who destroyed the
idols, but did not cut down the high places and the groves,--we have
indications of the cleaving of the human heart to a bodily image,--and the fear
of men to commit themselves entirely to the spiritual and the unseen. The
Church of God is now under the special direction of the Holy Spirit.
1. Special manifestations God makes by means of His written Word. No
logic can argue away the force of impressions made upon the mind by the words
of Divine truth. Only he who has experienced the surprise caused by the
unexpected adaptation to his circumstances of the “word in season” can
appreciate the moral power of such occurrences as these. They lift up the
depressed,--strengthen the weak,--confirm those who were wavering in the path
of duty,--and strengthen the foundations of trust in God and His mercy. It is
no cabalistic use of Scripture of which we speak, but a calm, deliberate,
faithful employment of one of the Divinely-appointed ends of the Word.
Revelation is given to us to be our guide,--our light,--our food,--and to serve
countless offices of mercy in our lives.
2. Conscience is another of the means of Divine communication with
men. A faculty which rightly employed brings us very near to God. All its
worth, however, is to be determined by the measure of its subordination to the
truth of God. A conscientious man is not a man who is infallibly right, but one
who acts faithfully in accordance with his views of that which is right. Those
views may be utterly distorted by a false belief, or completely enfeebled by
reason of ignorance. While, then, on the one hand we may not undervalue the
great importance of this vicegerent of God in man, on the other hand let us not
be led astray by, the pernicious belief--so popular in the present day--that conscientiousness
is all that God requires of man. It is subjection to Divine truth that is the
demand of the Eternal, and where this is found all the powers of the soul are
brought into harmony with each other. “I must have a good conscience,” said
William Wilberforce. A necessity which every true Christian will value as above
all earthly acquisitions. It is not indispensable to my happiness that I become
rich or powerful.
much
that is the object of human ambition I could surrender and feel little
loss,--but a conscience void of offence is essential to my existence. A happy
man is he, who knows the power of the blood of sprinkling to cleanse this
mighty agency from all defilement. The astronomer should not be so solicitous
to preserve his bright, clear lenses from dust,--nor the telegraphist so
anxious to guard his delicate machinery from injury, as a godly man to enshrine
his conscience securely from even the minutest disturbing influence. A little
grit on the bearings of the locomotive will disturb the progress and safety of
the hundreds of tons weight, which otherwise would be borne swiftly in the
desired direction. Little causes often disturb the peace and arrest the
progress of the godly. It is worthy of all the care a Christian can bestow on
any object;--the cultivation of a tender conscience. A friend, the last to
forsake us and the most valuable in the hour of need,--or a foe the hardest to
propitiate and the most relentless in his assaults--deserves much
consideration. In determining the path to be pursued, a conscience under the
influence of Divine teaching will impart counsels quite as distinct as those
which David gathered from “the sound of a going in the top of the mulberry
trees.”
3. But our Divine Lord and Master has indicated to us and promised us
a source of instruction even more complete than that afforded by the Word of
God or conscience,--it is the Holy Spirit. “He shall guide you into all truth.”
II. The vigilance
enjoined. Perhaps like the zephyr which, oft at eventide without previous
warning, seems to rise out of the thick serried ranks of ripening corn, and
then taps their curled heads in its onward but gentle course, till the whole
field bows gracefully, as if paying homage to the sweet breeze. Or, as when the
lake, embosomed amidst the Alpine mountains, suddenly changes its glassy
surface and ripple after ripple rises and spreads,--but none can tell of the
wind that has ruffled its breast, whence it cometh, or whither it goeth. Thus
unexpected opportunities steal over us, and say, “Bestir thyself.” Whensoever
the feeling of desire to draw near to God thus takes possession of the
heart,--away to thy secret chamber and fan the flame till the soul is all
aglow. To defer the exercise may be--probably will be--to confiscate a
blessing. At what time soever an open door presents itself for usefulness to
man, or for bringing glory to God--enter in,--pass on,--and do the thing to
which the finger of God points, and reap the blessing He bestows. When some
spiritual Philistine is in thy grasp, thou shouldest smite six or seven times:
for a feeble opposition to evil only provokes its more severe hostility. No
command was more frequently uttered by the Saviour than this,--“Watch.” In
every well-managed ship the men in the forepart are those of keenest vision and
most experience; night and day they pace the deck, one face always looking
ahead, the other abaft. All around we need to keep our guard--lest coming good
be missed, and coming evil takes
us unawares.
III. The promise
given. “Then shall the Lord go out before thee.” In like manner He went before
Israel in their wanderings through the desert. He gave them not only the
assurance of His protection, but the blessing also of His guidance. They had
but to follow the movements of the pillar of cloud, and the waste, howling
wilderness yielded them a security greater than that of thick-walled cities.
Each night saw the fiery defence lighted up which shot its friendly rays round
all the tents of Jacob,--but only intensified the darkness beyond the sacred
enclosure. Many a feeble heart became strong by a glance at the symbol of the
Divine presence. This was the explanation of their surprising victories over
superior armies, and of their defeat and expulsion of the Canaanitish kings. (W.
G. Lewis.)
The moment of opportunity
I. “When,” or the
Divine intimation. “When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the
mulberry-trees.”
1. They were to wait for God’s leading.
2. They were promised an intimation of God’s leading. The trees were
to be moved at the top. They could only be reached’ from above. It was to be
God’s signal. The whole scene is quite within the scope of imagination. They
are concealed in the thicket. They are waiting for the sign. What different
tempers! What need of patience! How slowly dragged the minutes. Zeal longed to
break from concealment and dash upon the foe. Unbelief wondered if the leaves
would ever stir at all. Fear imagined they might be discovered by the enemy
before the intimation of God’s presence was given. Presumption thought a favourable
opportunity had come, and that it was a mistake not to seize it. Faith
counselled patience continually, while Hope cheered them with bright
songs--until at last the promised token was given, the trees whispered
musically of the Divine presence, and bursting from their ambush they swept as
a torrent on the foe. God is giving constantly intimations of His presence. We
are looking for a revival. Have we any token of the Lord’s will in the matter?
The Divine breath of the Spirit already seems stirring the leaves. The sense of
quivering expectancy which one finds abroad. The unity of desire for a more
abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The increased spirit of prayer which
has been manifested.
II. “Then!” or
human activity. “Then shalt thou bestir thyself.”
1. God expects man to do his part. There is always a human element in
these movements. God uses instrumentalities, not because He is obliged to, but
because He desires and chooses to do so. He would teach us the need of effort.
2. God expects man to do his part at the right moment. “When . . .
then.” When God gives the signal, when the trees sway in the heavenly
gale--strike then--that is the moment
of destiny.
“There
is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which,
taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted,
all the voyage of their life
Is
bound in shallows, and in miseries.
On
such a full sea are we now afloat;
And
we must take the current when it serves,
Or
lose our ventures.”
3. God expects man to do his part with utmost vigour. “Then bestir
thyself.” This effort must be whole hearted and heavy handed. Because God
promised His help they were not to stint their labour. To the fullest of their
powers they were to exert themselves,
3. “For” or the assured victory. “For then shall the Lord go out
before thee to smite the Philistines.” The certain result is victory. This must
be the result, for all the conditions necessary to secure it are fulfilled. God
is leading, man is working: natural conclusion--victory. It must comet (W.
L. Mackenzie.)
The Lord leading; David following
I. A prime
necessity promised. “Then shall the Lord go out before thee.” This was a
necessity to David, for he had long ago learned that all his dependence must be
upon God. It is also a necessity to us. What we want just now especially is for
the Lord to go before us in our contemplated mission. In what way?
1. The Holy Spirit must go before us to prepare the minds of the
people. When our Lord came into the world, the world was prepared for His
coming. There had been certain things done, all over the globe, that made the
time of His coming the best time at which He could come. But it has also been
noticed by our missionaries, especially in the South Sea islands, that before
they arrived there, certain changes had taken place, and certain movements in
the minds of the people, that made the missionaries feel that they had come
just in the nick of time. God had gone before them in providence and in grace,
making ready a people prepared for the Word. You cannot tell how much the
conversion of sinners is due to antecedent action on the part of God before the
saving moment came. There is a fire, and you say that the fire was made when
the match was struck, and applied to the wood. Well, that is true; but long
before that moment, he who split the wood and he who made the match had
something to do with preparing the fire, had they not? Where had been your fire
if the wood had not been dried, and ready for the kindling, and deftly laid in
its place? And where had been your light if it had not been for the phosphorus,
and all else that was used to make the match? So does the Lord prepare for the
fire of holy service. God is at work in London as well as elsewhere. God is at
work in providence, and with tender touches here and there He is making men thoughtful,
constraining them to feel, in a word, making them ready before the time of the
preaching comes.
2. And then the Holy Spirit must go before us to prepare the
preacher. Preachers may think themselves thoroughly prepared for their work;
but the smallest thing may put them out,--some little disarrangement of their
dress, something in the pulpit not quite right, or somebody dropping an
umbrella in the aisle, or some one person in the congregation wire does not
seem in the least impressed. Oh, shame upon us that we, who have such a message
to deliver, should be affected by such very little things! Yet preachers are so
affected, and often they cannot help it.
II. A consequent
action commanded: “Then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out
before thee.”
1. God could do without us if he chose to do so; but God is pleased
not to do without us. What a mercy it is that God deigns to use us!
2. When will some of our brethren learn the fact that God’s working
is not a reason for our sitting still? It is not written, “The Lord will go
before thee, and then thou shalt rest,” or, “The Lord shall go before thee, and
then thou shalt sit still, and be grateful.” No, no; “Then thou shalt bestir
thyself.” Our forefathers, of the olden time, who went everywhere preaching the
Word, the Calvinists of France who, in the Desert and wherever they went,
hazarded their lives unto the death, the Huguenots, who could bravely do and
dare and die for Christ, were, to a man, believers in these principles, which
are supposed by some to send men to sleep. The most energetic Christianity that
ever was upon the face of the earth has been just this form of Christianity;
and therefore it cannot possibly be that the doctrine rightly Used will
encourage idleness or sloth. How can it? If you yourself were told to-night,
“Proceed on such an errand, and your God will go with you,” would that be a
reason why you should not go? If you were bidden to fight a battle, and you
were told, “God will be with you in the battle,” would the fact that God would
be with you, and would win the victory, be a reason why you should not fight?
You must be made of strange material if that were to be the result of the
promise of victory and the assurance of the Divine presence. Nothing makes men
labour so energetically as the expectation of success; and the certainty of
succeeding, because God is with them, nerves their arm, and makes them do what
otherwise would be impossible.
III. A hopeful sign
afforded. Whether these were mulberry trees or balsams, I do not know; it is
very difficult to discover what trees they were. It does not matter much, but
David was to get round to the back of the Philistines instead of attacking them
in front, and he was to lie quietly in ambush till he heard a rustling in the
tops of the trees when there was no wind, as though they were trodden by the
feet of angels, and God’s host was hurrying to the fray. Perhaps this sign,
whilst it was intended to encourage David and his people, was meant to
intimidate the Philistines. They would say one to another, “What is that noise?
What is that rustling? There is a sound of something travelling along the tops
of yonder trees. There is not a breath of wind, but you can hear the leaves
moving. Listen to the rustling; something strange is happening.” The
Philistines were most superstitious, and would be ready very speedily to take
to their heels. However, whatever it was to them, to David it was to be the
signal for attacking them. Christians should always be smiting the Philistines
of sin; but there are certain times that call us to unusual action. And what
are they?
1. To me they are when we see earnestness among God’s people.
2. Again, it is a hopeful sign, when God gives us useful preachers.
Oh, what a blessing a true gospel minister is! There was no better proof of the
Reformation having begun than when Luther began to speak out against the
abominations of Rome, and Zwingle lifted up his voice, and Farel proclaimed the
old faith, and Calvin came forth to declare the truth of God, and Beza and
multitudes of others gave their testimony. These were the birds that sang
because the sun was rising and when God gives us useful preachers, they are
among the signs that he is coming near us to bless the people.
3. Well, when the preachers are there, with a praying people at their
back, then, when you see crowds come together to hear the Word, do you not
think that there is the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees?
“That is right, Mr. Spurgeon,” says one; “stir them up.” I did not say “them.”
I said, and my text says, “Then thou shalt bestir thyself.” It is all very well
to say, “I like to see an earnest church.” So do I but it is better to have
every member zealously seeking the souls of others, for that is the way to have
an earnest church, and that is the way the blessing comes. David, you must
bestir yourself; then the soldiers who are with you will catch the fire from
their leader, and they will bestir themselves.
IV. A sure result
following. The result was all that David could have expected, and more.
Obedient action secured it. David simply “did so, as the Lord had commanded
him.” You do not hear much more about the Philistines after this. That final
stroke had crushed them down. But David did so, not merely thought about it. He
probably thought; but he also “did so.” He came to the practical point. If I
habitually look after others, and speak individually to them about their souls,
and if I bring the gospel before them, either in a printed form or viva voce,
if I keep on testifying of Christ to everybody who will give me a hearing, I
shall have conversions as surely as I am a living man; it cannot be otherwise.
If you continue looking to God to go before you, and follow after Him with that
part of the work which He has put into your hands, and which is a great
privilege to be engaged in, you shall not labour in vain, nor spend your
strength for nought. “Paul planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the
increase.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Signal for advance
I. That the cause
of God hath not made unopposed progress in the world. Here we have a pattern
and parable of the conflict. The powers of darkness may change their name and
front, but their antipathy remains undiminished to this hour. The Christian,
like the Hebrew Church, is militant in its character, needs ever to be on the
alert, and fully equipped to repulse attacks made upon the city of God, and
make aggressions upon the city of Satan. The Philistines are upon us.
II. That God always
has more forces on His side and at His command than appear visible to human
sight. The flowing tide of Divine energy is with the Church of God, and “if God
be for us who can be against?”
III. That God
expects the co-operation of human agency with His unseen forces in the
victories and progress of His kingdom. Those who are in close and conscious
touch with God will hear sounds unheard by the ears of the world, and will feel
that more is with them than all who can be against them. Conclusion:
1. Enlist under the banner of the cross.
2. Equip for the battle of the Lord.
3. Look for the signal to advance.
4. March in the strength of God.
5. Continue to the end then the palm of victory and the fadeless
crown. (F. W. Brown.)
The sound in the mulberry trees
Let us learn from David to take no steps without God. The last
time you moved, or went into another business, or changed your situation in
life, you asked God’s help, and then did it, and you were blessed in the doing
of it. You have been up to this time a successful man, you have always sought
God, but do not think that the stream of providence necessarily runs in a
continuous current; remember, you may to-morrow without seeking God’s advice
venture upon a step which you will regret but once, and that will he until you
die. There are certain signs which ought to be indications to us of certain’
duties. I shall use the verse in this way. First, there are certain special
duties, which are not duties to everybody, but only to some people. If we wish
to know whether we are to perform these duties, we must seek signs concerning
them, and not go and rush into a duty to which we are not called, unless we get
a sign, even as David got the rustling among the mulberry leaves. And then I
should use it, in the second place, thus. There are certain duties which are
common to all of us; but when we see some signs of God’s Holy Spirit being in
motion, or some other signs, these are seasons when we ought to be more than
ever active, and more then ever earnest in the service of our Master.
I. First, then, in
regard to special duties. I shall confine myself to one. The office of the
ministry is a special duty. I believe the office of the ministry, though not
like that of the priesthood, as to any particular sanctity, or any particular
power that we possess, is yet like the priesthood in this--that no man ought to
take it to himself, save he that is called thereunto, as was Aaron.
II. But now I come
to something more practical to many of you; you do not profess to be called to
preach; there are certain duties belonging to all Christians which are to be
specially practised at special seasons.
1. Concerning the Christian church at large. The whole of the
Christian church should be very prayerful, always seeking the unction of the
Holy One to rest upon their hearts, that the kingdom of Christ may come and
that His will be done on earth even as it is in heaven; but there are times
when God seems to favour Zion, when there are great movements made in the
church, when revivals are commenced, when men are raised up whom God blesses;
that ought to be to you like “a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry
trees.”
2. The same truth holds good of any particular congregation. One
Sabbath-day the minister preached with great unction; God clothed him with
power, he seemed like John the Baptist in the wilderness, crying, “Repent ye,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He spake with all the earnestness of a
man who was about to die; he so spake that the people trembled, a visible
thrill passed through the audience. Men and women rose up from the sermon,
saying, “Surely, God was in this place, and we have felt His presence.” What
ought a Christian man to say, as he retires from the house of God? He should
say, “I have heard this day the sound of the leaves of the mulberry trees.” I
saw the people earnest; I marked the minister speaking mightily, God having
touched his lips with a live coal from off the altar. I saw the tear in every
eye; I saw the deep, wrapt attention, of many who were careless. There were
some young people there who looked as though they had been impressed; their
countenances seemed to show that there was a work doing. Now, what should I do?
The first thing I will do is, I will bestir myself. But how shall I do it? Why,
I will go home this day, and I will wrestle in prayer more earnestly than I
have been wont to do that God will bless the minister and multiply the church.
The same I might say of any time of general sickness, or any time of plague or
cholera, or sudden death. There are times when the cholera is raging through
our streets; the people are all trembling, they are afraid to die; mark, that
is the “sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees.” It is the business
of you and me to bestir ourselves, when people are by any means led to serious
thought, “Now,” said the Puritans, during the great plague of London, when the
hireling parish priests had fled from their churches--“now is our time to
preach.” And all through that terrible time, when the carts, filled with the
dead, went through the streets overgrown with grass, these strong-minded
Puritans occupied the pulpits, and boldly preached the word of God. That is
what we should do whenever we see a time more favourable than another for
telling sinners of the wrath to come. Let us seize it, just as the merchant
looks out for every turn of the market, for every rise and every fall; just as
the farmer looks out for a good season for sowing or planting or mowing. Let us
look out for the best times for seeking to do good. Let us plough deep while
sluggards sleep, and let us labour as much as possible in the best season, to
make hay while the sun is shining, and serve our God when we hear the “sound of
a going in the tops of the mulberry trees.”
3. Keep the same idea in view in regard to every individual you meet
with.
4. I must expressly make an appeal to you in regard to your own
children. The tender plant, if it be of God, it is sure to grow; but let me
take care to be the instrument of fostering it, and let; me take my boy aside,
and say unto him,” Well, my son, have you learnt something of the evil of sin?
“And if he says yes, and I find he has a little hope and faith, though it may
be rather a superficial work let me not despise it, but let me remember, I was
once grace in the blade, and though grace in the ear now, I would never have
been grace in the ear if I had not been grace in the blade. I must not despise
the blade, because they are not ears; I must not kill the lambs, because they
are not sheep; for where would my sheep come from, if I killed all the lambs? I
must not despise the weakest of the saints, for where should I get the advanced
saints from, if I put weak ones out of the covenant, and tell them they are not
the children of God? Christian, in regard to yourself there is a great truth
here. Be sure you have the sail up. Do not miss the gale, for want of
preparation for it. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
God’s signals
God signals to His people to take certain steps at certain times.
Then it is their duty to bestir themselves. When the Deluge was about to
descend upon a guilty world, Noah was commanded to bestir himself and prepare
an ark for the saving of his household. When the fire-shower was coming upon
Sodom, Lot was laid hold of by God’s angels and urged to escape for his life.
When the children of Israel were in peril of being overwhelmed by the
Egyptians, God signalled to them the order to advance, and by a majestic pillar
of cloud led them through the parted sea. All sacred history is studded with
illustrations of this truth. Martin Luther, discovering the “open secret” in the
convent Bible at Erfurth, and hammering, his theses on the church door of
Wittemburg; the young Wesleys, awakened at Oxford and sent out to awaken
slumbering Britain, were simply God’s agents bestirring themselves at the
Divine signal. (T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
Verse 25
And David did so.
Marching orders
Each day read your chapter or passage with the idea that you are
receiving your marching orders; that there is some new service to render, some
new duty to perform, some new virtue to acquire. Let the attitude of your soul
be indicated by Samuel’s words, “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” When
you hear, do! (F. B. Meyer.)
Do present duty
Procrastination is reckoned among the most venial of our faults,
and sits so lightly on our minds that we scarcely apologise for it. But who can
assure us that had not the assistance we had resolved to give to one friend in
distress, or the advice to another under temptation to-day been delayed, and
from mere sloth and indolence put off till to-morrow, it might not have
preserved the fortune of the one, or saved the soul of the other? It is not
enough that we perform duties; we must perform them at the right time. We must
do the duty of every day in its own season. Every day has its own imperious
duties; we must not depend upon to-day for fulfilling those Which we neglected
yesterday, for to-day might not have been granted to us. Tomorrow will be
equally peremptory in its demands, and the succeeding day, if we live to see
it, will be ready with its proper duties. (Hannah More.)
The grasp of opportunity
Writing an article on Social Economy especially in reference to
wages and industrial progress, Professor Atkinson says: “The man who had the
shrewdness and capacity to seize the opportunity afforded by recent science and
invention had made progress, wealth, success. While from him who had not the
foresight or mental aptitude to adjust himself to the new conditions, had been taken
away even the opportunity for common labour which he enjoyed before.”
Individual activity
Whatever noble work on earth is to be done you must do it
yourself. If you leave it to others it will never be done. Do it yourself. Put
away that poorest of poor spirits which would treat good wishes or
benedictions, or even prayers, as substitutes for personal service. (Bishop
Welldon.)
Doing your duty
There is one lesson which all agree that the Duke of Wellington
taught, and which we are specially desirous of pointing out, viz., that
throughout life, he made it a rule to do whatever he saw to be his duty at the time--a more rare
and valuable quality than many suppose, unless they remember that it was a rule
which he applied to small things as well as great, to the answering of a
letter, and to the movement of an entire army. While he notoriously confined
himself strictly to his own duties, anything and everything was regarded as a
duty when laid upon him by legitimate and competent authority. It was no
question for him whether the thing were too small for his powers or his
dignity; he was required to do it, he could do it, and he did it--did it with
all his might, whatever it was. Great as he was, he has in this left an example
to the least, as well as to the greatest--to the young as well as to the old. (Great
Thoughts.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》