The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-11-15
la,.as.sX.E r,UTtJlIIl1.
kEgNATIoNAL LESSON Fon
~. NOVEMBER II.
Lesson Text; "David's Last Words,
III Sam. xxiiL, Ia Golden Text;
II sam xiii. documentary
on the Lesson.

1. "Now these be tho last words of David"
Things ara apt to look very different when
one comes to the last hours OF life in the rnor-
tai body; earthly things fade, their import
ance vanishes, trials seem no longer great,
and eternal things become intensely real;
there is nothing worth considering but the
King OF Righteousness and His righteous
kingdom. David, the man after Gods oSn
heart Il Sam. xiii, Ii; Acts xiii, 22), is In
this lesson brought before US with eyes di-
rccted afar Off TO the highest mountain peak
of revelation, the establishment of the king
and speaks Of the same things when in his
dying moments he calls his sons around him
and tells them what shall befan them in the
last days. (Gen. Xix, I, 10l
2. THE Spirit Of the Lord spake by me,
and His word was in my tongue" Here Is
definition o, inspiration. The Spirit speaks,
the words are His, but He ,,-es David's
tongue; so Jesus testified that David himself
said By the Holy Ghost Mark xii, 36 and
Peter testified that the Holy Ghost by the
mouth Of David spake; so Paul testified that
tho Holy Ghost spake by !saiah tActs l., 16;
xviii, 25); and in III Pet. l., 81, we have the
comprehensive statement that Holy men OF
fSo shs FIFTH Of ksSon m0y N
|. our Book of Prayer emphatically states that
nHoly Scripture Is therefore the Word Of
God; not only does It contain tho oracles Of
God, but it is itself the very Oracles of God"
to this same Spirit, who dwelleth in us IL we
are true believers, that He may use them
only for the glory of God.
8. .sThe God Of Israel said, the Rock of Is
rael spake to Me-" In the first verso ii was
the God of Jacob perhaps with the thought
of tho Great Creator and Restorer (Elohim),
who could make something out of and use
for His glory such crooked ones as Jacob and
David and all of us are by nature; here it is
the God and Rock Of Israel, the same Great
ing and restoring and covenant keeping
Elohim, but now in reference to tho broken,
helpless, chnging, earnestly seeking one who
had power with God and man, and received
the new name of Israel Gen. xxxii., 26-2S).
Both Moses and David loved to speak of God
as their Rock Deut. xxi, 4, Is, 1S, 81: Ps.
xviii, 2, 81, 46, etc), but it is from the mar
gin OF Isa XVI. 4, that we get the title
re Rock Of Ages" In In this verse ,, and tn the
Three Persons of the Trinity, the Rock
pointing us to Him who was smitten for us,
from whom alone comes living wnter, In
whom we hide, on whom We stand and who
shall soon break in pieces the governments cs
earth and establish His own Kingdom. HE
that ruleth over men must be just ruling I'm
the fear Of God" We now for time lose
sight of David as we fix our eyes upon that
just One facts vii, So; xii, 14), the Ring who
shall reign in Righteousness lisa. xxi, ~,
of whom it is written: Behold, the days
come saith the Lord, that I will raise unto
David righteous branch, aud n king shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judg-
ment and Justice in the earth. In his days
Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell
safely; and this is His name whereby He
shall be called, the Lord our righteousness
DER. xiii, 5, 6. Whatever He does shall bo
done in the fear Of the Lord, faithfully, and
with a perfect heart I'll Chror. xix, 81.
4. "And He shall be as the light of the
morning when the sun riscth, even morn
ing without clouds" One of His last names
in Scripture is in Rev xii, 10. Tho root
and the offspring of David, tho bright and
morning STAR" and in Nal. iv.. 9, "Thc sun
in glory to build up Zion tPs. CHI, lG) is pre-
eminently called "the morning." as in Ps
Ilvi., tmaggin), where the whole subject is
the sefetyS lsrsel when He judges the ma
is written God shalt kclp her when the
morning appeareth," o. e. w ''at the dawn
Of the morning" and again i'll Ps. xix, L.,
''The upright shall have dominion over them
in the morning."
B. He hath made wiCh me All everlasting
covenant, ordered IN al things and sure"
This Is our golden text. and 1t Is In sor.e re-
spects the center Of the lesson, for 1t Oriugs
before us God and His faithful covenant and
assurance of complete fulfillment inasmuch
as there can be no failure on His part. The
two "althoughs' which begin and end this
verse point TO possible failure on the part of
David and his house. for man is only and al,
ways when left to himself failure; but the
UeIIlS OF tne covenant lnGicaUed that "hlie
iniquity might have to be chastenod Davids
house and kingdom should be established for
ever CHAP. vii, 1910; SO that it might
truly be called an Everlasting covenant. or
dered Tor furnishcd) in all things and sure:''
or, as IL is in lisa. w., 2-5. "The sure mercies
of David" pointing to the time when other
nations shall run to Israel because Of their
| glorious king. Gaze on tho full consumma-
tion OF tho things included in this covenant
as revealed TO the prophets: ''Of the in
ptsnn nf lie ,,,I fhn,.o
shall be no end, upon this throne of David,
! and upon his kingdom, to order it and to es-
tablist 1t with judgement and with justice,
| hcnceforth even forever" "At that time
they shall call Jerusalem the throne Of the
| Lord, and all tho nations shall lie gathered
| untoi to the name Of the Lord to Jerusalem,
| neither shall they walk any more after the
imagination of their evil heart And /
| will make them ore nation i'm the land upon
| the mountains of Israeli and David, NY ser
want, shall be king over them; and the na.
| tions shall know that /, tho Lord, do sanctify
Israel, when My sanctuary shall be i'm the
midst OF them for evermorc." lisa. tx; Jer.
| Iii. IL; Eek xxXvii., 2l-?Sl
With such a Kingdom before him, and, like
Abraham, believing what God has promised
He Is also able to perform, David is able to
say: This is all my salvation and all my
desire"
CT. "But the sons of Belial Or. V. the un.
| godly) shall be all Of them as thorns thrust
away; T" they shall be utterly
burned with fire" Thorns and thistles are
the manifest evidence that the earth is still
under the curse of sin Gen. iii. 49,; Jesus
uses them as q symbol of the natural, unre-
newed heart when he says: "Do men gather
| grapes OF thorns, or figs Of thistlesy' Matt
| viii. 1Gl. And the ungodly are thus described
in Eek. ii, g: Though briers and thorns be
with thee, and thou dost dwell among scor-
| pions, be not afraid of their words" We are
all Of us such by nature and by practice; sin
dwelleth IN us. and all have sinnda and come
| short of the glory Of God. Those whcIe p;
not repent, but persist In their uE DOC epi
have nothing TO expect but. Su fo'
| struction from the pre-. IN sucn
from the glory of fp ,5Inssa IN
| come to be glor;e st;,,. nso5, A.
pace senSs of when tSs hfEs ae ssai Sah