The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-10-11

| n1sLnS taken tnS SecrongholdOf the Jebusites
disgrace In their midst, he at once thinks of
tne Ark of God, pitches tent for it i'm
Jerusalem ". IN and proceeds to bring II
tnltner. T As soon as Israel redeemed from
Esyrt and brought down to Mt. Sinai,
entered into covenant with Jehovah TO be
Ills peculiar people, q kingdom of priests
lex XIX, 8, o., He commanded Tabernacle
20 be erected, in which He might dwell in
their midst as their King and Lawgiver.
The Ark of the covenant was the first Vessel
OF the Tabernacle concerning which He
gave commandment to Moses, and n knowI-
edge Of 1t and it's significance and history is
lesson.
1. Again, David gathered together all the
chosen men OF Israel, thirty thousand The
previous chapter tells in its closing verses of
tho gathering of Israel to defeat their enc
mics the Philistines, and how David. ON two
different occasions and by different methods.
successfully overcame them being guided by
the the Lord IN answer to prayer tchap. ", 10
sS,; put this is a gathering not to overcome
was held otter due consultation with the
captains OF thousans,s and hundreds and
every leadery5i en-: xiii,
and David arose. and went with all
the people = TO bring up from thence
the Ark Of God" The margin of this verse,
and also Chr. xiii G. says that they went
to to Baalah; that is, to Kirjath- iearim; the ark
had been here In the house Of Abinadab since
new cart drawn by two milk cows, leaving
their calves shut up at home 1t had been
with the Philistines seven months, the Taber-
ark GenE Fad at bssa Shiloh tskod from whence
iy., 2. (Which is called by the Name, even even
the Name of the Lord of Hcsts that sitteth
upon the cherubim." (R. W. Here is the
most most intimate association of the Ark with
the name of Jehovah; it is n wondrous twp,
of the Lord Jesus Christ as the end of the
law for Righteousness to every one that be-
heveth CRom. Z, A.; as our mercy seat or
Precipitation for sins compare Heb tx, 5.
ana and E9m. III, %, X. v. margin); and as one
with His church, the light aud glory of earth
in the days of the New Jerusalem. The
wood and gold are suggestive of the human
lty and divinity of Christ; the mercy seat is
explained t,P by the passages already given; the
tables OF testimony, safely kept In the Ark,
speak OF Him who came to fulfill all right
eousness, and of whom it is written: ~ de-
light to Thy wfif,O my God; yea, Thy law
ts,wis1 IS within IN, my heart Ps; xi. -, while the
church. His body, is sufficiently established
by the fact that they were beaten out of the
same pieces Of gold which formed the mercy
seat (Ex. XIV, 10, margin.
s. And they set the Ark Of God upon a
new cart" David failed to INQUIRE OF the
Lord i'm this matter, else we should not have
had this sad record. He knew better, for
hear him: Then David said none ought to
carry the ark Of God but tho Leyites for
them hath the Lord chosen to carry the Ark
of God, and to minister unto Him forever II
Chr. XIV, y. Why then did he not do right
at the first Some of us would say, didn't
, Ch,nk, or it didnt sea& necessary to pray
about so small matter; there was no dan
GER you know; it wasn't like going to war
with the enemy, just going over to Kiriath-
lear1m to bring the Ark of Jerusalem and il
1t It, came all right in new cart FROM the
fhllistlnes, why not bring 1t i'm a new cart
to Jerusalem So David had to learn by
chastisement that Gods appointed way is the
only way, and that He will not tolerate any
new cart business" among His redeemed
people
4, 8. "Ahis went before tho Ark: and
1t was {" sr&aGe hday nriuhu a'goou Gzf,fsc,
and the man, who Would dare to find fault,
simply because the Ark was in a cart drawn
by oxen instead OF being on the shoulders of
the Levftes, would deserve to be called mar
row minded and a croaker; nevertheless he
would stand in the minority with God, and
be blessed man even though against tho
King.
6. ''Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark Of
God, and took hold of it,; for the oxen stum-
bled.' (Mars!n and B. W The worst STUN
bie was on the part of David when he en-
ployed this method, but that was not SO
manifest nor did 1t seem to endanger the
safety of the Ark as much as this stumble of
the oxen. The danger of u wrong step does
not always appear at first. and the sin is
often made manifest only through failure on
the part of those not directly responsible.
Z. "The anger of the Lord was kindled
against Uzzah, and God smote him there for
his error" Uzzah signifies strength, and
strength is good thing, but the work of tho
Lord is not dependent upon tho strength of
men; His strength is made perfect in our
meekness, and His work is accomplished not
by the might or power of man but by tho
Spirit Of the Lord of Hosts III Cor. xii. Q:
he high priest an rssessRss"w s gSRs t2 etbs rip
the holy vessels to be carried, and that the
sons Of Kohath, who carried them, were not
TO touch them, nor even go in to see when
they were covered, upon pain of death:
Uzzah i'm taking hold of the Ark disobcyed
this command, as did also the men OF Beth
shemesh Il Sam. vi, 19; although there
seems to have been some reason for UZZah's
act, and there was none whatever for them
Learn that there can he no excuse for disobc-
dience.
g. "And David was dspleased." 1t is
sad affsir when the servant of the Lord, be
he King or peasant, becomes dsplcased with
his Master 1t shows how dsobedience al
ways leads to other sins and strikes at the
very root of fellowship with God. God of
Love can do no wrong, can by no means
make mistake, and the only right thing for
His children to do is to walk with Him liz
cheerfL al submission.
8. "And David was afraid Of the Lord that
day" Another result of his sin, which pray
er and obedience would have saved him
from.
TO- II, "The Lord blessed Obed-edonl, and
all his household" David refused at that
time to have nything more to do with the
Ark, and so il was carried into the house Of
Obed-edom, where it remained three months.
a three months blessing for Obed-edom and
n three months loss to David, for the infer
ence is that David did not return to the Lord
with all his heart during this period, but con-
tinued out of fellowship with God.
IL. $50 David went and bEought up tho
| Ark of God from the house OF Obed-edom
| into the city of David with gladncss." He
! hears of the blessing that has come to the
| house Of Obed-edom, and now does what he
! should have done three months before He
! confesSes his sin, saying to the Levites, as he
called upon them to bear the Ark: "Becausc
yc did it not at the first the Lord our God
made a breach upon us, for that we sought
| Him not after the due order" But now the
Levitcs having sanctifed themselves, bare
/ the Ark OF God ilpon their shoulders, will,
the slaves thereon, as Moses commanded ac-
cording to the Word of the Lord Il Chr. Xv.,
| l2-l0. Learn the hlessedness of strict obed
| ence and learn also that were Jesus is re-
ceived and honored i'm heart, or home, oI
church, His blessing will be there Others will
see or hear ofit and seek Him for themselves
Lesson HeSG..
| DANGERS FROM BEER DRINKING.
In appearance the beer drinker may be
the picture OF health, but i'm reality he is
| most incapahlc of 20 siatino dicaaea A elioht