The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-11-15
aTIoNAL LESSON FOR
S,E, NOVEMBER II.
Lesson Text: "David's Last Woris
III Sam. xiii. 1.7-Guidcn Text;
III Sam xiii, documentary
on tho Lesson.

Things are apt to look very different when
one comes to the last hours Of life in the NOR
tai body; earthly things fade, their import
ance vanishes. trials Seem no longer great,
and eternal things become intensely reai;
there is nothing worth considering but the
King OF Righteousness and His rignteous
kingdom. David the man after Gods o|n
heart Il Sam. xiii, IA; Acts xiii, ~, Is IN
this lesson brought before us with eyes di-
rected afar oil 10 the highest mountain peak
of revelation, the establishment OF the KING
and speaks Of the same things when il, his
dying moments he calls his sons around him
and tells them what shall befall them in the
last days. Gen. Xix, l, 1Ol
q ''fhe Spirit of tho Lord spake by me-
and His word was in my tongue" Here Is
definition OF inspiration. The Spirit speaks,
the words are His, but He uses Davids
tongue; so Jesus testified that David hniseii
said by the Holy Ghost Mark xii, 35) aud
Peter testified that the Holy Ghost by the
mouth Of David spake; SO Paul testified that
tho Holy Ghost Gpake by Isaiah tActs l., TO-
xviii, % and in I'll Pet. l., II, we havethe
tliod spake "a thoy wero moved by the Holy
Ghost" Tho Fifth Article of Religion In
!. our Book of Prayer en,phaticaily states that
"Holy Scripture Is therefore tho Word OF
God; not only does 1t contain the oracles OF
God, but il is itself thevery Oracles of God"
Let us yield our, too often unruly, tongues
to this same Spirit, who dwelleth in MS il we
arc true believers, that He may use them
only for the glory Of God.
3. ''The God of Israel said, the Rock Of Is
racl spake to Me-" In the first verse it was
the God Of Jacob, perhaps with the thought
of tho Great Creator and Restorer (Elohiml,
who could make something out of and use
| for His glory such crooked ones rs 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, chnginC. earnestly seeking ono, who
had power with God and man, and received
tho new name of Israel Gen. xxXii., 26-2Sl
Both Moses and David loved to speak of God
as their Rock (Deut. xxi, 4, Is, 1S, 81: Ps.
xviii, 2, 81, 46, etc), hut it is from the mar
gin of Isa XVI. T. that we got the title
Rock Of Ages In this verse and tho
| last we seem to have very clearly the
Three Persons of the Trinty, the Rock
| pointing us to Him who was smitten for us,
from whom alono comes living water. in
| whom we hide, on whom we stand. and who
| shall soon break i'm pieces the governments OF
earth and establish His own Kingdom HE
| that ruleth over men must be just. ruling in
the fear of God" We now for a time lose
| sight of David as we fix our eyes upon that
! just One (Acts viii So: xii, 14l, the King who
shall reign in righteousness Usa xxi, ",
| of whom it is written: Behold, the days
| come. saith the Lord, that will raise unto
| David righteous branch, aud 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 snail be
done in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, AMI
with 2 perfect heart ul ChrOr. XIX, ~.
4. "And He shall bs as the light Of the
morning when the sun riscth. even morn
ing without clouds One of His last names
and the offspring of David, tho bright and
morning STAR" and in Nal iv.. =, "Thc sun
of righteousness. The time Of Ills appearing
in glory to build up Zion Cfs. CHI, iG, is IRE
lX- lol fi,n in
| XVI, (narginl, where the whole subject il
the safety of Israel when He judges the ma
tions and makes wars to cease, and where it
is written God shalt Eelp her when tb'
morning appcareth," o. t3. W 'at the dawn
of the morning" and again III r.. viS. L.,
...rhn fs.issht sitssh fuvc dominion oVcr them
| i'm the mOrning.'
5. He hath made wi,h me al everlasting
covenant, ordered in I'll things and sure
This is our golden text. aui it is in sor.e re
spects the center of the lesson, for il Oriugs
before us God and His foithful covenant and
assurance of complctu iufliment. inasmuch
as there can h- TO failure on His part. The
two "althoughS' which begin and erd this
verse point To possible failure ~ tn" part or
David and his house, foT man * only and nl
why's when left to himself u failure; but the
terms Of the covenant indicated that while
inipuity might have to be chast sncd DSvids
house and kingdom should lie established for
ever tchap. vii, l@-l6,; 80 that it might
truly he called an "evrgiaStn% covenant. OF
or. as il is in lisa. w., -. "rhe sure mer"ies
of David" pointing to the limo when other
nations shall run to Israel because of their
glorious king. Gaze on thN tul consumma-
tion OF the things iu"iu.lel in this covenant
as revealed TO the prophets: "Of the in
crease OF His government and peace there
shall be no end, upon ths throne OF David,
and upon his kingdom, to order it and to es-
tabiis,l il with Judgement and with justice,
henceforth even forever" "AG that time
they shall call Jerusalem the throne OF the
Lord. and all tho nations shall lie gathered
unto il, TO the name If the Lord, to Jerusalem,
neither shall they walk any more after the
imagination OF their evil heart And
will make them ore nation in The land upon
the mountains of Israel; and David, Ny ser
want, shall be king over them; and tn" ma
tions shall know that t. til" Lord. do sanctify
Israel, when My sanctuary shall he in the
midst of them for evermorr' usn. tx; Jer
iii =, II; Eek. XXXvii., 2!?Sl
With such Kingdom before him, aud. like
Abraham, believing what God has promised
| He is also able to perform, David is able &c
say: ",rhis is all my salvation and all my
desire"
u ''But the sons of Belial OR. V. the un
godly) shall be all OF them as thorns thrust
away: = = u thny shall be utterly
burned with fire" ThornS and this,les ar,
tho manifest evidence tEnt the earth is still
under the curse OF sin (Geu. iii. 1Sl; .IeSu:
uses them symbol of tho natural unre
: newed heart when he says: "Do men gathe,
grapes OF thorns, OF fiS@ of thistles:" Matt
viii 1Gl. And the ungodly are thus described
i'm Eek. ii, &: Though briers and thorns b,
with thee, and thou dost dwell among scor
pions, be not afraid of their words" We arr
, all of us such by nature and by practice; sin
dwclleth in It's, and all have sinnR and com,
short of the glory Of God. These who vii
not repent, but persist in their ungod'iness
have nothing to expect but everlasting dc
: struction from the presence of the Lord anc
from the glory of Els power when He shal
come to be g'orincd in His saints dl Thcss
; j, I1U); they will not be drawn by love- there
, ford they must perish by Judgment May w,
he among the mighty ones of the true Davic
while we wait for the Lord more than they
that watch for the morning. IFS. cxxx, 5, g..
-LSsson Helper.