The true northerner., 1896-07-08

Stearns.
1. "Then came all the tribes of Israel to
David unto Hebron and spake, saying,
Behold. we arc thy bone and thy flesh. :"
Both Ishbosheth and Abner, the king and
the captain OF his host, were now dead,
and all Israel are united to make the man
OF Gods choice their king. The oneness
suggested by ones bone and flesh Is first
found In Gen. ii, 23, in reference TO Adam
and Eve and for the last time In Eph v,
80, In reference to Christ and the church.
1t Is also found In Gen. xxx, IA; Judg.
TX, 2; III Sam. xix, IL, l3; 1 Chron. xi, l.
2. 1.-THE Lord said TO thee, Thou shalt
feed my people Israel and thou shalt be a
captain over Israel" They knew this
Then why had they not thought of 1t be-
fore? How many truths we know, but by
some blindness or hardness of heart fail to
appropriate and enjoy. Our Lord had to
say even to those who ought to have
known Him best, "Have l been so long
time with you and yet hast thou not
known Me, Philip" (John xiv, 81 See
chapter vii, z, and Ps. lxxviii, 70-72. on
David's feeding Israel. See Isa. xl, IL;
Mic. v, 4; vii, IA on Christ feeding or rul
xxxiy the Good Shepherd who feeds His
flock and the false shepherds who feed
themselves and not the flocks
3. king David made league with
them In Hebron before the Lord, and they
anointod David king over Israel" Thus
the purpose of the Lord concerning David
was In due time performed. There Is
great comfort for every child of God In
TSa viz nf
sworn, saying, Surely as / have thought,
so shall 1t come to pass, and as have pur
posed so shall 1t stand" Whether 1t be the
Lords purpose concerning the Jew, the
gentle, or the church of God Q Cor. x,
32), the nations or an individual Dob
xxxiv, 29), the counsel of the Lord stand
eth forever, the thoughts of His heart to
all generations, and every purpose of the
Lord shall be performed (Ps. xxxiii, IL;
Jer. Ii, 29).
4. David was 30 years old when he be-
gan to reign, and he reigned 40 years. "
1t Is good that man should both hope and
quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord
Clam. iii, 26), and David had patiently
waited many years. Consider the long
years of waiting of Abraham, Joseph, tho
slave and prisoner; Moses, the shepherd.
See the Lord Jesus patiently waiting at
Nazareth subject to Mary and Joseph till
he was 30 years of age duke ii, 81; iii,
23), and if ever tempted to become faint
and weary consider Him (Heb. xii, 81.
5. "In Hebron he reigned over Judah
seven years and six months, and in Jeru-
salem he reigned thirty and three years
over all Israel and Judah" The kingdom
over which the Son of David shall rule
must include all Israel They shall bs
gathered from all nations and be one ma
tion in the land upon the mountains of
Israel, and the sanctuary of the Lord shall
be in the midst of them forevermore (Ezek.
xxxvii, 21-2S). Then shall Jerusalem be
the throne of the Lord, and ali nations be
gathered into it TO the name Of the Lord
to Jerusalem der. iii, 10.
6. David cannot come In hither."
Thus thought and spake the Jebusites,
who formerly inhabited Jerusalem. Jebus
was former name of Jerusalem I Chron.
XII, 4), and the children of Ben jamin, In
stead of driving out the Jebusites, allowed
them TO dwell with them in Jerusalem
(Judges l. 2D. See also Joshua XIV, 63. II
the Jebusites may represent to us the old
things in us before Christ comes in, we seq
here the danger of in any way tolerating
them, lest they. get the mastery.
z. Nevertheless David took the strong
hold of Zion. The same is the city of
David" This was the southwest hill of
Jerusalem, the older and higher part of
the city. Another hill in the city was
called Moriah, and on this hill the temple
was builded UI Chron. iii, y. Here was
the thrashing floor of Araunah, and here,
long before, had Abraham offered up
Isaac
8, 8. $50 David dwelt in tho fort and
called it the city of David. David offered
the chief captaincy TO whoever would first
smite the Jebusites, and the successful
man was his own sisters son, Joab, this
son of Zeruiah U Chron. xi, 8; 2-16).
Nothing can stand before a man in whom
God is. One such shall chase ], 200, and
two put 10, 900 to flight (Deut. xxxii, 30).
We think Of Caleb, who asked for Hebron,
where the giants were, and of David when
he slew Goliath. Although David dwelt
In this visible fort, he knew Of and dwelt
in much stronger one, invisible TO men,
for he was wont to sing, 1.-The Lord Is my
rock and my fortress, and my deliverer,
My God, my strength, in whom l will
trust" FPS. xviii, y.
10. "And David went ON and grew
great, and the Lord God Of Hosts was with
him." The margin has 'going and grow
ing" In Chron. XII 9, 1t Is written, $50
David waxed greater and greater" or, in
the margin, "went In going and increas-
ing" The r. V. has In both texts, David
waxed greater and greater" The reason Is
that "the Lord was with him." 1t seems
to me increasingly clear that the promise,
~ am with YOU, or II will be with you"
Ia about the greatest that God can give US.
See Ex. Ill, 12; iv, 12; Gen. xviii, l5;
Joshua 1, 81 Judg. vi, is; Jer. 1, s, 10; Isa.
xii, 10; Math. xviii, 20, etc.
IL, IL. "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 The growth OF
David's kingdom and its establishment Is
typical of the kingdom of tho son Of
David, OF whom 1t is written, "Of the In
crease of his government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David
and upon His kingdom, to order it and to
establish IL with judgment and with JUS
tlce from henceforth even forever" Qsa.
TX, ~. Hiram, king of Tyre, with his car
penters and masons building house for
David, makes us think of the time wher
the wealth of all nations shall come unto
Israel and serve her lisa. TX, 3, 5, IL, 12),
when all kings shall fall down before her
Lfno opd all Nations serve Him FPS lxxii