The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-10-09

| IL
pared ny Rev. ID. VI. stearns.
! Copyright, 1908. by American Press Association
In this remarkable chapter, the
whole of which we are asked 10 study,
we have three sections-verses l to 3,
David's purpose and Nathan's approx
al; To II, the Lords message to
David through Nathan: Is to 20, Da-
vid's communion with God. AS David
! says in verse %, Israel was unlike any
other nation on earth, inasmuch as
! God had redeemed them to make them
special people unto Himself, TO do
! great things for them, that through
| them He might be made known TO
| other nations. THAT the world may
believe, that the world may know"
! John xvii, 81, 23)-this is the desire
of God as revealed in all Scripture.
! Whether IL be through an individual,
as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jo-
seph. Daniel. David or any other king,
priest or prophet, or through Israel as
nation, or the church as the body of
Christ, God desires to reveal Himself
in some measure as He fully did in
Christ Jesus and the great question
ever is, who, then, is willing TO con-
secrate his service this day unto the
LordY' Il Chron. xxx, -
If there is the least leaning TO our
own understanding there will be fail
ure 1t must be the wisdom of God,
and that alone, from first TO last. In
our last lesson we saw how the wis
dom Of David and all his counselors
only brought trouble, but as soon as
they obeyed God all was we'll with
them. Now, David has a suggestion
which commends itself even to the
prophet Nathan, who says to David,
60. do all that is in thine heart, for
the Lord is with thee" (verse -; but
neither the king nor the prophet had
the mind of God. The verses assigned
as our lesson give us the mind of God
as revealed to Nathan, and through
him to David, which both accept as
soon as they know 1t. At this day
the church is full of plans which she
! is labor.ng to work out and which
may prove only wood, hay and stubble
! q Cor. iii, 11-15), because they are like
| David and Nathan agreeing To build
a temple without seeking first to know
| the mind of God. The building OF
temple was all right and would come
! TO pass in Gods time and way, and the
Lord actually gave David the plan OF
! il by His spirit Il Chron. xviii, IL, u,
! 19), but now David must learn some
thing more important and far reaching,
and the message of God through the
prophet is. "The Lord telleth thee that
He will make thee an house.
and thy throne shall be established
| forever oversees IL. 80. So David Is
! told, to his great surprise. of an ever
lasting kingdom, and Il King, his Son,
who shall reign forever In other
words. David is told that the seed Of
the woman who is to bruise the ser
pent's head. the seed OF Abraham who
| is 10 bless all nations, is to be his seed
also and sit upon his throne.
That David SO understood it is evident
from verse 10, and from Acts ii, 30.
where we read that be knew that God
| had sworn with an oath to him that
OF the fruit Of his loinS. according TO
| the flesh. He would raise up Christ to
sit ON his throne See this confirmed
! by the prophets and by Gabriel, the
| mighty angel i'm Isa. tx, 6. Z; Jer. xiii,
/ .. 6: Eek XXXvii, p, %; Luke l. 81,
/ SO. See also in Matt. T. /, and Rev.
xxi, 1G the Lord Jesus spoken of in
! this relation. and let us in obedience
| TO Isa. xii 6, I, pray for the time when
/ no f,,I
! filled. When the Lord Jesus came in
humiliation the kingdom here de
scribed was at hand, but when the
people to whom He came rejected Him
and determined to kill Him He then
taught them that the kingdom would
! b. postponed till His return duke
xix, 11-15). He found the house desc
late and left it desolate till His re-
turn because they would not accept
their dellverer Matt. kill 3S, 80.
our lesson is not the story Of Sol
onion. but of Christ, and of Him not in
relation to the church. but TO Israel in
her future glory.
If any object to the words in verse ii,
"If he commit iniQuity," as not being
applicable TO Christ, 1t may interest
such to know that Bishop Horsley
translates the passage, when guilt is
laid upon him" and DR.. Clarke reads
it, "In suffering for iniquity." 1t is
Christ. according TO lisa. Iii, suffering
for Israers and for our sins. Bishop
Horsley translates the last clause Of
verse 10. and this is the arrangement
about the Man" Luther has written
upon this verse: Thou speakest OF an
eternal kingdom in which no man can
be king He must be God and Man.
for he is to be My Son. and yet he is
to be King forever" Let Berean Chris
tians consider well the three uncondi-
tional covenants of Scripture made by
God with Noah and Abraham and
David. and may the comfort that came
! TO David come to all such. Although
my house be not so with God, yet He
hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered In all things and
sure" 0I Sam. XIII, ~. The comfort
is found i'm the faithfulness of God
Notwithstanding all our unfaithfulness