The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-11-29
n king remained at Mahana,m. And


en- king remained at Mahanaim. And
II In the hearts of the people the men,
DRY OF David's greatness and goodness
and power came crowding, into his
heart there came likewise the mem
ory of other days. Now that the first
poignant grief over the death OF Alb.
SALON was passed and he had time TO
contemplate his state and think on
what the loss Of the nation and the
royal city meant to him, a deeper,
more crushing sorrow came upon him,
Jerusalem, the holy city Of God, the
place where with Joy he had set up
the tabernacle OF the Lord and with
or he had brought the ark OF the cov-
enant of the Lord.
When first he came upon the strong
hold wears before while it was still in
the hands of the enemy the inspiration
had come to him to conquer 1t for the
Lord. What a glorious situation for
the city which should become in a pc.
cullar sense the habitation Of the
Lord. he had thought. And so In the
| strength Of the Lord and at the peril
Of his life he had aseended by almost
s%uperhuman effort the preciWtous
walls and had after O fierce handle
hand conflict subdued the city,
And because of what that city had
-. H.. - l.a,. 20 ,,lnt d, Mad
become In his thought and ambitions
he longed with an intense longing to
be back there once more. 1t wac in
that city he had planned and pnrposed
to build the Lord a splendid temple,
hut God had said him nay. and had
given him the promise that his son
should build the Lord a house, And
this thought of the future had made
bright the late years OF his life as
he had set about gathering material
which would be used IN the constrnc.
ton of such a temple as he longed to
see built
But now he was al exile from his
beloved city. Were his dreams for
the future of the city never 10 be
realized? Was he never more to
dwell there Thus In sorrow and
doubt he waited, Rnt no word came
from his people looking to his re-
turn.
But n day n delegation came TO
Mahanaim from the northern tribes,
bringing words OF good cheer to the
king and urging his return.
While thou art absent, Sheba, the
son Of BIchri, and others are busy
striving to ~ further trouble
they said, Come with US, and we
will establish thy kingdom"
but how a ! return" David cried
TO his confidential advisers, after he
had dismissed the delegation, while
the people of Judah, mine W breth'
ren, and while Jerusalem, the holy
city, speaks no word of invitations"
SO this proved a great sorrow to
David that no word had yet come tc
him from Jerusalem, and those who
served near to the king discerning the
grief Of his heart over this thing, sent
messengers secretly to Zadok and Abb
affair, the priests at Jerusalem, say
ing:
Speak unto the elders Of Judah
saying, Why are ye the last to brinl
the king back to his house? Seeing
the speech of all Israel Is come to the
king, ever to his house. Ye are his
brethren, We are his bones and his
flesh: wherefore then are ye the las
to bring back the king?"
Now when this word was repeated
in the ears of the elders by Iadok ant
Abiathar. after they had summoned
them into their presence. deep sorrow
seized their hearts that they had sc
.t,yt.p 49, l nu,a loa so..o,