The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-10-08
GODS PROIlLSE
TO DAVID
Sunday School Lesson for Oct. IL, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper


GOLDEN TENT. There haih not
failed one word of all his good promises"
i Kings $3.50
TIME.-About the middle OF Davids
reign. Not long after the ark was brought
to Jerusalem.
PLACE.-Jerusalem
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., now first men
toned and Cad who had been with Da-
vid in his exile
The second period OF David's reign.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
David, in his magnificent palace OF
cedar, looked out upon the place OF
worship for the nation and saw only
a tent, which must soon decay, as the
Mosaic tent had decayed. II did not
seem right and fitting that any private
house, even a kings should be more
beautiful and costly than Gods housn
Il did not honor God nor religion. The
prophet Haggai 1:4l. five centuries
later, uttered the Lords rebuke to his
people, rs II time for you, o ye, to
dwell in your ceiled houses, and this
house lie waste?"
The king, with noble longing for
the good of his people and the honor
Of God, desired to build a temple that
would worthily express the nations
feelings toward their God and
strengthen their religious moral life
Accordingly he consulted with Nathan
the prophet.
v. Q. Nathan said Do all
that is in thine heart: for God is with
thee" Davids desire was right
V. 3. "The same night, the
word OF God came to Nathan" In a
vision q Sam. 7:17)
The prophet was right In the assur.
ance that the object OF David's desire
was pleasing to God, but there was
need OF light upon the best way OF ac-
complishing It, God had q better an
swer to David's prayer than David
imagined.
v. 4. Thou shalt not" Emphasize
the pronoun-"THoU shalt not build
me a house to dwell in" II shall be
built. but not by David's hands
There is a deep lesson for US In
Gods treatment of David's plan. We
are tempted TO do a right thing in q
wrong way, or second best way.
| God approved of Jacobs possessing
the bi.thright but not OF his method
of obtaining 1t. The early Christians
we're right in their expectation OF the
TACT of the early coming again Of
Christ, but not necessarily Of the exact
method of his coming. God approves
OF our desire for the conversion Of
men, for the unity Of the church, TO-"
the reformation Of the land from GER
tain evils, but that does not necessari-
ly carry with it his approval of every
method and saying Of revivalists and
reformers.
Instead Of David's building house
for God God will build a house for
David. II tell thee the Lord
will build thee an house" The EN-.
rhasis is on thee. His descendants
shall be on the throne for evermore.
V. Ia. Il will settle him in mine
house and in my kingdom for ever. >;
Tre real kingdom of God consists OF
his people, gradually increasing in
numbers, in character, in power for
good, till the kingdom shall include
the wide, wide world, the spiriIu'
temple in which God dwells, and is
wurshiped by all creation for evermorc
Through the whole history OF Judah
there was but one dynasty, while in
seven different dynasties in their 19
kings.
After the destruction OF the temple
/ and the extinction of David's dynasty
in Jerusalem, the writer in Chronicles
and the post.exilian Prophets regard
the promise as still in force, and still
in process of fulfillment to the seed
of David, with no limit to its eternal
operation" This was the period oi
transition from the formal to the spir
itual but none the less real, kingdom
and inheritance of David. The con
plete fulfillment was in Jesus Christ
great David's greater Son" In ''r
works OF Keil, The posterity OF Davit
could only last forever by running ou
in a person who lives forever; that is
by eliminating In the Messiah, who
lives forever and of whose kingdom
there is no end" THE prediction o.
Ralaam, of scepter and star arisine
out of Jacob, is now to be unfoldeC
In the scepter of David's line" The
New Testament repeatedly speaks o
Jesus as the son of David. and inner
itor of the promises Luke 1878
2O:41-44; Acts 2:29-31; 1922, 49,
Soon after Christ's death, authorit!
and almost existence as separate ma
8 tion was taken away from the Jews, a
e the destruction OF Jerusalem. But be
p fore this time Christ set up his king
a dom, which was David's kingdom, il
another form, for David's kingdom wa
in his time the visible kingdom of Coz
in the world. And thus David's kine
g dom, through his descendant and heir
q still continues, and will abide forever
bringing all nations and peoples unde
r its sway and more than realizing al
o the visions OF glory which filled tn
/ Jewish heart
a Practical Points.
Y Cod will answer orr sincere nrayarS