The Montgomery tribune., 1908-10-09


1af nuN vwVr -'rb~rs estb ses
s,.iss .r~ ~art - 40 sts s,r'i prontses
rala. a,sa a.i -.slu,S AZ tssr.
s-isa N4' ons tstsr 'Ha ark vas brauuns
81 fsHunIsru
Fr.tr pc lrrftssirrn
PROPHETS Natnan. nov srst m.n-
i.gDg5s .,pd tise s9o bad been Win i'S-
TNe s~coud per'of % r,avid. reign.
cam~sr, ard sva7ss'iVs Thouaht.
David. In his MAGNIFICENT palace of
ssaar. looked oas apou the place of
vorshlp for the nation and saw only
tsnt. which must soon decay. "a the
Mosaic tent had decaYed II did not
seem right and fitinz thai any private
house. even . kingS should be more
beautiful and costly than Gods house.
Il did not honor God nor religion. The
prophet Haggal G;b. fve centuries
later, uttered the Lords rebuke 70 his
people. ."Iz. IL time for you, . ye. to
dwell In your celled houses. and this
house lie vaste7-
The king. with a noble longing for
the good Of his people and the honor
OF God. desired 10 build a temple that
would worthiIy express the nations
feelings toward their God and
strengthen their religious moral life.
Accordingly he consulted with Nathan
the prophet.
V. 2. Nathan said Do all
that Ia In thine heart; for God Is with
thee" David's desire was right.
V. 3. The same night. the
word OF God came to Nathan" In a
vision q Sam. 7:l7)
The prophet was right In the assur-
ance that the object of Dayid's desire
was pleasing TO God. but there was
| need of light upon the best way OF ac-
complishing It. God had a better an
sver to Davids prayer than David
imagined,
" 4. Thou shalt not" Emphasize
| the prononh--"THOU' shalt not build
me a house to dwell inrt II shall be
built. but not By David's hands,
l There is a. deep lesson for US In
Gods treatment OF Davids plan. We
/ are tempted TO do a right thing In q
1 wrong way, or a. second best way.
| God approved Of Jacobs possessing
the birthright, but not Of his method
Of obtaining IT The early Christians
were right in their expectation OF the
| fact 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, for
the reformation of the land from GER
tain evils. but that does not necessari-
/ Iv Oar xrifh i= Of
method and saying OF revivalists and
reformers.
Instead of Dayid's, building a house
for God God will build a house for
David. II tell thee the Lord
will build thee an house" The en-
phasis is on thee. His descendants
shall be on the throne for evermore.
V. a. Il will settle him in mine
house and in my kingdom for ever"
The 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 spiritual
temple in which God dwells, and Is
worshiped by all creation for evermore
Through the whole history of Judah
there was but one dynasty, while in
the Northern Kingdom there were
seven different dynasties in their 10
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 Of
transition from the formal to the spir-
itual, but none the less real, kingdom
and Inheritance of David. The COM
plete fulfillment was in Jesus Christ,
great David's greater Son." In the
works of Keil, The posterity OF David
could only last forever by running out
in person who lives forever; that is,
by eliminating in the Messiah, who
lives forever. and of whose kingdom
there is no end" The prediction of
Balaam, of scepter and star arising
out of Jacob, is now to be unfolded
In the scepter of David's line" The
New Testament repeatedly speaks OF
Jesus as the son OF David. and inher-
itor Of the promises Guke 1873;
20:41-44; Acts 2:29-S1; 1922, 23.)
Soon after Christ's death. authority
and almost existence as separate ma
tion was taken away from the Jews, at
the destruction of Jerusalem. But be-
fore this time Christ set up his king,
dom, which was Davids kingdom, in
another form, for David's kingdom was
in his time the visible kingdom Of God
in the world. And thus Davids king
dom. through his descendant and heir.
still continues, and will abide forever,
bringing all nations and peoples under
its sway, and more than realizing all
the visions of glory which filled the