Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-13
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY DR.. MARION McH. HULL

as evidences here were his bracelet
and crown.
Instead Of rejoicing. as might
! have been expected, q the death
of his prosecutor, David lamented;
and instead of rAysarding the ANA
lekite he killed hlm who by his own
mouth was the confessed murderer
of Israels king.
David was now proclaimed king
over Judah; but it was seven and a
half years before he received the
homage of the other tribes and be-
came the acknowledged king over
all Israel. But not once during that
time did he DO anything to remove
any Of the claimants to the throne
who belonged to the house Of Saul.
He still waited Gods time; he was
still trusting Him to accomplish His
will but he would not hurry it.
The first few years of his reign
were spent in cementing the bonds
of the kingdom and putting down
their enemies. David was a great
soldier and a great executive. He
knew that with kingdom compos-
ed of tribes not fully annealed. he
must give them task too big to be
accomplished unless all united That
task was the one of putting down
their enemies who had harassed the
nation for years and in extending
the boundaries OF the kingdom until
It's power was recognized as being so
great that other enemies would not
dare attack them. This task David
accomplished and in the doing of it
made the nation one.
When God had given him victory
over all the surrounding people and
rest from their enemies, David had
time to think. Here he had cap
tured the stronghold of the .Tabu-
sites which was considered impreg-
nable and had built him palace Of
cedars from Lebanon. The Ark Of
God, which, after twenty years alb
| sence, he had brought up success
fully and placed in the tabernacle
on the hill of Zion. where Arannah
had had his threshing floor; it was
still under cover of curtains This
did not seem right to him, so he
spoke of his desire to build God a
house that would be in Keeping with
his own and with Gods majesty and
dignity Nathan encouraged him in
his desire, but that night God spoke
to him giving him other directions.
The Davidic Covenant
In effect it was this: Who said
[ wantei q Louise; l have asked for
one all these years. But I appre.
ciate David's, my servants, thought
/ am going to build him a house.
Then, verbatim, follows the cove.
| nant; 'Also Jehovah telleth thee
! that He will make thee a house.
And when thy days be fulfilled, and
| thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,
L will set up thy seed after thee,
which shall proceed out of thy bow
! els, and I will establish thy kingdom
lie shall build a house for my name,
and I will establish the throne of
his kingdom forever. [ will be his
father, and he shall be my son. If
he commit iniquity, I will chasten
him with the rod of men, and with
the stripes of the children of men:
But my mercy shall not depart away
from him, as l took it from Saul,
whom L put away before thee. And
thine house and thine kingdom shall
be established forever before thee;
thy throne shall be established for
ever" e Sam. 7:11-16)
Notice that this house assured to
4
kingdom, and in perpetuity. Sauls
house was to be set aside, but Dav-
ids was to be established 1t
would be Davids son who should
succeed him, not some other. mans
son as had been the case with Saul.
David should have a throne; that
is, place to rule and subjects over
whom to rule. And the best Of all
this condition was to be perpetual.
If any of his descendants should sin
they would be chastised, but not de-
posed.
This was the covenant with Da-
vid, made by God Himself on the
grounds Of grace alone, and with
out any conditions at all. To make
it mean anything else than what Ma
than and David understood it to
mean: i. c., a literal fulfillment of
it,, is to say the least, poor eXegesis,
and very dangerous in principle.
This covenant with David God
confirmed with an oath. Read care
fully the eighty-ninth Psalm which
was written by Ethan the Ezrahite,
a contemporary of Solomon's and
very wise man. Next week we
shall study this Psalm more care
fully. God confirmed this covenant
with David again when He spoke
through the angel, Gabriel, to Mary
duke 1:31-3Q, at the same time
through whom the covenant was to
be fulfilled.
This covenant was really the most
outstanding feature of the reign of
David. His uniting the tribes UNI
der one head was a remarkable
achievement politically; his estab-
lishment of his kingdom with Jeru-
salem as it's capital was notable
statecraft; his bringing the ark back
and finding for it a permanent erst-
ing place on Mt. Zion and making
that place the seat Of worship was
an outstanding achievement relg
iously; the extension of his kingdom
and the subju cation of all of his
enemies was no small feat; but none
of these nor all of them combined
can compare with the closing Of
this contract with God by means of
which his house, his throne, his
kingdom should continue forever.
Did David doubt this? All, not
listen as he accepts this wonderful
S1ft at Gods hands. who am I,
Q Lord God? And what is my house
that thou hast brought me hitherto?
DO as thou hast said
Did God keep this covenant? Per-
!sh the suggestion that He did not
II will mott Rebellions met with
chastisement, but not with abandon
ment. Finally they rejected and
rebelled against David's son; God is
even now doing what He said to
David He would dole is chastis-
ing His people, but He has not aban-
ioned them. And one day-may it
not be long delayed-David's Son
will vet sit on the throne of His IA
cher David and reign forever.
David's reign meant much to Is
rael; but David's reign will mean
more vet to the world, when Coo fl
nally fulfills the covenant He made