Life and Times of David

Henry Mackintosh Charles

Description

A wise king and, by some accounts, a distant ancestor of Jesus, David is one of the most compelling figures depicted in the Bible. In this thoughtful and comprehensive volume, theologian Charles Henry Mackintosh provides rich historical context for gaining a deeper understanding of David and his important contributions to Christianity.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776528660
• Langue: English

Extrait

LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID
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CHARLES HENRY MACKINTOSH
 
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Life and Times of David First published in 1898 ISBN 978-1-77652-866-0 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Introduction Chapter I - David Anointed Chapter II - The Valley of Elah Chapter III - The Cave of Adullam Chapter IV - Nabal and Abigail Chapter V - Ziklag Chapter VI - The Return of the Ark Chapter VII - David's House and the House of God Chapter VIII - The Conspiracy Chapter IX - The Song and Last Words Endnotes
Introduction
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The steps which led to the setting up of a king in Israel are easilytraced, and easily accounted for, by all who have studied with anyattention the humbling history of the human heart, either as presentedin themselves or in others.
In the opening chapters of 1 Samuel we are furnished with a mostinstructive and solemn picture of Israel's condition. The house ofElkanah is taken up by the sacred penman as a striking illustration ofIsrael after the flesh, and Israel after the Spirit. "He had twowives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the otherPeninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children."
Thus we have in the domestic circle of this Ephrathite the earlyscenes of Sarah and Hagar enacted over again. Hannah was the barrenwoman,—and she was made to feel it deeply, for "her adversary alsoprovoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut upher womb."
The barren woman is in Scripture the type of nature's ruined andhelpless condition. There is no ability to do anything for God—nopower to bring forth any fruit to Him; all is death and barrenness.Such is the real condition of every child of Adam. He can neither doanything for God nor for himself, as regards his eternal destiny. Heis emphatically "without strength"; he is "a dry tree," "a heath inthe desert." Such is the lesson taught us by the barren woman.
However, the Lord caused his grace to abound over all Hannah'sweakness and need, and put a song of praise into her mouth. He enabledher to say, "My horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is enlarged overmine enemies; because I rejoice in Thy salvation." It is the Lord'sspecial province to make the barren woman rejoice. He alone can say,"Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing,and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more arethe children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,saith the Lord" (Isa. liv. 1).
Hannah realized this, and widowed Israel will ere long realize italso, "for her Maker is her husband; the Lord of Hosts is His name;and her Redeemer the Holy One of Israel." The beautiful song of Hannahis the soul's thankful acknowledgment of God's actings in reference toIsrael. "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to thegrave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: Hebringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them amongprinces, and to make them inherit the throne of glory." All this willbe most fully exemplified in Israel in the latter day; and it is nowexemplified in the person of every one who through grace is raisedfrom his ruined condition in nature to blessedness and peace inChrist.
The birth of Samuel filled up a great blank, not only in the heart ofHannah, but doubtless in the heart of every faithful Israelite whosighed for the true interests of the Lord's house and the purity ofthe Lord's offering, both of which were alike disregarded and trampledupon by the unholy sons of Eli. In Hannah's desire for " aman-child ," we perceive not merely the development of the heart of a mother , but that of an Israelite . She had, no doubt, beheld andmourned over the ruin of everything connected with the temple of theLord. The dimmed eye of Eli—the vile actings of Hophni andPhinehas—the fading lamp—the desecrated temple—the despisedsacrifice—all conspired to tell Hannah that there was a real want,which want could alone be supplied by the precious gift of a man-childfrom the Lord. Hence she says to her husband, "I will not go up untilthe child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appearbefore the Lord, and there abide forever ." "Abide forever!" Nothingshort of this could satisfy the longing soul of Hannah. It was not themere matter of wiping away her own reproach that rendered Samuel soprecious in her eyes. No! she longed to see "a faithful priest"standing before the Lord; and by faith her eye rested on one who wasto abide there forever. Precious, elevating faith—that holy principlewhich lifts the soul above the depressing influence of things seen andtemporal, into the light of things unseen and eternal!
In chapter iii. we have the prediction of the terrible downfall ofEli's house. "And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid downin his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see ;and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where theark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the Lordcalled Samuel ." This was very expressive—solemnly expressive. Eli'seyes "dim," and the Lord's call to Samuel: in other words, Eli's houseis passing away, and the faithful priest is about to enter upon thescene. Samuel runs to Eli, but, alas, all the latter could say was," Lie down again ." He had no message for the child. Hoary and dim,he could spend his time in sleep and darkness, while the Lord's voicewas sounding so very near him. Solemn, most solemn warning! Eli was apriest of the Lord, but he failed to walk watchfully, failed to orderhis house according to the testimonies of God, failed to restrain hissons; hence we see the sad end to which he came. "And the Lord said toSamuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears ofevery one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will performagainst Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: whenI begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I willjudge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because hissons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not" (1 Sam. iii.11-13).
"Whatsoever a man soweth," says the apostle, "that shall he alsoreap." How true is this in the history of every child of Adam!—howpeculiarly true in the history of every child of God! According to oursowing shall be our reaping. So Eli was made to feel; and so shall thewriter and the reader of this. There is much more of solemn, practicalreality in this divine statement than many are apt to imagine. If weindulge in a wrong current of thought, if we adopt a wrong habit ofconversation, if we pursue a wrong line of acting, we must inevitablyreap the fruits of it sooner or later. [1] May this reflection lead usto more holy watchfulness in our ways; may we be more careful to "sowto the Spirit," that so, of the Spirit, we may "reap lifeeverlasting"!
In chapter iv. a humiliating picture of Israel's condition inconnection with the declining house of Eli is presented. "Now Israelwent out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched besideEben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistinesput themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle,Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the armyin the field about four thousand men." Here Israel was being made torealize the curse of a broken law. See Deut. xxviii. 25. They couldnot stand before their enemies, being weak and powerless by reason oftheir disobedience.
And observe the nature and ground of their confidence, in this theirtime of need and pressure: "And when the people were come into thecamp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten usto-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant ofthe Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it maysave us out of the hand of our enemies." Alas, what a miserable groundof confidence! Not a word about the Lord Himself . They thought notof Him as the source of their strength; they made not Him theirshield and buckler. No! they trusted in the ark; they vainly imaginedthat it could save them. How vain! How could it avail them aughtwhen unaccompanied by the presence of the Lord of hosts, the God ofthe armies of Israel? Impossible! But He was no longer there; He hadbeen grieved away by their unconfessed and unjudged sin; nor could anysymbol or ordinance ever supply His place.
However, Israel vainly imagined that the ark would do all for them;and great was their joy, though not well founded, when it made itsappearance among them, accompanied, not by Jehovah, but by the wickedpriests Hophni and Phinehas. "And when the ark of the covenant of theLord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, sothat the earth rang again." All this was very imposing; but, ah, itwas hollow; their triumph was as baseless as it was unbecoming; theyought to have known themselves much better than to make such an emptydisplay. Their shout of triumph harmonized badly with their low moralcondition in the sight of God; and yet it will ever be found thatthose who know least of themselves set up the highest pretensions, andassume the highest position. The Pharisee in the Gospel looked downwith an air of proud indifference on the self-abased publican; heimagined himself very high up and the publican very low down in thescale; yet how different were God's tho