A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles

Philip Chapman Barker [d.1904] · 415,586 words · 458 reading sections

SECTION 61

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 61

himself wait the sovereign will of a sovereign God-patient, content, trustfnl; nnw to rdense those lips and open his mouth, that he might render grateful praise to t11e boun- tiful Giver of all good, or the loving and careful Protector of all those who put their trust in him. When Jabez says, "Oh that thine hand might …

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SECTION 62

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 62

ITSELF. It is evident, from the very words of Jabez's prayer, that he distin<Tuisbe~ lietwcen evil and gratuitous pain, or unrewarding "grief," as it is here expressed." Evil, i.e. suffering, calamity, more or less of occasional adversity, disappointment, are the absolute lot of man here. It would be vain to shut the e…

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SECTION 63

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 63

simplicity and fervour, by strong conviction of dependence and by trustful reliance and these were lighted up by hovefulness. And having watched the dependent suppliant, in sympathy with him, wo are now invited to see the other sight. God sees his suppliant, and sees him with gracious eye. He hears his suppliant, and b…

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SECTION 64

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 64

HOMILIES BY V AnlOUS AUTHORS. Yers. 9, 10.--Jabez. These two beautiful verses come in the midst of a dry and (to us) comparatively uninteresting genealogy, like au oasis in a desert. \Ve know nothing at all of the person here mentioned except what is recorded in this p~ssage. Yet there is so much of meaning in these b…

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SECTION 65

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 65

tond to the comfort 11nd the development of humanity. All the conveniences of human lifo are instrumental in furthering the purposes of God. !V. AMONG BUCH AR'rIFIOERS RELIGION OFTEN FINDS WARM ADHERENTS, SUPPORTERS, AND PROMULGATORS. The busy and useful classes of society furnish the largest propor- tion of strength …

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SECTION 66

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 66

Vers. 9, 10.-.A model prayer. Of the man Jabez we have only this brief record. He is only known by bis prayer. Yet the prayer is a sufficient revelation of the man. His character is revealed in it, as is the character of every man to him who is able to read man's prayers aright. His name means "He causes pain," and …

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SECTION 67

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 67

essential characteristic of acceptable prayer; and the attitude of kneeJinc, is the bodily expression of it. " II. '!'JIAT JABEZ WAS INTELLIGENT AND THOUGHTFUL. The prayer shows that he had formed a sensible estimate of life. To.him it was a scene of toil and struggle and evil ; it seemed to be full of work, duties, r…

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SECTION 68

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 68

show so fully how God has been pleased-in lesser spheres and in greater, in temporal atfairs and in spiritual, throughout all the Jong ages-to use the impulse of rewards. 'l'his may be fully and impressively illustrated in the Bible story; and of the character of the illustrations we give a. few suggestive instances…

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SECTION 69

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 69

tuously every day, and are clothed in purple and fine linen;" and we cannot greaLly wonde: that men ,~hould grow hard, and lose the high and inspiring thought of ths " digmty of work. III. THE ONE CONDITION THAT LIFTS ALL HUMAN TOIL INTO DIGNITY. Its usefulness to others. It must be dons "not unto self." And so God ha…

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SECTION 70

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 70

Ver. 43.-God's ways with .Ama7ek. The reference of the verse Is to the remnant that had escaped the great slaughter under King Saul (1 Sam. xv. 7, 8). Indications of the existence of scattered portions of this people may be found in 1 Sam. xxvii. 8; x.xx. 1; 2 Sam. viii. 12. The Amalekites are first mentioned in connec…

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SECTION 71

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 71

from evil, that it may not grieve me I And God granted him that which he requrste,1." Jlnt little is known of this man; known in his generation as a man <if prr1ver; famous for tho directness and simplicity of hi9 appeal to God and for the success attend- ing it. Probably he gave his name to Jabez, the town mentioned i…

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SECTION 72

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 72

Vers. 9, 10.-.A life and its le.~sons. Two verses only relate the life of Jabez, but they suffice to give us some idea of its nature and character; also to convey some lessons for onr guidance as we pass through our own. I. THREE FEATURES OF ms LIFE. We learn that: 1. It was begun in special sorrow. His mother call…

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SECTION 73

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 73

Vcrs. 11-43.-General truths from genealogical tables. Ileadin 6 lessons from this list of names, we gathcl'- 1. 'fHAT OBSCURITY IB BETTER THAN PDOMINENCE FOR MO&T OF us. In this Ion" table we have one or two celebrated men, such as Caleb (ver. 15) and Othniel (ver. 13), but most of them are men of no repute. 'We only …

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SECTION 74

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 74

giYen to the tribe of Judah on account of its connection with the promised Christ, Before tracing further the genealogy of the sons of Israel, an entire chapter is devoted to the family of David. 'l'his is just as it should be-still further prominence bein"' given to every one and everything that foreshadowed the true …

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SECTION 75

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 75

on some "unknd vn God "-some almighty abstraction whom we are for ever groping after, but whom we can never know. No; this is the atheist's god, the Socinian's god, the rationalist's god, the god of all men who know not God in Christ. Jabez knew better. He "called on the God of Israel "-the covenant God, the God of h…

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SECTION 76

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 76

from it! It is by conflict the child of God obtains more and more of the blessinO's laid up for him in Christ. The ·word of the Lord is to him what it was to Israel of old°: "Go ye up and possess the land;" "There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." Oh, what blessings are laid up for us in Christ! Why do …

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SECTION 77

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 77

Thus Jabez prays, "That thine hand may be with me." Thus the child of God may ever pray. It is just what we need-him with us in all his glorious power; hin1 tu put away our leprous sin; him to raise our dead souls to life; him to upholcl our sinking souls amid the storms and tempests of life; him to raise us out of the…

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SECTION 78

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 78

CHAPTER 'V. the registration did not prooeed In this instancfil (probably pnrtly for the very renson ,ors. 1-10.-THE Soxs OF REUllEN. The of the ambiguity) by the order of birthright, tribe of Reuben is now taken third in but everything yielded to the specie.I cnll for order by the compiler, though Reuben precedence …

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SECTION 79

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 79

hie son ; nnd the sons of Gog the aon of eius, 'Perieg.,' 956: Pt. v. 2 (see o.rt. Semei," eto., nnd this in all three editions- "Hr.garenes" in Smith's' Bible Dictiouary'). Vnticnn, Alexandrine, and Aldine. Vere. 11-17.-The tribe of Gad is taken Vere. 7, 8.-Of Jeiel, Zeohariah, Bela, and next, and occupies but few li…

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SECTION 80

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 80

Yers. H, 15.-Thcse are the ohildren of still repeated in the descendants of the tribe. Abihail; i.e. the seven "brethren " of the The people of Nephieh have not me.de their preceding verse. A rapid line of descent, mark deep on the page of ethnogrnphio or rath~r of ascent, consisting of ten genera- history; but the …

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SECTION 81

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 81

ie likely enough, tho.t Baal-hermon wo.e the His first invasion was one chiefly of Israel Phmnioio.n co.et of the no.me. If o.ny point and Samaria (2 Kings xv. 29; Isa. ix. I). were to be go.ined by reo.ding the ne.mee, His second was of a much more significant however, as intended to cover exactly the che.ractw. Calle…

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SECTION 82

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 82

the half-tribe of Manasseh, and has spanned their history, though with many a gap in it, from the first up to their captivity. This last event approached, is not to bo recorded, however, without a previous and very distinct notification of what led to it. These causes, we well know, were the same with all the other …

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SECTION 83

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 83

nature than eense a part of it, the principle has too generally been the party in the conflict compelled to succumb. Men, till they have been divinely renewed, appear always to have found the exercise of faith, in its higher domains, their "strange work." They have not repudiated it in their own human relations; the…

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SECTION 84

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 84

III. The greatest distinction and privilege of Judah was this: FROM THIS TRIBE SPRANG THE Jl.1EssIAH. Jesus, the Son of David, was a descendant from Judah. This was the true "Lion of the tribe of Judah." _PRACTICAL LESSONS. 1. Mark the hand of God in family history. Providence raises up one house and sets down another…

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SECTION 85

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 85

was permitted to mo.ke war upon the idolatrous tribes and lay them under tribnte, and afterwards Tilgath-pilneser was permitted to carry the people away captive into Assyria. God always has instruments to effect his purposes; even the wicked are used by him to chasten and punish the disobedient and rebellious, III. Tn…

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SECTION 86

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 86

Vers. 18-26.-Devotion, declension, and doom. In this brief story we have a pain- fully characteristic piece of human history-first, spiritual soundness; then consequent prosperity; then laxity and sin; then punishment and disaster. We trace the steps. I. A CO:MM:ENCEMENT IN MORAL AND SPIRITUAL SOUNDNESS. These two tri…

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SECTION 87

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 87

of this chapter, iu the prominence given to the tribe of Judah. The nalural birthriaht is set aside. It is so always. Nature's order is reversed in the kin,,dorn of G-;d, " The last shall be first, and the first shall be last." This is the law of God's kin "<lorn. Man's rejected is God's chosen. Grace, and not nature, …

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SECTION 88

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 88

conflict. It is no me1·e winning with t.he Christian. It is u. glorious warfare and an equally glorious victory. "In all these things," says the apostle, "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." We do indeed "war a good warfare." There are "Hagarites" all round you and within you. Be "skilful in war:" g…

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SECTION 89

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 89

the lesson. And where are these people of God seen next? "And the God of hrael stirred up the spirit of Pul King of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser King of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, anrl the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Hala.h, and Habor, and H…

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SECTION 90

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 90

J arues deals vigorously with this kind of failure, using the illustration or "water II or the" ~e_a-wave" (~as. i. 6-8).. Instability_may take a milde_r form, as" uncertainty," "malnhty to decide," "wavermg;" or au mtenser form, as 1s illustrated in Reuben : then it is "unchecked impulse,"" tendency to passion," "f…

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SECTION 91

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 91

Rbilities of poverty, or of the weakness of hereditary disease, who have been Ice! in God's providence to high place, powers, and usefulness. Let us find our faculty nn,l endowment. It is the key to God's purpose in our life; let us develop it. Life will then bring to us its best. Let us but follow on along the line of…

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SECTION 92

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 92

nants of the race should exert an evil influence on God's people when settled in their lands. Such a plan distinctly intimates the Divine sense of the peril in which the con- tact of idolatry would place an unsophisticated people. And such the Israelites were, for though their fathers had known Egyptian idolatry, the r…

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SECTION 93

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 93

mention of the other tribes (Numb. i. 47- !mown of them. Lig-htfoot (' Temple Service,' M), but it is compenst1tcd for somewht1t later 1v. § I) supposes that the chan~e of priest- (Numb. iii. 14-20). O hood family to Ithamar took place aft,,r Yer. 2.-The second son, Xohe.th, rather l\'leraioth. Bnt it is just as pr…

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SECTION 94

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 94

Ver. 9.-Ahima.az. The first important differ from tbo enumeration of ver. I, in notice of him is found in 2 Sam. xv. 36, and being followed by tho sons of eaoh of the Inst in 2 Sam. xix. 29. He is not to bo tilesu three, and afterwe.rds by the line of identified with Solomon's" officer" in Naph- descendants from each, …

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SECTION 95

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 95

instoncea by the name of the ancestor at e. section wo mny notice. if not the first certain point. beginning, yet sow" of the earliest crystn:- Vere. 22-28.-(B) These verses give lization of the forms of reli";ous senic~.s. descendants, probably twenty-one in num- It was given to David to settk the ark after ber, from…

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SECTION 96

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 96

nre eevernl omissions in these two lines ; but inasmuch n.s ho was appointed chief of the if these a.re correct, we must conclude that Levites (Numb. iii. a~); ministered as u there are unwarmnte<l. aJ<l.itious in the priest with his brother lthnnmr, even before other. On the nanws of Asaph's e.ucestors, the death ll…

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SECTION 97

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 97

"oint (ns above) to the non-priestly de- xxi. 28. 3. The Kedesh of ver. 76, i.e. eceuda.nte in the Koha.th line. Summing Kedesh in Galilee, one of the cities of refuge up, we see that the Koha.thile prietd,3 ho.d in the tribe of Naphte.li (Josh. xix. 37; xx thirteen cities from the a.llotmente of Judah 7; xxi.. 32; Jud…

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SECTION 98

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 98

II. THE ffiGH PRIESTHOOD IN NATIONAL ADVERSITY. Jehozadak, 118 in the BUC• cession, nominally filled the same office when the Jews were carried into captivity. H c shared the lot, the exile, of bis countrymen. It was well that he should go with ! he others and rather share the fate of the nation, than remain in Jerusal…

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SECTION 99

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 99

occasions in Jewish history, as, for example, when Solomon dedicated his temple, when Hezekiah cleansed the same building and restored the dignity of its services, ancl. when Josiah observed a solemn Passover, these musical attendants took a prominent part and rendered an effective service in the sacred solemnities tha…

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SECTION 100

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 100

unworthily. 3. Under the Christian dispensation, all believers are ministers and priests, daily serving in God's spiritual temple, and offering, through the Divine Mediator and Intercessor, spiritual and acceptable sacrifices. Every family and every individual has an appointed office and ministration.-'!'. Ver. 57.-Th…

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SECTION 101

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 101

III. TIIAT OUR RECORD WILL DE WRITTEN rn THE BOOK OF Goo AS WELL AB IN THE LIVES OF MEN. Not much is written in the Book of God respecting most of these; we know nothing of them but their names. A deeper obscurity than this will be our portion; not even our names will go down one century, certainly they will not descen…

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SECTION 102

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 102

and fruits of holiness were to be seen in the lives of its sons and daughters. Excellent and ample provision was made for this religious culture. It was to be, as it should bo everywhere and always- !. ATTRACTIVE IN FEATURE. The tabernacle service (ver. 32), and subsequently the temple service, was made inviting and e…

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SECTION 103

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 103

II. THE SERVICE OF BONG. After the service of rest, yon can enter on the service of song. And what is that song? "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus;" "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father…

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SECTION 104

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 104

,ia,~." So _Je~ozadak had. his mission in his name.. Down into captivity he went, but m all his intercourse with the humbled and caph\"o people, he pleaded with his name, saying, "Jehovah is righteous." Aud so we may learn that the least thing about us, a matter as seemingly unimportant as our name, may be taken up int…

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SECTION 105

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 105

as it was also in David's time. It is singular to find how small a place poetry and music took in the apostolic Church. The power of song is found characteristic of individuals, and it often follows in family lines, as is illustrated in the cases of Asaph and Heman. It becomes, for the individual, the entrusted talent,…

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SECTION 106

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 106

transgression of him who brings it, or to some act, such as that of Phinehas, which because it vindicates the Divine honour, Law, and righteousness, is recrarded as covering over iniquity, a.nd making possible the pardon of the transgressors. But some chancres passed in the connotation of the term, so that the New T…

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SECTION 107

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 107

equally in the Christian Church. A designation recognized in (1) the demand for auch work; (2) the Divine endowment of men for such work; and (3) the ea),/ of men to under- take such work, by the inward impulses of the Holy Spirit, by the leadings of Divine providence, and by the recognition of fitness on the part of o…

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The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 108

a calm consideration of the circumstances was assured ; and only if proved guilty of wilful murder could the man be delivered up to the goel-avenger. I. THE SOOIAL WORKING OF THE REFUGE SYSTEM:. Its influence may be shown in : l. Its cultivation of a worthier sense of J°u,stice. 2. Its teaching as to the relation of m…

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SECTION 109

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 109

genero.Uy tnken, and if the numbers of vers. were e.t that time, for manifest reasons of 2 and 4 o.re distinct, the be.lance needful inheritance and possession reckoned in this for ver. 5 will, of course, be twenty-eight tribe, though by blood 'or the tribe of thousand four hundred. It ce.unot be denied Benjsmin. This …

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SECTION 110

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 110

the allusion to Dan. He also thinks that strictly a. son, but only descendant of this is corrobornted by the expression, "the Manasseh ; and, further, the irresistible 8ons of Bilhoh," in the next verse. impression is that Maohir was the only son, Ver. 13.-The sons of Naphtali. In nn strictly speaking (see especially…

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SECTION 111

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 111

passage lies in reconciling the points or (i.e. into Goshen) to plunder their cattle (i.e. chronology which it forces to the surfe.ce. the cattle or Ephraim). Vere. 20, 21, purport to contain the line of Ver. 24.-Ris daughter. H the literal descent from Ephraim through his son Shu- interpretation of this whole section …

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SECTION 112

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 112

(himself a.n enigma), on the south boundBry answer the question. The suggestion II.as of Ephraim, between the nether Beth-boron been made that the name may, by some and Ataroth. Shomer; i.q. ~he.mer of ver. 34. great error of copyists, stand for either Ver. 33.-Nothing, except what follows Zophah's last son Beere., o…

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SECTION 113

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 113

Vere. 1-19.-" The old order changeth." It is a significant fact that, in this enumera- tion of names and these references to ancient times, the only complimentary epithets used relate to military affairs. "Their brethren among all the families or Issachar were valiant men or might" (ver. 5); "'l'he sons of Bela . . . m…

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SECTION 114

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 114

feet of Christ we have learnt that one human soul is a. thing of inestimable worth. Hence we have come to prize, as most precious, one human life; a.nd hence we have learnt to shrink from voluntarily taking it a.way. That which God only ca.n give or renew, from which he requires so much, and on which such great a.nd la…

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make the aid and arm of man seem but feebleness and cast us back on God. Then we bide in him ; then we find that he is the Refuge and the Strength of his people, the true Dwelling-place of the human soul in all generations. In great and deep affliction, as at no other time, we (1) see the meaning and feel the force of …

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Christ. And, like the mother of Jabez and Ephraim here, our sorrows come and we in our unbelief and short-sightedness, look at our sorro,vs and see nothina else.' We see ~ot the bo:W of mercy spanning the cloud-the love that is behind-and Slll we hang our heads m sorrow, and we write "Jabez" on this and "Beriah" on tha…

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The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 117

:Moses' mother, :Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Jezebel, Athaliah, etc. Always women have found spheres among the children and dependents, but sometimes wider and public.spheres have opened to them. vyomen have little recognized legal or public rights m the East. Woman has no standmg apart from her husband, and this makeH…

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SECTION 118

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 118

EXl'OSI'l'ION. to :Bela, Genesis (xlvi. 41) only finds us CHAPTER VIII. clearly three of them, and these in very This chapter carries us back to the tribe different order, viz. Gara, 'Naaman, and of Benjamin, partly dealt with already (eh. Arel; and Numbers (xxvi. 39, 40) finds us only three, viz. Ard, Naaman, and …

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SECTION 119

The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 119

Neaman, Ahoah, And Ger11 of vers. 4, 5); e.nd not elsewhere ree.d. And even if it were on finAlly thAt after the removing "he" had ot~er groun~ possible to identify the person two fresh aone, Uzzo. e.nd Ahihud. with the Ab1el of 1 Sam. ix. 1 and xiv. 51, it Ver. 8.-She.he.raim. It he.a been proposed, is not possible…

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The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 120

HO:MILlES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. V ors. 1-40.-Readings between the lines. "Reading between the lines," or extractino- from these tables some moral truths which, if they do not contain, they may fairly suggest, we gather- I. THAT ALLIANCES OFTEN END Ill ENTANGLEMENTS AND ENTAIL UNCONSIDERED CON• SEQUENCES. Shaharaim went…

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Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.

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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.