The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 41

and p~m1its us to trnce something of_ David's remarkable family a.ffection to his patcrmt~'· He may therefore sc~ve to mtroduce the. subject of paternal relationships and duties, and the rewards which those may find m the career and virtue of their children who have not been themselves remarkable for anything save for being good fathers. The Divine recognition of faithfulness in this precise office and relation is indicated in God's commendation of Abraham (Gen. xviii. 19), "For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep th~ way oi the Lord." I. FATHERLY LOVE FINDS FITTING EXPRESSION IN WISE RULE AND RESTRAINT!!. Jesse seems to have had such authority. Hi~ sons, though of full age, promptly come and go at his bidding. He appears to have had his household fully under control appointing each member his place and work. The wcll-bein~ of families depends o~ the firmness of the father's rule. The first conceptions of right, and of the duties of submission and obedience, happily come to us associated with our reverence for, and affection for, our father. And worthy fulfilment, in this respect, of the paternal duties carries t-0 our children worthy ideas of the righteousness and love of "our Father who is in heaven." II. FATHERLY LOVE cAN :MAKE moH SACRIFICES. Illustrated in Jesse's sending bis sons to the army in the time of national peril. How much he felt their danger is seen in his anxiety to know of their welfare while on the battle-field. Such sacrifices have often been required of parents in times of national danger, and similar sacrifices in ciuieter spheres, especially in devoting sons to mis$ionary work. Show that to the true parent such sacrifices are made with mingle.d feelings of joy and sorrow. III. F ATHEilLY LOVE FINDS ITS REW ARD IN THE CHILDREN'S CARE; as J essc's life was saved by David when Saul's enmity put the family in peril. Loving children have no greater joy than that of caring for and tending their aged parents who have toiled and suffered so much and so long for them. See our Lord's care cf his mother from his cross.-R. 'l'. Ver. 20.-Artistic gifts finding religious spheres. (For the earlier references to Bezaleel, see Exod. xxxi. 2; xxxv. 30; xxxvi. 1, 2; xxxvii. 1.) Explain the precise endowment of this man and his ~ompanion, and the assertion of bis call by God, who specially "filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship." It has been said that "their work was to be only that of handicraftsmen. Everything that they had to do was pre- scribed in strict and precise detail. '!'here was to be no exercise for their original powers of invention nor for their taste." But thiR appears to be a needless limitation of their mission, especially as we are told that they were called to " devise cunning works, to work in gold," etc. ; and, however minute patterns of artistic work may be, eve~ this worthy carrying out makes demand on artistic faculty and taste. We are rather disposed to give Bczaleel credit for designing much of the ornamentation, and elaborating the details of a general sketch furnished by Moses. It is curious to note that, in a mistaken apprehension of the commandment (Exod. xx. 4), the Jews would not cultivate either the arts of painting or sculpture. This may have been a safeguard to them under the temptations of surrounding idolatry, but it seriously limited their culture as a nation, and possibly made their idolatrous love of images and resthetic worship the more intense when once the barriers were broken down. The Divine call and endowments of Bezalcel are the Divine protest against the neglect of those artistic faculties which are an essential part of man's composite nature, as God has been pleased to create it. These faculties have their own place, their right place; and it is at the peril of an imperfect and one-sided culture that we, on the one hand, neglect them, and, on the other hand, push them into an exaggerated place. I. THE llIBSION OF THE ARTS IN BUMAN LIFE. 'l'ake illustrations from the arts of painting, sculpture, music, and poe~ry, and show how ~hey bear on th!l refinem_ent of human life. Each holds out an ideal standard of purity and beauty, and seekmg for absolute grace of form materially aids in securing real goodness and purity and truth. Illustrate by the influence of works of art in our homes as aids to the culture of family life. They also btar directly upon the pleasure of human life. For most of l!, the days must be spent iu dull, grinding toil, which we:.1,rs out the brightness and en. u. 1-55.J THE FIUST IlOOK OF THE CIIUONICLES. 31