Vers. 10-24.-The best rewards of piety, etc. 'l'his list of the names of the sons of David before and after the Captivity suggest three truths- !. 'l'HE BEST REWARDS OF PIETY. To David God gave the promise that his children should sit upon his throne; to Solomon ho gave a brilliant court and largo exchequer. David had the high and lofty satisfaction of looking forward to future years, and knowing that his descendants would be wielding power and exerting influence for many generations. Solomon had his reward in the " things which are seen and temporal" -in great wealth, in a large harem, in foreign alliances, in growing merchandise, etc. 'l'he one reward was elevating, ennobling; the other proved to be hurtful and demoralizing. We are very apt to look for temporal prosperity, earthly honour, material gratification, as the guerdon of devotion; but if this should be gi.von us, it may end at last in spiritual depression and failure. God m:Ly give us our request, and send leanness into our soul (Ps. cvi. 15). We should rather desire mental aud spiritu:Ll bcstowments, delights of the soul, gladness of the heart- " Tho joys which sntisfy And au.nctify tho miud ; '' those which have no tendency to enfeeble or to mislead, but which tend rather to enrich and to enlarge the soul. 11. THE VANITY OF HUMAN FAME. It is impossible not to be struck with the obscurity of the names which occur in some of these verses (vers. 10-24). It is something, indeed, that a man's name should find a place, however humble, in such au imperishable record. But these men lived and died without enjoying any such anticipation, and it is nothing to them now. The desire for distinction is natural to noble minds ; and if it be honourable fame, and not mere worthless notoriety they seek, we must pay them praise and not accord them blame. But the fact that, as tim~ proceeds, human fame becomes of less account, and that the very names of succeeding kings may become nothing more than a tedious chronicle, only read by way of duty, may well lead us to choose a more worthy and a more lasting portion. There are blessings to be sought and gained, the value of which does not decline with tho passage of the years or even of the centuries. It is these which the wise will covet, which the holy will secure. Ill. 'l'HE EXCELLENCY OF GODLY ZEAL. There is one name in this list which stancls out among the rest as that of a man whom all the servants of God "delight to honour" -Zernbbabel (ver. l!J). 'l'o h:Lve been the ancestor er the descendant or such a mau THE FIRST IlOOK OF 'l'HE CHRONICLES. [ou. m. 1-2•1,
was itself an honour. We regard his career as one of the worthiest and most fruitful which even the Holy Scriptures have recorded, His godly zeal did much to carry on the purpose of :Jehovah from the return of the captives to the coming of the Lord. 'l'o ba'I"~ ~ived s_uch a life and to have done such a work may satisfy the very largest amb1t10n which the heart of man can hold. To look back from the spiritual world on such a work accomplished must be an increase to heavenly joy, 'l'here are few satisfactions, if there he any, which give a truer, deeper, diviner delight to the regenerated soul than the conviction that, by the help and grace of God, we are sowing the seeds of holy usefulness, of which future generations will reap the blessed harvest.-C,
Vers. 1-24.-Genealo_qy if Israe'l's 'royal household. Before entering upon the genealogies of the tribes of Israel in their due order, we are directed to fix our attention on the royal line. In vers. 1-9 we have all the sons of David enumerated, viz. six born in Hebron and thirteen in Jerusalem, The number of David's sons born after his removal to Jerusalem was eleven; only nine are mentioned here-two are omitted, either on account of early death or no issue. In vers. 10-16 the line is given from Solomon to Jeconiah and Zedekiah-the time of the Exile. From vers. 17-24 we have the line of the captive and exiled Jeconiah, and other families. David was thirty years old when he bega.n to reign, and he reigned over forty years. Seven years and a half of these were over Judah in Hebron, and thirty-three over Israel and Judah united in Jerusalem. In 2 Sam. v. we have his first public anointing to be king over Israel. This anointing took place at the time that David was king over Judah in Hebron. In 2 Sam. ii. we are told that the men of Judah came to Hebron-to which place David went by the command of God-and there they anointed him king. This, however, was not his first anointing. The Divine call and anointing took place ten years previously, during the reign of Saul, and was carried out at God's command by Samuel the prophet, as is fully recorded in 1 Sam. xvi. Of Solomon himself little is said in this chapter. He reigned forty years over Israel in Jerusalem. Our attention is chie:ly directed to David. The historian enters into more minute details in his case, both with regard to his family and to his reign. As the head of the royal line, he is brought into greater prominence. As the type of Christ, this is also as it should be. From this fountain-head all blessings flow. David, like David's Son and Lord, has here the pre-eminence. Throughout this chapter three kin~s of the royal line stand prominently forward in connection with the people of God-David, Solomon, and Zedekiah. Others, such as Josiah and Hezekiah, were distinguished as kings, but it is to these our attention is chiefly directed, on account of their typical bearing in connection with the kingdom of God, We shall look at them in this light, and see the reason why such prominence is given.-W.