The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 348

6in in its proper light until they come under the sufferings which it involves. lllustrat, by the licentious man and the drunkard._ God's plan i~ to affix consequences to sin, and make these always to be of an affi1ct1ve and d1stress1ng and humiliating character, so that by them the character and quality of sin might be shown up. " Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Illustrations are a.t hand in Old Testament history, ordinary national histories, and modern life. "'l'hough hand join in hand, the sinner shall not go unpunished." The consequences of sin come in a. great variety of forms, but always with precise adaptation to the moral purpose which God holds in view in sending them. If the sin be only that of a man a.s a.n individual, the con- sequences ma.y come wholly on the man's body. If the sin be that of a. man a.s a. father, the consequences may be such a.swill affect the family. And if the sin be that of a. ma.n a.s a. king, we may reasonably expect that the consequences will reach to affect the nation. And this is the case of David which is now before us for consideration. An a.et is right or wrong, according to God's eternal laws, whoever does it; but acts gain some of their precise qualities through the relational or representative character of the persons who do them ; and this often affords the true explanations of the particular judgments that attend them. I. DA vm's SIN. His a.et, considered a.part from his state of mind and bis purpose, cannot be called wrong. We at least are familiar with the idea of ta.king census, and understand it to be a. necessary attendant on orderly government. Two things aid us in recognizing David's sin. 1. The sentiment of Ea.stern peoples concerning a census; they regarded it a.s imperilling their liberty, and as a state device for inflicting on them a tyrannous taxation. 2. David was not en independent sovereign; he was Jehovah's prince; and such a work as this should only have been undertaken at the direct com- mand of the true King. In a previous sketch, on ver. 2, the precise character of David's act has been shown. His purpose was vain-glory. He would boast of the great kingdom he had founded; so be utterly failed from the theocratic kingship with which he had been entrusted. And his sin was that of the king; it was part of his govern- ment; and, therefore, it affected the people whom he governed, and the consequences fell on him through them,just as the judgments on parental sin come on parents through their children. II. lTs CONSEQUENCES IN THE DIVINE ADMINISTRATION. These were apparently special. Gad, God's prophet, announced the impending judgments, bidding David select which of them should fall. But this speciality is only in appearance, and it is designed to be illustrative of the ordinary and orderly judgments which are surely wrought out in God's providences. Sometimes God permits us to trace processes, but it is only that we may gain full conviction of the•essential connections between sin and suffering. Much is made in our day of the working of law in nature. It would be altogether healthier a.nd better for us to make much of the working of law in morals. No law is so absolute as this one: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." III. THE REVEALING POWER OF SUCH CONSEQUENCES. That is, their power to disclose and impress the character of men's sins, as viewed by God. In the narrative before us, the impressions made on the king (ver. 8), on the people, and, through these, upon us, may be illustrated. The mission of all jedgments and so-called calamities is here shown. The revela- tions which they make are (1) a vindication of God; (2) a gracious ai~ to a wo~thy appreheosion of God; and (3) the only way to secure our due restoration to a nght mind and right relations.-R. T. Vers. 9-13.-An appalling offer and a wise choice. The details may be given as explained in the Expository portion of this Commentary. Famine, :war, and plague are the three ordinary Divine agencies used for the judgment of nations. Each affects numbers and arouses national fe,eling. Very seldom, indeed, does _God make men the offer of a choice of punishments· and we can fully understand that 1t would not be con- sistent with his honour so to 'do. Then why did he do it in this particular case? Because this was special, and designed to bear mainly on the recovery o~ a good man's full trust in God. God cannot usually make offers to men, because there 1s no good a~d nght feeling in them to which his offer may appeal. God could make such offer to David, b<;cause hid was only a temporary aberration and failure from the true spirit and full en. xxr.1-30.J THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 349