The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 367

Vers. 17-19.-David's charge to the princes of Israd. After charging so solemnly his son, David turned to the princes of Israel, giving them an equally solemn charge to help his son Solomon in his great work. Every line of this charge to the princes is replete with spiritual instruction. The first line is a precious one: "Is not the Lord your God with you?" The presence of God is the Christian's great power for all work. "Lo, I am with you al way, even to the end of the world." Moses knew its importance when he said, " If thy presence go not with us, lead us not up thence." The second line is equally precious: " Hath he not given you rest on every side P" The true Christian has indeed found " rest" in Christ the true David, and for the reason assigne<l here in David's third line-" for he bath given the inhabitants of the land [the Canaani tesJ into mine hand." Every enemy the child of God has is in the hand of Christ. Every sin he ha.s committed, as well as the broken Law, and everything else that shut him out from God, have all been laid on Jesus. Everything that could injure or stand in the Christian's way, in the present or in the future, is all in the hand of Jesus. " Subdued " is the word written by Christ's cross on all his sins, on all his foes, ou everything against him. Nay more: in all these things "he is more than conqueror through him that loved him." This being so, to wha.t end is it all? David tells us: "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God." Every affection, every desire, every energy, every aim, everything within us, is to be "set." And where? Christ- ward. On him who has done such great things for us. And does such grace tend to sloth or indifference? Far otherwise. ".Arise therefore." Get up out of sloth, out of sin, out of earthliness of every kind. Get higher. "Nearer my God to thee, nearer to thee." And how is this rising to show itself? "Build ye tho sanctuo.ry ." Let every thought and energy, every heart and every hand, be put to build up the kingdom of God-the true sanctuary of God in this world. And the last word in this cho.rge is the climax-the great end to which everything points:" Build ye the so.nctunry of tho Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, o.nd tho holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built to the Name of the Lord." Observe the sanctuary was for this end-" to bring in the ark of the covenant and the holy vessels." So is it now. 'fhat a.rk is Christ. 'l'he "holy vessels" are every thing that pertains to that ark. '.!'his is the great end of every building-to bring in Christ and everything that is of Christ. Is the sa.nctuary the believer's soul? 'l'hen let Christ and everything Christ- like be brought in there. Is the "sanctuary" a Church-any of the Churches of Christ or the entire Church-the body of Christ? 'l'hen see that the ark is brought in and it~ vessels-Christ and everything that will glorify him. The house was "to be built to the Name of tho Lord." 'l'his Name is on the Christian, on every Christian Church, on every Christian duty, on every Christian nation, on every Christia.n work. See that the ark and its vessels are where the name is. See that we have not tbo name without the ark and its vessels. We may have the name in ba.ptisrn, in the Holy Communion, in the Church and its ordinances, but the grand_question is, "Arn the ark and its vessels there? "-W. Ver. 2.-.Alien help in God's service. David was willing to employ those who were not Israelites in the work of building the temple, and this is recorded as an indication of liberality and large-mindedness. By tho "strangers" mentioned hero we are to understand "aliens," the non-Israelite population of the land; and we have no ground for assuming that the persons he employed were necessarily proselytes. From 2 Chron. ii. 17 we learn that David took a census of these aliens, with the design of employin~ them in forced labours, as hewers of wood and stone, bearers of burdens, etc. 368 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [on. xxn. 1-19.