Ver. 19.-The will of the Lord. "As the Lord God of Israel had commanded him." These words may be said to constitute the key-note of the whole Law (Exod. xxxix. 42; Lev. x.xvii. 34; Numb. x.xxvi. 13; Deut. xxxiv. 9). Just as Israel should pay heed to this commandment of Jehovah, so it would flourish and rejoice; in proportion as it should depart from these commandments, so it would fail and be distressed. Everything h=g on a loyal obedience to the Divine will. There were three forms of obedience then, and there is the same number now, We look at both. I. THE THREE FORMS OF OBEDIENCE WHICH ISRAEL WAS TO BENDER. 1. Minute con- formity to positive precept. Everything, to the smallest particular, was to be "after the pattern" (Exod. x.xv. 9, 40; Numb. viii. 4). In the celebration of the sacrifices, the priests were to be studious to follow the exact directions given in the "command- ment of the Lord," and any deviation, though but slight and apparently 1mmaterial in itself, would vitiate everything that was done. 2. Application of broad Jrinciples. It was hopeless to anticipate every possible breach of such laws as, "Thou sbalt not defraud thy neighbour;" "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." An inter- pretation and application of such commandments as these must have been left lo.rgely to the individual conscience. 3. Inquiry of the Lord to know his will, and so to do it. This was the case, like that recorded in this chapter, whenever the mind of God was taken by means of the lot (vers. 5, 6). A direct appeal was then made to him for his direction, and, thus gained, it was followed. IL THE FOBMS OF OBEDIENCE TO WHIOH OUR LORD IS SUMMONING us. They correspond to the preceding, yet differ in some respects ~rom them .. 1. Christ b~s _left us but ~ew positive enactments. We seldom meet with any minute prescr1pt1?ns regulat1_ng behaviour in our New Testament. Days, forms, and methods of devot10n and service are left to our conscience and judgment. But there are some interdiction_s and require- ments which still exist, and which bind us to the obedience of conformity to statute. 2. Christ requires of us that we make constant application of the broad principles he has taught us. He has said to us, "Love me : Follow me : Care for my friends and little ones: Walk in love, in humility, in purity: Do good and communicate," etc.; and he leaves it to those who bear his Name to apply and illustrate these bis general com- mandments, in all the details of their individual, family, Church, national life. The iuan or the Church that does not try to find out the will of Christ from his life and l:i~ en, xxrv. 1-31.] 'fHE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 393
words, and to do that will when thns discovered, is "not worthy of hirn," is no true rriend of his (John xv, 14), 3. Christ desires us to be continually seeking his will from bis own Divine Spirit, He has promised to come to us, to dwell with us and within us, to instruct and inspire us by the communications of the Spirit of God. We are thus to learn bis will, and, when thus directed, are t-0 do what is right and plea.sin" in his sight. So far is the lifo of Christian obedience from being one that is merely for~al and mechanical, In Christ Jesus the statutes are few; the application of heavenly principles is our daily duty; the inquiry of the Lord to know what he would have us do is our high privilege and our abiding obligation.-C.
Ch. xxiv., xxv.-The .Aaronites and other descendants of Levi: orders of the musicians. In these chapters we have brought before us a catalogue of the Aaronites, or priests, who were divided into twenty-four classes, corresponding to the sons of Eleazar and !the.mar, and appoin\ed to perform the service in succession as determined )Jy lot, prominent notice being given to the heads of these twenty-four classes ; and a list of the fathers' houses of the other descendants of Levi, in the order of succes- sion, also settled by lot. In eh. xxv. we see the list of twenty-four orders of musicians in the order determined by lot. The lot was a direct appeal to God, and by it all cases were decided. It is for this reason that all chance games are wrong, and should never be encouraged by the Christian. It is bringing down a holy ordinance to a pro- fane level, and is, without doubt, a breach of the third commandment. The expres- sion "prophesied," which occurs in eh. xxv. 2, 3, is used in its deeper signification of singing and playing to the praise or God, in the power of the Spirit of God. In eh. xxv. 5 Heman is called "the seer of the king in the words of God," because along with his gift of song he was endowed with the prophetic gift, and thus made known to the king revelations of God. The expression "to lift up the horn" in this verse also needs explanation. The Levites did not blow horns. It was not one of the instruments of worship. The lifting up of the horn signifies invariably to heighten or show forth the power of any one. This is the meaning of the word in this passage. And the words "to lift up the horn" must be connected with the words that follow, thus: "To give Heman's race power for the praise of God God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. We also learn, in cb. xxv. 7, that there were those who were "instrncted," and were "cunning" or skilful in the sougs or the Lord. ~'rom these passages we may learn that families, and especially large families like Heme.n's, are God's gifts for the purpose of being used in bis service. And secondly, that in e.11 praise and singing, whilst we are never to forget the apostolic injunction, "Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord," we are t,, " sing with the understanding also," and that it is to be of the very best kind; o.nd that with it all there must be that without which it will be empty sound-singing in the Holy Ghost, e.s they did who e.re named in the second and third verses of eh. xxv. Thus "teachers" and "scholars" (ver. 8) will fill their divinely appointed places to the glory of God.-W.