The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 452

Vers. 26-30.-David's death. Our book ends with David's death. He had rei!'.!ned forty years, viz. seven years and a half in Hebron (1 Kings ii. 11 ), and thirty-thre~ in Jerusalem. And the Spirit of God writes his obituary: "He died in a 0crood old a"e.'' Many an age is "old," but not "good." But David had set God before him thro~gh lifo,.and God sets the crown upon it in these words. The Bible obituaries of good men are short. There is no parade, no lengthened record on marble monument or polished stone. They need none. Their record is in heaven. In this they form a striking contrast to the fulsome epitaphs of this world. The greatest of men in Bible history have short records. "So Moses died, and the Lord buried him." Is that all, and of such a man I Yes; for it is the life that should speak and not the death; and that life is the character of the man, whatever the world may say of his death. "Full of days, riches, and honour," all worthy of a record because consecrated to God. Our days are only "full" when thus used. What empty na:ys fill up the lives of most around us-days of which an unseen hand bas written "vanity," but for which the soul must give an account to God! It is said here that a record is given of" the times that went over him." '!'here were" times" of sorrow and" times" of joy, times of trouble anc. times of rest, times of weakness and times of strength; but when God is in then:. there are no empty days. They were full because God was in them. In the midst of all the changes and chances of this mortal life may such be our days !-W. Ver. 3.-Personal sacrifice for God's service. It is a very easy thing for a man to recognize and admit that people should give of their substance for God's service. And it is as easy a thing to urge other people to do their duty in this respect, and to give for God's service. But it is never for any one an easy thing to do our own duty in this matter, to make our own personal sacrifices, and to take our full, fair, noble share in religious gifts and works. Precisely in this the soundness of David's religious principle is declared. He asked no mun to do what he was not prepared to do himself. He would even, by his own personal sacrifices, be an inspiration and help to others; on the example of his own generosities lifting them up to nobler things. David might have satisfied bis conscience by devoting to the service of God a portion of that national wealth which was entrusted t-0 his keeping as king. We are often tempted to be very liberal with other people's money or with public money. David felt that such giving cost no personal effort or sacrifice, and so could not carry to God the expression of his own devotion and love. Nothing could satisfy his feeling save a large offering from his own personal and private property. This voluntary gift was selected with the greatest care; the gold was that of Ophir, egteemed the finest in the world, and the amount was three thousand talents of gold, and seven thousand talents of re.fined silver. I. A MAN BAS WHAT HE MAY 0ALL HIS "OWN PROPER GOOD." It is quite true that we really have nothing, and that what we seem to have is God's, and only entrusted to our charge. But it is equally true that God does permit us to cherish the sense of possession, and to feel that some things are ours. The distinction between mine and thine lies at the basis of social morality; and if we can have nothing ours as separate from God, we can have somethmg ours as separate from our fellow-men. If the distinctness of a man's property is recognized in the common social relations, it may olso be recognized in the higher religious spheres; a man's" own proper good" having this for its peculiarity, that it is under the immediate control of the man's own will. Press the importance of recognizing the responsibility attending on t41l sense of persona I possession, and the trust of our " own proper good." II. IT 18 m RELATION TO ITS TREATMENT AND USE THAT A MAN'S CHARACTER GAIXll EXPRESSION. In public o. man makes himself appear oftentimes other than ho is. Ho is revealed in private life. So a man may be very generous indeed in voting away public and society money; and bis mean character be shown up in his miserable distributions from his " own proper good." Money is one of the most searching tests of character. Illustrate how some men hoard and reveal their acquisitiveness; other& spend wastefully, and reveal their aensuality or love of self-indulgence; yet others use carefully and tl1oughifully, and so reveal their caution and, it may be, ti1e power of their religious principle; and yet others again give largely, and reveal their open and generous dispositions. God finds out the very depths of a man's nature by giving to him a gn·ater or leas trust " of his own proper good."  456 THE :t;'IRST noott OF THE CHUONtCLES. [ea. xxtll:. 1-30.