sought, and the peace and prosperity of his kingdom (eh. iv. 25) arose from the fact that God gave it him. To ask God to make us wise and capable for the sake of others, is a prayer consonant with His will. Unselfishness is commended and exalted under the new dispensation as it never was under the old. Christ Himself came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, e.nd to give His life '' a re.nsom for me.ny." The prayer of selfishness, greed, avarice, can never be put up in Christ's ne.me. II. THE CHOICE WAS MADE OF INWARD WORTH AND NOT OF OUTWARD SHOW, He did not ask for himself riches and honour. What will make us noble is alwe.ys more ree.dily given by God than what will make us wealthy. A wise father would rather the.t his son should be truthful tbe.n that be should win popularity among his schoolfellows by anything surreptitious and deceitful So our heavenly Father cares little that we should make money, or win applause; but He cares much that we should be wise, and true, and loving ; and these graces He will in no wise withhold from those who seek. Sometimes He answers our pre.yers for these inward blessings in modes we resent. The illness that throws us back upon Him, the failure that proves a man's life does not consist in the abundance of things that he possessetb, &c., may work in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness. The Lord Jesus, who was at once the King of Glory and the village carpenter, showed us this; and in the inward gladness His disciples experienced amid their outwe.rd woes, we have confumation ofit. Showbow,in New Testament history, and in the lives of the saints, the words which begin the Sermon on the Mount ho.ve been fulfilled. Blessedness of the highest kind comes to the poor in spirit, to them that mourn, to the meek, to them which do hunger e.nd thirst after righteousness, to the merciful, to the pure in heart, to the peacemakers, and even to those who a.re persecuted for righteousness' sake. III. THE CHOICE MADE OF THE HIGHER BROUGHT WITH IT THE LOWER BLESSINGS, (Vere. 11-13.) Because Solomon asked wisdom God gave him the.t, but added to it wealth e.nd honour. If we ask grace to fulfil our mission, and rightly do our life-work, our heavenly Father will see that we do not want for life's necessities. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, e.nd all these things shall be added unto you." The teaching of Christ (Matt. vi. 24-34) goes to show that a man who is chiefly concerned to please God need have no anxiety or co.re about lower things. If God feeds the birds, He will feed you ; if He clothes the lilies, He will clothe you; if He gives the life, He will give the "meat'' that is less than life. Ask God for the higher blessings: pardon, righteousness, reverence, wisdom, &c., and He will give you not only these, but all things necessary for us, and all the riches and honours that are good for us. Solomon's wisdom was great, but there has come into the world one great.or than Solomon, more worthy far of our adore.tion and love. As the child iu Naze.reth, Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour with God and mnu. His wisdom was purer, deeper, hiier than Solomon's, because it wo.s united with purity of life, with victory over sin, and with sacrifice of self. He is the true Shelomoh, "the Prince of P(lace ;" the true Jedidiah, "the well beloved of the Father;" o.nd to Him now let us humbly bow the knee, as to One worthy to be exalted both as Prince and Saviour.-A. R.
EXPOSITION. CHAPTER III. 16--28. is just possible, as Thenius maintains, IN this section we see how remarkably that the narrative was handed down to a the gracious promise of Gibeon (ver. 12) succeeding age by tradition, und was not was fulfilled. The " understanding to incorporated into any of the documents discern judgment" has been richly bestowed. from which our h.istorian compiled his And this, no doubt, is the reason why the narrative; but this argues nothing o.gru.ns, story is related here. 'E,r,oei(ai n,v roii its authenticity or its inspiration. It is, as J3aaa..u.,, ,f3ov">.f19q ao'{>iav (Theodoret), It • Biihr observes, a thoroushly Oriental story. 62 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [ CH, III, 16-28,