The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 376

his own name and by his own anthority, but merely publishing the La,v of Jehovah for 1be maintenance of thn~e who conducted the temple service, Under the old economy JehoYah was t,be ~ole Bead of the Church, as Christ is under the new, For the Hebrew Church the exclusive source of legislation was not the sovereigns or prophets of tho na~ion, but Jehov~h ;_ Rs. for the Christian Church it is neither kings nor parliaments, neither Church d1gmtanes nor Church courts, but Jesus Christ. That which gave bindin,i: authority to Hezekiah's commandment was not that it was "the word of o. king" (Eccles. viii. 4.), but that it was the ordinance of Jehovah as declared by Moses (Exod. xxiii. 19; Lev. xxvii. 30-33; Numb. xviii. 12, 13, 21, 24; Deut. xxvi. 2-4). That which lends weight to human legislation in the Christian Church is the circum- stance that it accords with the teaching of Christ in the New Testament Scriptures, II. THE PATINO OF THE TITRES, ETO. 1. Promptl,y. "As soon as the comruandment came abroad," the children of Israel began to pour in their contributions (ver. 6). The absence of delay showed t-heir zeal was not fanatical, but religions, and not seeming, but real-the last thing to be affected by a man's religion being his purse; perhaps also it proved that the king's liberality had been not without its influence (eh. xxx. 24), as certainly it imparted additional value to their gifts. Qui cito dat bis dat. 2. Faith- fully. Nothing was omitted or evaded that the Law enjoined. The people presented "the firstfruits of corn, and wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field;" paid in the tithes or tenth parts Jehovah hnd assigned as a portion for the whole tribe of Levi (ver. 5), as well as the tenth parts of such things as were dedi- cated to the Lord (ver. 6); and rendered free-will offerings to Jehovah over and above what had been directly commanded (ver. 14). 3. Unweariedly. It was no sudden fit of liberality which had overtaken them and quickly expended itself. The firstfruits presenting, tithe-paying, and free-will offering went on for four months (ver. 7). Many can do a generous deed when seized by a momentary impulse, but are wholly unable to bear the strain of continuous giving. That these ancient givers grew not tired of their liberality was a proof that it proceeded from principle rather than from impulse-showed they were acting more from respect to the Divine Law than from a desire to gratify their own feelings. 4. Abundantly. So extraordinary was the out- burst of liberality, that not onl_v had the priests and Levites obtained the most ample maiutenance, having had enough to eat and plenty over (ver. 10), but so fast came the people's offerings in that they were obliged to be piled up in heaps (ver. 6), while so liberal had they been that, when the tithe season ended, so great a store remained (ver. 10), that the priests and Levites were guaranteed against want throughout the rest of the year. 'l'he Christian Church might herein find an example. It is poor policy, besides being unscriptural (Luke x. 7; 1 Cor. ix. 14), for Churches or congre- gations to starve or underpay their ministers. 5. Generally. Most likely there were those who refused to comply with the king's commandment, acting from a spirit of avarice which could not bear to part with their goods, or a spirit of unbelief which secretly hankered after the false gods they had formerly worshipped, or from a spirit of indifference, because they had no real interest in religion; and doubtless there were those who gave grudgingly and of necessity, adhering strictly to the letter of the Law, never going beyond the bond if they could help it, and certainly never throwing in any free-will offerings; but manifestly also the main body of the people, in the northern kingdom (ver. 5) no less than in the southern (ver. 6), yielded obedience to the king's commandment, and fell in with the order of the day. Ill. THE STOBTh"G OF THE TITIIEB, 1. The chambers for their reception. These were prepared in the house of the Lord (ver. 11), in accordance with ins~ructions from Hezekiah, but whether they were old cells or new cannot be deteranned. 2. The officers for their supervision. (1) Two superior-Cononiah the Levite, and Shimei his brother (ver. 12). (2) Ten inforior-Jehiel and Azaziah, Nahath and Asahel, Jeri- moth and Jozabad, Eliel and Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah-who acted as subor- dinates and assistants to the two chiefs, who derived their authority from Hezekiah the king, the chief magistrate in the state, and Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok (ver. 10), and roler of the house of God (ver. 13), IV. THE DIBTBIBUTION OF TBE TITHES, ETC. 1. The distrioutors. (1) The chief- Kore, sigaifying "Partridge" (Gesenius), a name borne by the son of Ebiaeaph (1 Chron, a. 18), and here by the son of llllll.ah, By descent a Levite, he was by occupation on. xxxn. 1-33.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 381