memory of the feats recorded in the Book of Judges. Even then tho nation was sinking downwards. Jephthah and Samson were men of lower worth than Barak and Gideon. The ruinous defeat at Aphek, followed by the capture of the ark and the destruction of the national sanctuary at Shiloh, convinced Israel of its degradation, and made it ready to yield to Samuel's exhortations. Then followed a period of struggle, and then came the empire of David and the splendour of Solomon's court. It was a short- lived glory. Christ's kingdom was not to have much of earthly magnificence about it. But the Messianic people before his advent had a tremendous work to do, and needed some noble memories to strengthen them as well as grand hopes bidding them ever move onwards. And David's grandeur and the splendour of Solomon, who to this day holds a unique position in the imagination of Oriental nations, gave them what they needed. Through- out a checkered history they continued to be a firm, strong, and heroic people, and with powers of endurance which have enabled them to remain e. miracle and a wonder to the present day. David's wars and conquests had thus a great importance for Israel, and therefore for mankind. But his empire was also a symbol of the Christian Church, and David is the representative of sin-stained fallen man finding forgiveness through repentance. And there is thus a reason for the restriction to him of the promise that the Messiah should be his Son. It is never renewed to any of his successors. Solomon was the glory of the East for his wisdom; Hezekiah and Josiah emulated David's piety, and were unstained by his sins; but no prophet hails them as the inheritors of David's promise. The seed of Judah's kings were ta serve as "eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon" (Isa. xx.x:ix. 7). It was from Nathan, a son uncrowned, and scarcely mentioned in the history, lost quickly to view among the crowd of ordinary citizens, that he was to spring who is the Church's King, but who nationally was but a. sucker from the cut-down stem of Jesse (Isa. xi. 1). We have given the reason above. David is the type of fallen man, sternly chastised for his iniquity, but finding forgive- ness, rest, peace, strength, in "the God of his salvation" (Ps. li. 14). We have thus in the Second Book of Samuel a history essential to Holy Scripture, and of profound and even painful interest. For never had human soul a more checkered record of sin and sorrow, of discord in its relations with itself, of intense contrition and earnest pleading for forgive- ness, and of genuine faith, than that which is set before us here. But without the Psalms, which disclose to us the inner working of David's heart, we should lose much of its significance. For here, chiefly, we have David's sin and his lifelong punishment; while there we have the struggle of his soul wending its way through darkness and sorrow upwards to forgiveness, to light, and to joyf~l communion with God. The book is composed of threti separate parts, of which the first ends with the list of David's chief officers (eh. i.-viii.). This narrative prob- ably included a good deal of the latter part of the First Book of Samuel, INTRODUCTION TO
t-he di\·ision of the history into two portions being unauthoritative. H gi-ves the history of David in its noblest RSpect, and if we include in it the -victory over the giant, it might be called in Homeric phrase the 'Apicrr,da TOU Aauui, the prowess and brave achievements of a hero. It traces him st.ep by step till from the sheepcote he becomes the sovereign of all Israel, whereupon immediately he brings the ark to Jerusalem, and is appointed ( eh. -viii.) the Messianic king, whose office it is to build the temple, to ordain a spiritual worship for Jehovah, and, as Messiah's repre- senta.tive, to take the heathen for his inheritance. It was probably a. cDntemporary document, as was also the next, which forms eh. ix.-xx. In it we have the record 0£ David's sin and its terrible consequences. Beginning abruptly with his kindness to Mephibosheth, but of which we see the reason when we come to the details of the flight from Jerusalem and sorrowful return, it next gives us fnUer details of David's conquests, but only to lead up to the history of Da-vid's sin, committed when his heart was turned away from God by the glory of earthly victories. .All that follows is the painfnl reoord of God's just severity. This narrative also ends with a catalogue of David's chief officers, but there is now a touching difference. At the end of eh. viii. we read that David's sons were his cohanim, his confidential ministers. His family was then happy and united, and his children were the chief stay of his throne. At the end of eh. xx. it is a strangeii, Ira the Jairite, who is cohen, David's private counsellor. His sons have all lost their father's respect, and the nnmerons children who had once been his pride are now a terror to him and a cause of nnbappiness. Perhaps in this mt1ntion of Ira as David's cohen we may find an explanation of the fact that all David's elder children were passed by, and the succession to the throne given to Solomon, who at this time was but eleven or twelve years old. For if no one was any,. longer fit to be entrnsted with the office of cohen, still less was he fit to be king. Bnt we also see the fitting punishment of the king's polygamy. David had set a bad example in multiplying unto himself wives, and he reaped from it e.n evil harvest. His son and successor was even more sensual, and bis many wives wrought also his min. The remaining fo11r chapters have no internal connection with one another, nor are they placed in chronological order. For eh. x:rii., which is virtually identical with Pe. xviii., was written shortly after Toi'e embassy ( eh. viii. 10) ; the " last words " in eh. x:riii. belong to the very close of David's reign; while the execa.tion of Saul's descendants, the battles with the Philistines, and the numbering of the people record events which happened in the earlier years of the kingdom. The " last words " give us the assurance that David's closing yea.re were tranquil, and spent in an unbroken walk with God. The storms of his life were over, and so also WBS his enjoyment of the pleasnres of victorious war and of royal state and me,gnificence. But his sin had been forgiven him. There we.a peace in his ewn heart and undiminished trust in God. Time would never quite hee.l THE SECOND DOOK OF SAMUEL. xi