The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 216

I. How GoD's Num IB MAGNIFIED IN AND BY BIB PEOPLE, Thie le effected by: 1, The te0rk 111r0Ught /or them. " 'Twa.e great to speak a. world from nought I 'TWBB greater t.o redeem." 2. The re~1ations made to them. In the Person, teaching, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascens10n of the Lord Jesus; and by the teaching of the Holy Spirit through the e~ngelists an? apostl~s. In these ~od i~ manifested more fully and clear~y than by all his works besides. Never before did his Name appear so great and glorious. 3. The work turought in them. The regeneration and sanctification of souls i~ a more interesting and illustrious display of Divine power than the creation of suns and stars, and reveals more of the Divine nature. The spiritual beauty and glory thus produced surpass all the beauty and glory of the natural world, and in them more of God appears. In "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. v. 22) God is magnified more than in all other products of his power. 4. The works done by them. 'l'he witness they bear for God by their worship and teaching, and sometimes their sufferings as confessors and martyrs; their godly and loving endeavours for the good of others; the courage and self-sacrifice, faith and patience, with which many of them labour for the spread of the gospel; and the good thus effected ;-all magnify the Name of God, from whom all proceed, and to the fulfil- ment of whose gracious purposes all conduce. The changes wrought by the labours of Christians-the whole influence and results of Christianity, notwithstanding all draw- backs (serious as these are), are of such a nature and magnitude ns to exalt the Name of God more than anything else in the world. 5. The condition they at length attain. Their ultimate moral and spiritual perfection, their perfect happiness, their 'vast num- ber. "Be shall come t.o be glori6ed in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thess. i. 10). 6. The praises whu;h are given to him on their account. From themselves, from the angelic hosts; on earth, in heaven; for ever. In these ways God appears great and ever greater because of hi11 relation to Christ and the Church. II. THE PRAYEB OF GOOD MEN RESPECTING IT. "Let thy Name be magnified;" let it become greater and greater in the sight of the intelligent universe, and become more and more admired and praised, through what is done in and for and by thy people. 1. Such a prayer is natural to good men. Because they love God, because they have received so much from him, and because they desire the welfare of others, which is involved in the magnifying of the Name of God. 2. There is much to intensify such a yrayer. (1) The condition of the Church. In which there is BO much that does not glorify the Name of God, so little comparatively that does. To say that the Lord of host.s is God of such a people does not tend to honour him so greatly as his zealous servnnts desire. The prayer from their hearts and lips will mean, "Let Christ's people become so Christ-like as to make it manifest that their religion is from God, that they tbemsel ves are specially his, and that he is indeed a Being glorious in holiness and loving- kindness." (2) The condition of the world. In which God is BO little thought of, his Name so little esteemed; in which idols and all manner of vain and even wicked things are magnified more than God; in which men give to themselves and their fellow-men the honour which should be his; and whose salvation and whole well-being would be ensured by those changes which would magnify the Name of God. (3) The slow pro- gress of the kingdom of God. The apparent weakness of the Church in reference to her great work, and her real insufficiency for it, should lead all Christians to pray that God would so "arise" and "let his work appear" in the spread and establishment of his kingdom that his Name may be magnified in the earth as it has never yet been. 3. Let the prayer be aecompani,ed by practice. Let each of us who pray, "Hallowed be thy Name," so live as to aid in fulfilling our prayer; first,in our general character and con- duct, and then by faithful endeavours to promote the honoL-r of God amongst professing Christians and throughout the world. Also by hearty praise to God for all he has done in connection with Christ and Christianity to make his Name great and glorious. Observe, finally, that the Name of God is magnified in the punishment of his enemies. Let us beware lest we be made in this manner to glorify him. Let us rather honour his Name as it appears in Jesua Christ by our faith and obedience; then he will honour lt in our aalvation.-G. W. OH. VII, 1-29,] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. 2'!1