eion may be undorAtood. 1. God provides means/or the redempti011, of the world. The Mosaic economy was, in some of its institutions, a. shadow of the provision that centres in the cross of Christ. Our salvation is of God. If be does not find meanM to cover sin and influence our evil hearts, there is no hope. We cannot, and are unwilling. He doviseth means (John iii. 16). There is an intimation of the wisdom requisite. Sin produces such confusion in the moral sphere, and runs so against the order of govern- ment, and lays so strong e. hold on the human heart, that only infinite wisdom could find out the way by which we might come back to God. Hence the atoning sacrifice of Christ, tho gift of the Holy Spirit, the appointment of faith as the condition aud of preaching ae the instrumentality, are all ascribed to the wisdom and goodnass of God. It is by the Church thus saved that the wisdom of God is revealed to all a11es (Rom. iii. 23-26; iv. 16; viii. 14; 1 Cor. i. 21-30; Eph. iii. 10). 2. God provides means/or the 1·esto1·ation ef those who baclcslide from him. By cha.titisements, by the voice of prophets and conscience, by the pleading of the Spirit, by the varied events of provi- dence causing the ening child to feel how evil and bitter a thing it is to depart from God, he opens a way by which they are brought back again. Da.vid knew this. "He restoreth my soul" (Ps. xxiii. 3). How wonderfully wise a.nd gentle these means often are is well known to many who once were as sheep going astray, and had lost the blessedness of fellowship formerly known. " Return I . . . 0 chosen of my love I Fear not to meet thy beckoning Saviour's view Long ere I co.lied thee by thy name, I knew That very treacherously thou wouldst deal; Now I have seen thy ways, yet I will heal. Return I Wilt thou yet linger far from me? My wrath is turned a.way, I ho.ve redeemed thee." (' Life Mosaic,' by F. R. Ha.vergal, p. 72.) IV. Go»'s WAYS IN Dll:ALING WITH HIB. BANISHED ONES ARE A MODEL FOB. us. The wise woman had spoken of the ways of God with his banished ones in order to induce David to follow in the same course with respect to Absalom-the implication being th2t, when once a good man is reminded of the ways of God, he will without further urging act in the same manner. The parallel between the relation of Absalom to David and the relation of a sinner to God may not in every detail be perfect; but there being a resem- ble.nee in the substantial facts-banishment of a son because of high-handed deeds of wrong-it follows that there should be a resemblance, in the bearing of the earthly father-king to his son, to that of God to his sinful child. The two features of God's bearing toward his own are: (1) He does not take away life; but (2) devises means by which those who tleserve to die are brought back to him (ver. 14). The reference evidently is not to the legal code, which in several cases recognizes capital punishment for certain offences, for ends civil and social, but to the general principle and method of God's dealing with sinful man in his highest relations to himself. He desireth not the death of the sinner, and therefore he, speaking after the manner of men, finds out some way of bringing about a restoration to favour consistent with his own honour and the claims of righteousness. In the New 'l'estament this example is set forth in stroug aud varied terms (Matt. v.4a-48; vi. 14, 15; Eph. iv. 31, 32). The fact that there is a model in God's bearing toward us is only half the truth. It is our duty and privi- lege to act according to it. It is not enough to be kindly disposed. We are to "devise devices "-take the initiative-in seeking to restore those who may have done wrong and merited our displeasure. This is the hard lesson taught by Christ, which even his own people are so slow to learn. When will Christians be as Christ was an~ act as Christ did'? It is often easier to sing hymns, hear sermons, and bow the knee 1n prayer. GENERAL LESSONS. 1. 'l'he proper course for the poor and sorrowful a.nu oppressed is, after the example of this widow, to have recourse to him who sitteth as King in Zion· fol' his ear is ever open to their cry, and there is an open way of access to his thror:e. 2. In all our approaches to the supreme throne we may, with more confidence thou w11s displayed by this widow in David, act on the assumption of a mercy and wisdom that uaver fail. 3. It is not only a solace to the weary heart, bul a sure means of holp in our domestic cl1.res, if we bring them before the notict> of our God. 4. We 352 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [cu. xrv. 1-3/J.
see bow often the best and most exalted of men, in their conduct and feelings come far abort of the character they should m1mifcst, and how they may require even ihe toRch• ing which comes from the spirit and deeds of the poor and troubled to raise them to 11 higher level of life. 6. It is possible for good men to be kind and generous towards (It.hers, and at the same time be uuware, till forced to see it, that there are features in their personal conduct day by day not in accord with the general generosity which they recognize end display. 6. We need to be reminded that the death of those we have ~red for, should it come about while we are not acting kindly toward them (ver, 14), 1s an unalterable event, a chBnge which renders acts of kindness impossible-as water spilt on the ground cannot be gathered up again; and consequently we should seize passing opportunities of blessing them. 7. The sinful state of man is as unnatural as is exile to a king's son, and should ever be so represented (Isa. i. 2, 3). 8 . .All thanks and praise are due to God, in that he needed not any one to procure our restoration; o.11 is of his own eternal love and free grace. 9. We should distinguish between the humo.n 1<ettiug of a truth and the truth itself. To "devise a. means" is e. human way of <'Xpressing the truth that God, from the beginning, before the foundation of the world (l~ph. i. 4; Rev. xiii. 8), ordained and arranged for our salvation, but that we see the pre-arrangement coming into form subsequent to the advent of sin, and think of it as heing devised to meet that event after its occurrence. We say, "the sun rises," but it does not. Our forms of expression consequent on the appearance of things to us is not the exact utterance of absolute truth. 10. The force of a Divine example, when brought to bear on men who recognize the government of God, will often compel conviction when other means fail.