couch taking his noontide sleep. They sped all night, and brought the bleeding head to David; but, as he told them, if he had killed the Amalekite who slew Saul on the battle-field, how much less should he spare them who had slain their own innocent master by treachery in his sleep? And accordingly he put them both to death.

And now the full time of success was come. The men of Israel had been already stirred towards David, and they felt that he had earned his right to be their king by his seven years' resistance to the Philistines at Hebron, and they remembered that God Himself had marked him out to be their king. The Book of Chronicles tells the numbers that mustered of each tribe,-" mighty men of valour for the war," "expert in war," "with all manner of instruments for war,” and, from Issachar especially, men "that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do."

All these bands of brave warriors, fully armed, came marching in, in their thousands, to encamp in that green vale of Hebron that once had not sufficed for the flocks of Abraham and Lot; all who could keep rank, coming with a perfect heart, bringing their gifts, the gifts of the flock, the herd, the field, and the vineyard, and owning the shepherd hero as their own, bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh; and for the third time he was anointed with the holy oil, and made King of all Israel; and then ensued a mighty banquet of sacrificial joy.

And let us pause to see the type here traced out. David was anointed once as a boy to designate him for king, once as king of the Jews at Hebron, once as king of all twelve tribes. So the Christ of God was His anointed when born of royal birth; anointed again with the Holy Ghost, when He was baptized ere commencing His ministry; anointed again, and crowned with many crowns, when He took to himself His glory in heaven. And He hath made Himself one bone and one flesh with His Church and her members, whom He invites to share with Him in His sacrificial feast, in honour of His victory and His kingdom.

LESSON XCIII.

THE CONQUEST OF JERUSALEM.

B.C. 1048.-2 SAM. v. with 1 CHRON. xi.

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.

Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of

David.

And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain.

So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.

And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of

David.

And he built the city round about, even from Millo* round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

So David waxed greater and greater for the LORD of hosts was with him.

And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.

And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.

The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

And David came to Baal-perazim,+ and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim.

And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.+

And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

*The tower or citadel. ↑ The plain of bursts of destruction.

✦ The giants.

And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going* in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

COMMENT.-All his life David had gazed at that royal hill which stood out from the table-land of Judah, a wonderful natural fortress built up and moated round by the hand of God Himself. It was a double hill, with a deep ravine like a gash dividing it, and with valleys running along the foot of the steep cliffs so as to render its strength wonderful. Here it was that Melchizedek had reigned as King of Salem, or Peace; here Isaac had been laid on the wood for sacrifice, and Abraham had named the place JEHOVAHJIREH, "the Lord will provide ;" and here, both as inspired prophet, wise ruler, and skilful captain, David desired to plant the centre of his power, rendering it at once the sacred city and the point of strength and union for all the tribes. But the Jebusite had heid it for centuries past, and even in the full tide of conquest the tribes of Judah and Benjamin had never been able to take it, but had to creep round the base of the hill, with their enemies looking down upon them.

Now, however, in the flush of joy and eagerness, when all the choicest warriors had come to hail him as their king, David proposed to make his coronation feast truly glorious by marching straight from Hebron to capture Jebus. The army willingly heard his call, and they were soon at the foot of the city walls. They took possession of all the lower part of the city, as Joshua had done before them, but the hill of Zion still towered above them, and they were the laughing-stock of the Jebusites within. "Except thou take away the blind and the lame," they cried, "thou shalt not come in."

It is not clear whether they meant that the walls and rocks were so strong that they could be defended by cripples and blind men, whether they actually put these poor creatures on the walls, or whether they put there idols which the Israelites called blind and lame. At any rate, David answered the taunt by promising Abner's vacant post, the chief command of the army,

* Rustling.

to him who should first reach the gutter or watercourse along the top of the walls, and overthrow these defenders of Jebus, the so-called blind and lame. Perhaps he hoped some. one would surpass Joab; but if so he was disappointed, for Joab was the first to climb the wall and win the city. From that time it was the sacred city; it resumed the holy name made up of Salem and Abraham's prophetic words, and was called Jerusalem, "the vision of peace," and the king himself took up his abode in the fortress on Mount Zion, which came thus to be called the City of David ; and he built walls from Millo, or the tower, enclosing the upper and lower cities, so that Jerusalem became a grand place of security.

There David reigned in honour, becoming more powerful every day. The wealthy Phoenicians on the borders of Asher, in their merchant city of Tyre, sent him gifts, and builders to erect his palace, and cedars from Lebanon for the beams. But the Philistines, who had been at first amazed and stunned by his success, began to recover, and attacked him in the Valley of the Giants, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Here he defeated them with such a burst of destruction that the place was called by a name in allusion to it. The same enemies caine again to the same spot, and this time David, on inquiring of the Lord, was desired to refrain from the onset until he should hear a rustling in the tops of the trees. Obeying in faith, his victory and subsequent pursuit so entirely broke the Philistine strength, that they never again became a conquering power such as to endanger Israel.

[So the true Jerusalem, the City on the heavenly Zion, is won by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, with His faithful ones, who have borne the long peril and danger with Him, and, when He hath put all things under his feet, shall reign with Him for ever and ever.]

LESSON XCIV.

THE SIN OF UZZA.

B.C. 1047.-1 CHRON. xiii. 1—14.

And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.

And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us :

And let us bring again the ark of our God to us it in the days of Saul.

for we enquired not at

:

And all the congregation said that they would do so for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim.

And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it. And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.

And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon,* Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark: for the oxen stumbled.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perez-uzza ‡ to this day.

And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?

So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.

COMMENT.-David had always longed above all to see the Sanctuary again established—"to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to visit His temple." So, as soon as he had won and strengthened the city of Jerusalem, he consulted with the chiefs of the tribes about placing the Ark of the Covenant there, and rendering it the place where God should set His name, the great The breaking forth of Uzza.

* The stroke.

↑ Grieved.