Studies in the Gospel Message.
THE subject of the Sabbath-school lesson for June 14, the eleventh in the present series, is David’s Response to the Lord’s Promises, and the special portion of Scripture studied is 2 Sam. 7:17–29. The Lord had sent a wonderful message to David. This message, as recorded in the first part of this chapter, was the subject of last week’s lesson. We will read it again, as recorded in Ps. 89:19–37, using a translation by Dr. William Kay:— Then spakest thou in vision to thy saint,
And saidst; I have laid help on a mighty man,
I have exalted one chosen from among the people:
I have found David my servant:
With my holy oil have I anointed him:
So that my hand shall be firm with him,
Yea, my arm shall strengthen him.
No enemy shall exact upon him,
Nor son of iniquity afflict him.
I will beat down his foes before him,
And smite them that hate him.
And my faithfulness and mercy shall be with him,
And through my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea,
And his right hand on the rivers.
He shall call to me; thou art my father,
My God and the rock of my salvation.
I will also give him to be Firstborn,
Most High above the kings of the earth.
My mercy will I keep for him forever,
And my covenant shall stand faithful to him.
And I will establish his seed forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.
If his children shall forsake my law,
And walk not in my judgments:
If they profane my statutes,
And keep not my commandments;
Then will I visit their offense with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes;—
But my mercy will I not withdraw from him,
Nor my plighted faithfulness.
I will not profane my covenant,
And what has gone from my lips I will not alter.
One thing I have sworn in my holiness,—
Assuredly I will not be false to David:—
His seed shall exist forever,
And his throne as the sun before me.
As the moon, shall it be steadfast forever;—
And the Witness in the skies is faithful. These promises definitely involved the coming of the Messiah to be the seed of David. This is put beyond question by the reference made to them by the apostle Paul while teaching in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia: “He raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus.” And this promise was an oath. “One thing have I sworn in my holiness.” Thus “the oath which he swore to our father Abraham” was repeated to David, and these two men stand out prominently as the fathers of the Seed, who is declared to be “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” There are three or four things in David’s response which should be especially emphasized. First, there is the sense of his own unworthiness: “Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?” Second, there is his sense of the greatness of God: “Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” Third, there is the recognition of the fact that the promise of the Lord to David is not for him alone: “For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou, Lord, art become their God. And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.” In establishing the house of David the house of Israel was to be established. Fourth, there is the recognition of the great truth that it is only through the blessing of deliverance from sin that David’s house can be established forever. “Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee.” The one great blessing which the Lord has bestowed upon the human family is the gift of his Son to be the Seed of David, and thus to save from sin and death. “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy Seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” This was the blessing which David desired for his house, and without this blessing his house could not be established forever. Because the house of David must be cleansed from sin, if it is to be established forever, there is the definite promise, “In that day there shall be a Fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”5 “Behold a Fountain deep and wide,
Behold its onward flow;
’Twas opened in the Saviour’s side,
And cleanseth white as snow.” “Come to this Fountain!
’Tis flowing to-day;
And all who will may freely come,
And wash their sins away.”