p. 9 | Our Bible Band

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Apr 29, 1908

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 34, No. 18.

Our Bible Band.

Schedule for Week Ending May 9, 1908.

Sunday	May 3	2 Sam. 12, 13	Psalm 120
Monday	" 4	" 14, 15	" 121
Tuesday	" 5	" 16, 17	" 122
Wednesday	" 6	" 18, 19	" 123
Thursday	" 7	" 20, 21	" 124
Friday	" 8	" 22, 23	" 125
Sabbath	" 9	" 24; 1 Kings 1, 2	" 126

Suggestive Notes.

Chapter 12 records the prophet's awful reproof of David's sin against God in the matter of Uriah, and David's humility of heart. Psalm 51 represents his sorrow. The remainder of chapter 12 gives an account of the subjection of the Ammonites.

Troubles in David's family compose the story of chapters 13 to 20 growing out of his multiplying wives to himself. This sin of David's resulted in a large family of children by different wives, in which idleness, luxury, and jealousy played their part in the development of unenviable characters. The troubles of these chapters revolve around Absalom, the beautiful, and his ambitions were roused doubtless to a great extent by the fulsome flattery which would be poured out upon a shrewd and handsome prince. The story speaks for itself; the base conduct of Absalom, the treachery of Ahithophel, the cursing of Shimei, the fear and flight of the king; his pathetic journey, touching so many hearts of his old friends, the defeat of Absalom, the sorrow of his father over the wicked son's fate, are all told with a graphic touch, which holds the reader's interest to the end. The great lesson is that we can not walk contrary to God's laws and not suffer. He may not openly reprove; He may seem to wink at our blindness; but in every transgression of divine law there lies the inherent curse. David's kindness to the house of Saul is still in evidence.

Chapter 21 is one of the stories hard to be understood. It reveals this, whether we see it or not, that God holds His people responsible as a whole because of the transgressions of a few, when the many permit the continuance of the sin. That chapter also records many victories of David; and chapter 22 is a song of praise to God, to whose goodness and power all victory is ascribed. Notwithstanding all of David's prowess in war, he declares: "Thy gentleness hath made me great." Praise, records of victory, and a catalog of mighty men, continue to the close of chapter 23.

Chapter 24 is an account of another great sin of David's, in which he sought to get glory to himself in showing by a census how Israel had increased. The work of the census was never wholly completed, because it was distasteful to Joab. The "he" of verse 1 refers to Satan. See 1 Chron. 21: 1. For this sin God gave David choice of three things. David showed his trust in God by choosing none of them, but left his case in the hand of God. Those who suffered may have been as guilty as David in cherishing unholy ambitions.

1 Kings 1 is the story of the unholy ambition of another son, Adonijah, who thought to take advantage of the king's old age. Joab also failed in his loyalty to his king. Nathan, the prophet, knowing the Lord's will and the king's mind, interferes with Adonijah's plan, and Solomon is crowned king. A little later Adonijah and Joab are slain, and Shimei, who cursed David, fails to abide by his conditions of life, and is also put to death.

Our devotional readings are a series of short psalms—120 to 126. Boothroyd renders the first verse of Psalm 121 as follows: "Shall I raise mine eyes to the hills? Shall help thence come to me? My help cometh from Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth." The heathens worshiped in the high places, God dwelt above all earthly, human shrines. See Ps. 123: 1. Psalm 126 was evidently written after the captivity in Babylon.