I
C H R O N I C L E S
CHAP. XVI.
This
chapter concludes that great affair of the settlement of the ark in the royal
city, and with it the settlement of the public worship of God during the reign
of David. Here is, I. The solemnity with which the ark was fixed, ver. 1-6.
II. The psalm David gave to be sung on this occasion, ver. 7-36. III. The
settling of the stated public worship of God in order thenceforward, ver.
37-43.
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The
Settlement of the
Ark.
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B.
C. 1045.
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1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in
the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt
sacrifices and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had
made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he
blessed the people in the name of the LORD.
3 And he dealt to every one of
Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of
bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. 4
And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of
the LORD,
and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD
God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel,
and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and
Obed-edom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound
with cymbals; 6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with
trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
It was a glorious day when the ark of God was safely lodged in the tent David
had pitched for it. That good man had his heart much upon it, could not sleep
contentedly till it was done, Ps. cxxxii. 4, 5.
I. The circumstances of the ark were now, 1. Better than what they had been.
It had been obscure in a country town, in the fields of the wood; now it was
removed to a public place, to the royal city, where all might resort to it. It
had been neglected, as a despised broken vessel; now it was attended with
veneration, and God was enquired of by it. It had borrowed a room in a private
house, which it enjoyed by courtesy; now it had a habitation of its own
entirely to itself, was set in the midst of it, and not crowded into a corner.
Note, Though God's word and ordinances may be clouded and eclipsed for a time,
they shall at length shine out of obscurity. Yet, 2. They were much short of
what was intended in the next reign, when the temple was to be built. This was
but a tent, a poor mean dwelling; yet this was the tabernacle, the temple
which David in his psalms often speaks of with so much affection. David, who
pitched a tent for the ark and continued steadfast to it, did far better than
Solomon, who built a temple for it and yet in his latter end turned his back
upon it. The church's poorest times were its purest.
II. Now David was easy in his mind, the ark was fixed, and fixed near him. Now
see how he takes care, 1. That God shall have the glory of it. Two ways he
gives him honour upon this occasion:-- (1.) By sacrifices (v. 1),
burnt-offerings in adoration of his perfections, peace-offerings in
acknowledgment of his favours. (2.) By songs: he appointed Levites to record
this story in a song for the benefit of others, or to celebrate it themselves
by thanking and praising the God of Israel, v. 4. All our
rejoicings must express themselves in thanksgivings to him from whom all our
comforts are received. 2. That the people shall have the joy of it. They shall
fare the better for this day's solemnity; for he gives them all what is worth
coming for, not only a royal treat in honour of the day (v. 3), in
which David showed himself generous to his subjects, as he had found God
gracious to him (those whose hearts are enlarged with holy joy should show it
by being open-handed); but (which is far better) he gives them also a blessing
in the name of the Lord, as a father, as a prophet, v. 2. He prayed
to God for them, and commended them to his grace. In the name of the Word
of the Lord (so the Targum), the essential eternal Word, who is Jehovah,
and through whom all blessings come to us.
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David's
Psalm of Praise.
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B.
C. 1045.
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7 Then on that day David delivered first this
psalm to thank the LORD
into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. 8 Give thanks unto the LORD,
call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. 9 Sing
unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
11 Seek the LORD
and his strength, seek his face continually. 12 Remember his
marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his
mouth; 13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob,
his chosen ones. 14 He is the LORD
our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 Be ye
mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a
thousand generations; 16 Even of the covenant which he made
with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; 17 And hath confirmed
the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting
covenant, 18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the
lot of your inheritance; 19 When ye were but few, even a few, and
strangers in it. 20 And when they went from nation to
nation, and from one kingdom to another people; 21 He
suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their
sakes, 22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my
prophets no harm. 23 Sing unto the LORD,
all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. 24
Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all
nations. 25 For great is the LORD,
and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all
gods. 26 For all the gods of the people are idols: but the
LORD
made the heavens. 27 Glory and honour are in his presence;
strength and gladness are in his place. 28 Give unto the LORD,
ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD
glory and strength. 29 Give unto the LORD
the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him:
worship the LORD
in the beauty of holiness. 30 Fear before him, all the earth: the
world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. 31 Let the
heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the
nations, The LORD
reigneth. 32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the
fields rejoice, and all that is therein. 33 Then shall the
trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD,
because he cometh to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks unto the LORD;
for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 35
And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and
deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and
glory in thy praise. 36 Blessed be the LORD
God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised
the LORD.
We have here the thanksgiving psalm which David, by the Spirit, composed, and
delivered to the chief musician, to be sung upon occasion of the public entry
the ark made into the tent prepared for it. Some think he appointed this hymn
to be daily used in the temple service, as duly as the day came; whatever
other psalms they sung, they must not omit this. David had penned many psalms
before this, some in the time of his trouble by Saul. This was composed
before, but was now first delivered into the hand of Asaph, for the use of the
church. It is gathered out of several psalms (from the beginning to v.
23 is taken from Ps. cv. 1, &c.; and then v. 23 to v. 34 is
the whole 96th psalm, with little variation; v. 34 is taken from Ps.
cxxxvi. 1 and divers others; and then the last two verses are taken from the
close of Ps. cvi.), which some think warrants us to do likewise, and make up
hymns out of David's psalms, a part of one and a part of another put together
so as may be most proper to express and excite the devotion of Christians.
These psalms will be best expounded in their proper places (if the Lord will);
here we take them as they are put together, with a design to thank the Lord
(v. 7), a great duty, to which we need to be excited and in which we
need to be assisted. 1. Let God be glorified in our praises; let his honour be
the centre in which all the lines meet. Let us glorify him by our
thanksgivings (Give thanks to the Lord), by our prayers (Call on his
name, v. 8), by our songs (Sing psalms unto him), by our
discourse--Talk of all his wondrous works, v. 9. Let us glorify
him as a great God, and greatly to be praised (v. 25), as
supreme God (above all gods), as sole God, for all others are idols, v.
26. Let us glorify him as most bright and blessed in himself (Glory and
honour are in his presence, v. 27), as creator (The Lord made
the heavens), as the ruler of the whole creation (His judgments are in
all the earth, v. 14), and as ours--He is the Lord our God.
Thus must we give unto the Lord the glory due to his name (v.
28, 29), and own it, and much more, his due. 2. Let other be edified and
instructed: Make known his deeds among the people (v. 8), declare
his glory among the heathen (v. 24), that those who are strangers
to him may be led into acquaintance with him, allegiance to him, and the
adoration of him. Thus must we serve the interests of his kingdom among men,
that all the earth may fear before him, v. 30. 3. Let us be
ourselves encouraged to triumph and trust in God. Those that give glory to
God's name are allowed to glory in it (v. 10), to value
themselves upon their relation to God and venture themselves upon his promise
to them. Let the heart of those rejoice that seek the Lord, much more
of those that have found him. Seek him, and his strength, and his face:
that is, seek him by the ark of his strength, in which he manifests himself.
4. Let the everlasting covenant be the great matter of our joy and praise (v.
15): Be mindful of his covenant. In the parallel place it is, He
will be ever mindful of it, Ps. cv. 8. Seeing God never will forget it, we
never must. The covenant is said to be commanded, because God has
obliged us to obey the conditions of it, and because he has both authority to
make the promise and ability to make it good. This covenant was ancient, yet
never to be forgotten. It was made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were
long since dead (v. 16-18), yet still sure to the spiritual seed, and
the promises of it pleadable. 5. Let God's former mercies to his people of
old, to our ancestors and our predecessors in profession, be commemorated by
us now with thankfulness to his praise. Let it be remembered how God protected
the patriarchs in their unsettled condition. When they came strangers to
Canaan and were sojourners in it, when they were few and might easily have
been swallowed up, when they were continually upon the remove and so exposed,
when there were many that bore them ill-will and sought to do them mischief,
yet no man was suffered to do them wrong--not the Canaanites, Philistines,
Egyptians. Kings were reproved and plagued for their sakes. Pharaoh was so,
and Abimelech. They were the anointed of the Lord, sanctified by his
grace, sanctified by his glory, and had received the unction of the Spirit.
They were his prophets, instructed in the things of God themselves and
commissioned to instruct others (and prophets are said to be anointed,
1 Kings xix. 16; Isa. lxi. 1); therefore, if any touch them, they touch the
apple of God's eye; if any harm them, it is at their peril, v. 19-22.
6. Let the great salvation of the Lord be especially the subject of our
praises (v. 23): Show forth from day to day his salvation, that
is (says bishop Patrick), his promised salvation by Christ. We have reason to
celebrate that from day to day; for we daily receive the benefits of it, and
it is a subject that can never be exhausted. 7. Let God be praised by a due
and constant attendance upon him in the ordinances he has appointed: Bring
an offering, then the fruit of the ground, now the fruit of the lips,
of the heart (Heb. xiii. 15), and worship him in the beauty of
holiness, in the holy places and in a holy manner, v. 29. Holiness
is the beauty of the Lord, the beauty of all sanctified souls and all
religious performances. 8. Let God's universal monarchy be the fear and joy of
all people. Let us reverence it: Fear before him, all the earth. And
let us rejoice in it: Let the heavens be glad and rejoice, because the
Lord reigns, and by his providence establishes the world, so that, though
it be moved, it cannot be removed, nor the measures broken which Infinite
Wisdom has taken in the government of it, v. 30, 31. 9. Let the
prospect of the judgment to come inspire us with an awful pleasure, Let earth
and sea, fields and woods, though in the great day of the Lord they will all
be consumed, yet rejoice that he will come, doth come, to judge the earth,
v. 32, 33. 10. In the midst of our praises we must not forget to pray
for the succour and relief of those saints and servants of God that are in
distress (v. 35): Save us, gather us, deliver us from the heathen,
those of us that are scattered and oppressed. When we are rejoicing in God's
favours to us we must remember our afflicted brethren, and pray for their
salvation and deliverance as our own. We are members one of another; and
therefore when we mean, "Lord, save them," it is not improper
to say, "Lord, save us." Lastly, Let us make God the
Alpha and Omega of our praises. David begins with (v. 8), Give
thanks to the Lord; he concludes (v. 36), Blessed be the Lord.
And whereas in the place whence this doxology is taken (Ps. cvi. 48) it is
added, Let all the people say, Amen, Hallelujah, here we find they did
according to that directory: All the people said, Amen, and praised the
Lord. When the Levites had finished this psalm or prayer and praise, then,
and not till then, the people that attended signified their consent and
concurrence by saying, Amen, And so they praised the Lord, much
affected no doubt with this newly instituted way of devotion, which had been
hitherto used in the schools of the prophets only, 1 Sam. x. 5. And, if this
way of praising God please the Lord better than an ox or a bullock that has
horns and hoofs, the humble shall see it and be glad, Ps. lxix. 31, 32.
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The
Service of the Ark.
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B.
C. 1045.
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37 So he left there before the ark of the
covenant of the LORD
Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's
work required: 38 And Obed-edom with their brethren, threescore
and eight; Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be
porters: 39 And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests,
before the tabernacle of the LORD
in the high place that was at Gibeon, 40 To offer burnt
offerings unto the LORD
upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to
do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD,
which he commanded Israel; 41 And with them Heman and Jeduthun,
and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to
the LORD,
because his mercy endureth for ever; 42 And with them Heman
and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and
with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were
porters. 43 And all the people departed every man to his house:
and David returned to bless his house.
The worship of God is not only to be the work of a solemn day now and then,
brought in to grace a triumph; but it ought to be the work of every day. David
therefore settles it here for a constancy, puts it into a method, which he
obliged those that officiated to observe in their respective posts. In the
tabernacle of Moses, and afterwards in the
temple
of
Solomon
, the ark and the altar were together; but, ever since Eli's time, they had
been separated, and still continued so till the temple was built. I cannot
conceive what reason there was why David, who knew the law and was zealous for
it, did not either bring the ark to
Gibeon
, where the tabernacle and the altar were, or bring them to
Mount
Zion
, where the ark was. Perhaps the curtains and hangings of Moses's tabernacle
were so worn with time and weather that they were not fit to be removed, nor
fit to be a shelter for the ark; and yet he would not make all new, but only a
tent for the ark, because the time was at hand when the temple should be
built. Whatever was the reason, all David's time they were asunder, but he
took care that neither of them should be neglected. 1. At
Jerusalem
, where the ark was, Asaph and his brethren were appointed to attend, to minister
before the ark continually, with songs of praise, as every day's work
required, v. 37. No sacrifices were offered there, nor incense
burnt, because the altars were not there: but David's prayers were directed
as incense, and the lifting up of his hands as the evening sacrifice (Ps.
cxli. 2), so early did spiritual worship take place of ceremonial. 2. Yet the
ceremonial worship, being of divine institution, must by no means be omitted;
and therefore at
Gibeon
were the altars where the priests attended, for their work was to sacrifice
and burn incense, which they did continually, morning and evening,
according to the law of Moses, v. 39, 40. These must be kept up
because, however in their own nature they were inferior to the moral services
of prayer and praise, yet, as they were types of the mediation of Christ, they
had a great deal of honour put upon them, and the observance of them was of
great consequence. Here Zadok attended, to preside in the service of the
altar; as (it is probable) Abiathar settled at Jerusalem, to attend the ark,
because he had the breast-plate of judgment, which must be consulted before
the ark: this is the reason why we read in David's time both Zadok and
Abiathar were the priests (2 Sam. viii. 17; xx. 25), one where the altar was
and the other where the ark was. At
Gibeon
, where the altars were, David also appointed singers to give thanks to the
Lord, and the burden of all their songs must be, For his mercy endureth
for ever, v. 41. They did it with musical instruments of God,
such instruments as were appointed and appropriated to this service, not such
as they used on other occasions. Between common mirth and holy joy there is a
vast difference, and the limits and distances between them must be carefully
observed and kept up. Matters being thus settled, and the affairs of religion
put into a happy channel, (1.) The people were satisfied, and went home
pleased. (2.) David returned to bless his house, resolving to keep up family
worship still, which public worship must not supersede.
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