September 13

The Throne Established

2 Samuel 7

David, dwelling in the new, and for the age magnificent, palace built by the Phoenician craftsmen, was one day struck with compunction at his thought that the ark of God was still much worse lodged than himself. It still remained within curtains, as in its wilderness state; and surely it was by this time proper that it should have a fixed abode. He mentioned this notion to Nathan, who, seeing that it redounded to the glory of God, at once expressed the warmest approbation of it.

It is remarkable, that although, as the result shows, this was no more than his private opinion, he spoke with great confidence, as if in his capacity of a prophet.—“Go, do all that is in thine heart, for the Lord is with thee.” He had to learn, however, that even the obviousness of a thing to human conception, did not excuse a prophet from the duty of consulting the Lord before he declared an authoritative opinion. The very next night the word of the Lord came to him with a message for David. It was declared that his intention was commendable and highly pleasing to God. Yet, as he had been a man of war from his youth, and had shed much blood, it was not intended that he should build this temple; but the undertaking was to be reserved to glorify the peaceful reign of his successor. This is not, indeed, the reason assigned in the leading accounts; but it is mentioned by David in his dying address to the people, Note: 1 Chronicles 28:6. and by Solomon at the dedication of the temple. Note: 1 Kings 5:3. Nevertheless, the laudable zeal for the Lord’s honor, in which this conception originated, was highly approved, and received the rich reward of a promise of a succession to the throne in his house, and an eternal kingdom for his posterity. This promise referred, doubtless, in the first instance, to the temporal kingdom; but it also looked beyond the spiritual reign of Christ, and, from the value David set upon this promise, it is clear that he had some conception, not only of its immediate, but of its more extensive import. Indeed, the Jews have since then always believed that the Messiah was to come of the line of David. They believed it in the time of our Lord, and they believe it now. Even in its merely temporal expectation, the promise was of the utmost importance to David. It assured him of the perpetuity of his dynasty as kings over Israel. Saul had sinned, and bad been cast out; but if David’s children sinned, they were not to incur this penalty, but should receive the chastisement of children from a Father’s hand. Practically, then, all the succeeding kings of the line of David were chosen and appointed by the Divine King, and ascended the throne under the sanction involved in this covenant with their father, which is often referred to in later times, and which the kings strove, very properly, to keep before the minds of the people as the best security of their own power. But although the Lord, in order to show. his favor to David, and to glorify the family from which his Anointed was to come, gave up, so to speak, the right of changing the dynasty, the imperial right of nominating the individual was reserved. The heir by primogeniture might in general succeed to the throne; but in case the Lord saw fit to indicate any other member of the family, the individual so nominated acquired the right to the throne. To show that this was to be the rule of the kingdom, the Lord saw fit to exercise the right so reserved in the very first instance—Solomon, one of David’s younger sons, being preferred to his elder brothers. But the principle having been in this case established, the succession was afterwards allowed to follow the usual course. This right of interference with what, according to our notions, would be the just claim of the first-born, had not any of that harshness which to us it may seem to bear. The law of primogeniture is by no means so rigid in Western Asia as it is in Europe; nor does the first-born hold any right, which the will of the father may not take away and assign to another son. Hence, although the first-born does commonly succeed, it is not unusual in oriental history for the eldest to be passed over, and a younger but more able, or more favored son, to be recognized as the heir. We have seen this instanced in our own time in countries no less important than Persia and Egypt. The father appears to have possessed this right—which, indeed, is inherent to kingly power in the East—under the Hebrew monarchy, except where the Divine indication of a successor had been afforded. That indication the king was bound to enforce; and it is probable, that the necessary subjection of any change in the order of the succession to the approval of the Divine King, was the cause that, although the abstract right of the sovereign to appoint any of his sons to the succession subsisted, it was much more rarely exercised than in most other monarchies of the East.

The gracious promise thus given to David filled his heart with irrepressible joy and gratitude. “He went in and sat before the Lord,” to give vent to his strong emotions. It was to the tabernacle, of course, that he went; and his “sitting,” which to our notions may seem scarcely an adequately reverent posture, which was no doubt that position between kneeling and sitting—kneeling first upon the ground, and then sitting back upon the heels, which is counted a very respectful posture in the East, as in fact one of the attitudes of Mohammedan worship. The words are very beautiful, and we cannot refrain from citing a few of them, that mark the sentiments with which the heart of this good and pious king received a promise of such great interest and importance to him. “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was but a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come…. And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant…. 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…. For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee…. Therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee; for thou, O Lord God hast spoken it; and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever.”

Dr. Delany says of this: “To my eye, the workings of a breast oppressed and overflowing with gratitude, are painted stronger in this prayer than I ever observed them in any other instance. It is easy to see that his heart was wholly possessed with a subject which he did not know how to quiet, because he did not know how to do justice to the inestimable blessings poured down upon himself and promised to his posterity; much less to the infinite bounty of his Benefactor.”