then was highly criminal, and justly merited the rebuke it met with.] 2. The reason of noticing it with such severity [Besides the enormity of the offence, there was additional reason for punishing it with severity, arising out of the very nature of that dispensation. God had shewn himself so gracious and condescending towards that nation, that there was great danger lest they should entertain erroneous notions of his character, and overlook entirely his majesty and greatness. Indeed even his condescension itself would be undervalued, unless they should be made sensible of his justice, his holiness, and his power. Hence on many occasions He had taken care to blend some displays of his power with the manifestations of his love. When he came down upon Mount Sinai to give them his law, he accompanied the revelation with awful demonstrations of his greatness. When he had sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifices on his altar, and to declare his acceptance of them, he destroyed Nadab and Abihu by fire for presuming to burn incense before him with fire different from that which he had kindled. When a single individual in the nation had offended him, he withdrew his protection from all, till the person was discovered and put to death. Thus, he was now suffering the symbols of his presence to be transported to Jerusalem; and the people would be ready to think that they had conferred an honour upon him: he therefore shewed them, that no service could be accepted of him, unless it were regulated by a strict adherence to his revealed will; and that whilst they received from him such signal tokens of his favour, they must at the peril of their souls conduct themselves towards him with the profoundest reverence". In this view the judgment inflicted upon Uzzah was an instructive lesson to the whole nation, and is a standing proof that " God is greatly to be feared, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him."] We lament however to observe, II. The effect it produced on the mind of David— Truly the best of men are but weak, when they are visited with any heavy trial. Fervent as David's mind was, no sooner was he thus rebuked than he was filled, 1. With proud resentment [It is probable that there was in his mind an undue degree e Lev. x. 1, 2. e Lev. x. 3. d Josh. vii. 5, 11, 12. f Ps. lxxxix. 7. of complacency, from the idea that he was the honoured instrument of thus exalting and glorifying his God. To meet therefore with such a check, in the midst of all his glory, and in the presence of all the great men of the nation, was very mortifying to his pride; and in an instant he betrayed what was in his heart. Had he been displeased with himself, it had been well: but " he was displeased" with God, whom he considered as dealing wrongfully and unjustly towards him. Alas! that so good a man should indulge such an unhallowed disposition. Had he himself corrected one of his little children, he would have expected the child to conclude of course, from the very correction itself, that something was amiss in him, though he could not immediately see wherein the evil of his conduct lay: and should not David have exercised that same temper towards God? Should he not have concluded that God was too wise to err, and too good to do any thing which was not strictly right? Should he not have acted, as he did on another occasion, I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it?" It is characteristic of the vilest of men to fly, as it were, in the face of God; yea, it is their very employment in hell to curse him for the judgments he inflicts". Did such a temper then become "the man after God's own heart?" No; he should rather have said, "It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good1;" "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him." But in this conduct of his we have a lamentable illustration of that proverb, "The foolishness of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord'."] 66 2. With unbelieving fear— [He now concluded that God was an hard master, whom it was impossible to serve: he therefore would not venture any more to take to him the ark: "He was afraid of the Lord, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come unto me?" This was a slavish fear, and utterly unbecoming one who had so often experienced the most signal tokens of his favour. This was to act like the rebellious heads of the tribes, when, in their contest with Aaron for the priesthood, God had decided the cause against them or rather it was a repetition of the conduct of the Philistines upon a precisely similar occasion". But this was very unbecoming his high character. He should rather have instituted an inquiry into the reason of the divine procedure; and should have humbled himself before God for the errors that had been committed. For this he might have found g Isai. viii. 21. k Mic. vii. 9. m Numb. xvii. 12, 13. h Rev. xvi. 9-11. i 1 Sam. iii. 18. precedents in plenty in the Sacred Records: but he yielded at once to despondency, and dismissed the whole assembly of Israel, and left the ark to be taken in by any one that was bold enough to receive it. Such was his unhappy frame on this occasion: and such, alas! is the temper of many under the chastisements of the Almighty: they are ready to say, "It is in vain to serve the Lord;' there is no hope: I have loved idols, and after them will I go" ———] APPLICATION— 1. Let us be especially on our guard, when we are engaged in the service of our God [God is a jealous God, and will not be trifled with. The conduct which would be connived at by him among the heathen, will provoke him to anger when observed among those who enjoy the light of revelation: and in proportion as we have the knowledge of him, may a conformity to his will be justly expected of us. Happy would it be, if the professors of religion would lay this thought to heart! for, so far are they from having any dispensation from the practice of morality, that a far higher tone of morals is expected of them; they are called upon to "shine as lights in the world," and to "be holy as God himself is holy." And must not this thought be pre-eminently interesting to those who are engaged in the service of the sanctuary? What manner of persons ought they to be in all holy conversation and godliness! Sins even of ignorance are highly criminal; but most of all in them'. Let those then who "bear the vessels of the Lord be clean." Let a holy fear attend them in all their ministrations, lest, instead of finding acceptance with their God, they bring on themselves the heavier and more signal judgments. Miserable it is to die; but most of all to "die by the ark of God."] 2. Let nothing divert us from the path of duty [If, when engaged in the service of our God, we meet with obstacles which we did not expect, let us search to find wherein we have done amiss; but let us not yield to despondency, as if it were impossible to please the Lord. Let us examine the Sacred Records, and pray for the teachings of the • Josh. vii. 6. Judg. xx. 26. P Amos iii. 2. q Lev. v. 17-19. Compare the offerings required in Lev. iv. 3, 13, 14, 27, 28; of the priest, a bullock, equivalent to the whole congregation; but of a common person, a female kid. s Isai. lii. 11. Holy Spirit, that "we may know what the good and perfect and acceptable will of God is:" then may we hope for success in our undertakings, and shall have tokens of God's acceptance both in this world and the world to come—] This may be applied to Ministers with good effect. CCCXII. DAVID DANCING BEFORE THE LORD. 2 Sam. vi. 14. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. RELIGION is, indeed, a source of joy. In this light it was viewed by the angelic host, when they proclaimed to the shepherds the birth of our Saviour, saying, "Behold, we bring you glad tidings of great joy!" And thus was it found to be by the converts on the day of Pentecost, the Ethiopian Eunuch, the people of Samaria, and by all, in every place, who received the word aright. The Psalms of David place this matter beyond a doubt, they being almost one continued effusion of praise and thanksgiving. In the history before us we have an extraordinary exhibition, strongly confirmatory of this truth. David was bringing up the ark of God to Jerusalem; and so strong were the emotions of joy within him, that, in the presence of not less than thirty thousand of his subjects, he danced before the Lord with all his might. Let us consider, I. The expressions of David's joy Certainly, at first sight, it appears strange that a monarch, stripped of his royal robes, and clad in the simple habit of a priest, should be dancing thus extravagantly, as it might appear, at the head of all his subjects. But he was serving and honouring his God: and therefore, under any circumstances, his joy would be great. But it was exceedingly heightened, 1. By his reflections upon the past [The ark, with the exception of one short interval, had abode at Baaleh, or Kirjath-jearim, for nearly fifty years, a Acts viii. 8, 39. b Acts xv. 3. whither it had been carried twenty years after its restoration by the Philistines who had taken it captive. David had greatly desired to bring it up to Jerusalem, where he had prepared a tabernacle for its reception. He ordered it to be put on a new cart, and drawn by oxen, in the manner in which the Philistines had restored it; forgetting that God had given special commands, that none but the Kohathites, who were Levites, should carry it; and that they should never either behold or touch it, but that it should be covered, and they should bear it by means of the staves which were made for that purpose. In its progress, the ark was shaken, at the threshing-floor of Nachon; and Uzzah, one of the conductors of it, put forth his hand to hold it up, lest it should fall: and for this error God struck him dead upon the spot. This judgment was intended as a rebuke, not to Uzzah only, but to all the priests and Levites who were present; and especially to David, who had been so regardless of the divine commands, with which he doubtless was well acquainted, and of which he ought to have been most strictly observant. By this judgment David was disheartened, and he dared not to proceed, lest he himself, also, should fall a sacrifice to the divine displeasure. Accordingly, the ark was turned out of its course, and carried to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite. But during its continuance there, for the space of three months, such manifest and extraordinary blessings flowed down upon Obed-edom and all his family, that David was assured that God was reconciled towards him: and, inspired with fresh zeal, he proceeded again to bring it up from thence, taking especial care that every thing should be conducted in God's appointed way. After advancing only six paces, he stopped to offer burntofferings and peace-offerings; and then he felt in his soul, that God had accepted this service, and would crown it with good success. Now, to enter into David's feelings aright, we must mark the contrast between this present effort and that which had so lately failed: and we must remember, that, not content with expressing his gratitude to God by secret aspirations, he strove, by his open and visible acknowledgments, to inspire all his people with the same ardent gratitude with which his own breast was filled. This will account for what might otherwise appear extravagant in this outward demonstration of his joy.] 2. By his anticipations of the future [The ark was the symbol of the divine presence: and by having it at Jerusalem, he hoped that he should have more c 1 Chron. xv. 1—3, 11-15. |