READING 1 CHRONICLES 15 AND 16
READING 1 CHRONICLES 15 AND [p. 420] 16
1 Chronicles 15:1-4; 1 Chronicles 15:25-29; 1 Chronicles 16:1-43
JT I think it helps a little to see the bearing of the teaching in this book to take account of Gibeon where the tabernacle stood, in relation to Jerusalem where the ark was. What I think is presented to us is the old order of things and the new, existing side by side. The tabernacle at Gibeon represented the old order of things, whereas the ark in Jerusalem is the centre of the new order of things. Both for the moment were recognised of God.
RSS The tabernacle was first brought to Shiloh, was it not? Have we any record of its being removed from there to Gibeon?
JT We know at any rate that it was removed.
RSS Have you any thought why Shiloh was given up? Was it on account of failure?
JT Manifestly; so that in Psalm 78 we are told that God forsook it. It was there that the order of things set up by Moses was found. The ark being taken was morally the ending of that order of things, and its being placed in Zion is the beginning of the new order; but it is very interesting to see that Gibeon is still owned, and provision made for it; the altar was at Gibeon still. There was no altar as yet in Zion. There was no altar in Zion till after the numbering of the people, when David bought the threshing-floor from the Jebusite and reared an altar there.
GFW What is the point of that?
JT I think it sets forth God’s longsuffering with Israel after Christ appeared and was put to death. Afterwards He had a place in the affections of the remnant. God still condescended to consider the people in connection with the old order of things, so that you find the temple still owned in the Acts; even [p. 421] the apostles owned it.
GFW Although the true Ark was on high.
JT It has its resting place elsewhere; namely, in the affections of the saints. Still the old order of things was owned till Acts 7, when the testimony of Stephen was refused. God in patience dealt with the people on the ground of their ancient relationship to Him.
JLJ Would you say the altar is connected with the new order of things in Hebrews 13?
JT Quite so. There the saints are viewed as outside. They have gone outside the camp. “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle”. Hebrews 13:10. The tabernacle there is distinctly abandoned, and those who eat at it now have no title to Christianity; but that was not so in the early chapters of the Acts.
RSS The death of the high priest indicates the closing of the order of things with which he stood connected; we do not hear of Shiloh being recognised by God after Eli died.
JT The failure of the priesthood is seen in Leviticus 10 where Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered strange fire before the Lord. God bore with the priesthood until Eli’s death; Eli ended that order of priesthood. Samuel is then taken up; he was not of Aaron’s house at all, but he really officiates in the house of God as a priest; so that you can see that God is really departing from the established order in taking up a man not of the family of Aaron. In this we can see how God acts sovereignly in taking up whom He will. This is the ground on which we Gentiles stand in Christianity.
WJN Would you say there was a measure of failure with Solomon in going to the altar of Gibeon?
JT I think it was of God. Solomon was the king, and when the kingdom is established the historical Israel comes to light. That is to say, God recognises His ancient people. We see this in the [p. 422] book of Ruth: the child was born to Boaz and Ruth, but it says, “There is a son born to Naomi”. Ruth 4:17. Naomi is given credit for having a child, and I think the king is credited to Israel by Solomon going to Gibeon. It is the connection between Christ and the historical Israel. God was true to all His promises to the fathers, and this will be fully seen when Christ resumes connection with them. Solomon did not continue to go to Gibeon.
WJN Would that same principle apply to his prayer? I think he goes back to the covenant at Sinai.
JT Yes; he connects the whole history together, and then he makes the house henceforth the great centre for all; so that the old order, I think, is no longer recognised; all is now connected with the house.
FL I think there is indication that there was not failure on Solomon’s part in going to Gibeon. God met him there, spoke to him in the dream, commended his spirit and his petition, and endowed him with wisdom.
RSS Do you think it is at all analogous to God’s dealings in Acts 15, when the questions that were raised at Antioch were taken up to Jerusalem for settlement?
JT Yes. God owned it and overruled it. Of course, the apostles were there. God would not own anything of that kind now.
AI Will you say a word in regard to the ark captured by the Philistines, and the glory departing from Israel, and the recovery in connection with David in Psalm 78?
JT It is quite clear that the ark captured by the Philistines involved that the glory had departed. The wife of Phinehas recognised that the glory had departed from Israel because the ark was taken. Now [p. 423] that being the case, God has to act sovereignly, and with God’s sovereignty is coupled His power.
JLJ Would you not say that the ark would not have been taken if the priests had not sinned?
JT Yes; they were the appointed custodians of the ark; whereas henceforth the link between God and the nation is the king, showing that a complete change has taken place. The ark in the hands of the enemy brought to light two things — God’s sovereignty and His power.
JLJ Will you say a word as to what the glory of the Lord is?
JT The ark is the symbol of it. It is typically Christ.
WB When the ark was taken, all the rest seemed to go. The ark was the principal thing.
JT It contained the testimony, which is everything in God’s account.
JLJ God has everything perfect and secured for Himself now in the ark within the veil.
JT The truth is that the covenant was broken before ever the ark was made. If the hearts of the people had been capable of keeping God’s covenant, He would not have required to make an ark. If the people had hearts to keep God’s law, their hearts would have been the depositaries of that law; so that the necessity for the ark arose because Israel would not keep the covenant. God says, as it were, ‘It must be treasured somewhere’, and hence He made the ark.
JLJ Now the point is for us to apprehend that; God has everything treasured in the ark for Himself.
JT Christ answers to the ark when He says, “thy law is within my heart”, Psalm 40:8. It was a treasure. Becoming Man, Christ treasured the will of God as above all else.
AI He was the One who could give a living expression to it.
JT [p. 424] As a matter of fact that is so, but the will of God was so precious in His eyes that He had it in His heart; so that the ark is the depository of God’s will. The law of God is there.
JLJ Would you say the glory of the Lord has departed from the assembly as a whole, although our privilege yet is to touch the ark and carry it in our affections?
JT I do not think you can exactly say that the glory of the Lord has departed from the assembly. I think there is a difference between the assembly and Israel in many respects. While the Spirit of God is here you could never contemplate any surrender of divine things.
JLJ As a whole, as in Revelation, the assembly has fallen.
JT That is true; but still, I think you will find, if you compare what is said of the churches as a whole, that Christ is treasured somewhere. But what you say is true of the professing mass, for in the address to Laodicea Christ speaks of Himself as outside.
GH Would you give us the link between what we had yesterday afternoon and this morning?
JT Chapter 11 shows us David as king over all Israel, and then the Spirit of God gives us an account of the mighty men, and those who came to him from the different tribes. It is noteworthy that the first mentioned are those of the house of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe; showing, I think, that in the book of Chronicles you get the bright side of things, the evidence of God’s work in His people. That is prominent rather than failure, so that we have a very bright picture presented in these chapters.
GH So after David reaches Jerusalem, in chapter 13 it says, “And David said unto all the congregation of Israel ... let us bring again the ark of our God to us!” 1 Chronicles 13:3. The great thought was to [p. 425] bring the ark. What is the present application of that?
JT I suppose we have to note that David was considering for God. It was the ark of God; I think that is a very great point in regard to Christ, and in regard to all those who are formed by the Spirit; they consider for God. God had done everything for David, and the people are all with him now, so that he is free, and he considers for God.
GH And Christ’s object is to bring in that which is for God.
JT He thinks for God, and clearly David has God before him here; that is the reason why I think that this scripture may be connected with Ephesians, because it is when you reach the Ephesian stage that you think for God. Divine things are before you; the purpose of God, and Christ in relation to that.
EW There is blessing connected with the ark. In Ephesians 1:3 we read, “who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”. When David saw that God blessed the house of Obed-edom because of the ark, it stirred him up.
JLJ The ark was made for God, not for the people.
JT Manifestly so. David thought for God in connection with the ark. It was a question of the establishment of God’s will, and where that is neglected we shall be deprived of blessing.
GFW What is the present application of that now? Is it the saints giving Christ His place?
JT I think so. Where everything is met in your soul you come then to think for God, and you see now that God has a system of things, and you are only a part of that. You are not the whole object with God. God has Christ in connection with a vast system of things before Him, and you are now concerned as to this.
AAT In what way is this section of scripture which we have this morning connected with the [p. 426] construction of the house? Yesterday morning we were told that the construction of the house was before us.
JT You do not get the construction of the house till the next book. What is prominent here, I think, is the effect of the Spirit’s work in God’s people, so that, as I said, it is a very bright picture. The effect of the Spirit’s work in our hearts is that we give Christ His own place.
RSS You would not think of building a house till you had the material.
JT Quite so. And moreover it is not the house for the King. It is not a question of building a house for Christ as King or Lord, but a house for the ark: a place for Christ viewed as this type represents Him.
WB Why does it say in verse 1 that David pitched a tent for it, not a house?
JT It is a preliminary state of things. In a certain sense the present moment is the moment of the tent. Strictly speaking the house refers to the millennial order of things. The present is a sort of preliminary state of things. The house is in building now; it is not complete yet.
AI It was set in the midst of the tent.
JT Evidently David considered for it as far as he could.
WB I have often thought of the power that marked the presence of the ark. In the early part of the Acts we get that brought out. What was not of God was severely judged in the presence of Christ, but in these days things are lightly passed over, and sin and lawlessness are not meeting with signal judgment as at the first, when Christ had His place amongst His people. Do you understand what I mean?
JT Does not that indicate weakness?
WB But it indicates, does it not, that the Lord has not His full place? in the land of the Philistines [p. 427] the god Dagon had been smashed to pieces in the presence of the ark. They were glad to get rid of it, but when it got to its true place there was wonderful blessing. You get those two things in connection with the ark, and in connection with Christ.
JT When Christ has His place in our affections in a collective way, then we can look for blessing clearly.
JLJ That is the point in Ephesians 3:17; “that the Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”.
AAT I suppose you can read Hebrews into these chapters; the two central points Christ at God’s right hand, the Centre of the new order, and Jerusalem of the old order; and how salvation was involved in recognising Christ where He is; salvation from the old order and the world system.
JT Yes. And then the book of Chronicles presents the additional thought of Christ having His true place in the affections of the saints.
RSS You said a little while ago it was not a question of building a house for Him as Lord or King. Will you explain a little further in regard to that?
JT As a matter of fact, it was the king who built the house. But then whilst David and Solomon prefigure Christ, the ark also prefigures Christ; and what we are to consider is the light in which the ark presents Him to us, therefore I think it is most essential that we should understand what the ark stands for, and what gave rise to its being constructed. It was because the people of Israel did not have such a heart as to keep the law of God. The law had been written in a book, according to Exodus 24, and given to the people, and though Moses was absent Aaron and Hur were there with them. Moses goes up to the mount, and whilst there he receives instructions in regard to the ark. It was the first thing mentioned, indicating that God knew perfectly that the people would break the law that was in the book, so that He said virtually, ‘I have to construct some other mode of preserving the law’, therefore He begins by instructing Moses as to the ark, and the covenant was to be put into that. When Moses came down he broke the tables at the foot of the mount. There was really no place to put them; the people were already in rebellion; they had departed from the law.
RSS And God does not rebuke him for it, but He gives it to them again.
JT The necessity for the ark arose from the fact that the law was broken.
WJN Would you apply that now: “That the Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”? Ephesians 3:17.
JT I think it is that Christ, becoming Man, finds the law broken, and therefore He says, “thy law is within my heart”, Psalm 40:8. He takes it up and indeed goes into death in order to make it effective; but the will of God is evidently in the heart of Christ, so that the ark having its place in our affections is Christ as the embodiment of God’s will.
FL The expression of it is, “I delight to do thy will, O my God”. Psalm 40:8. That is, God’s will being hidden in His heart, the form in which it comes out is delight; the supreme pleasure Christ had in carrying it out.
Rem The important point in chapter 15: 25 is David bringing up the ark of the covenant with the Levites.
JT What marks this chapter is that David has now returned to divine order. David has learned his lesson. And I think at the present time it is a very important thing to notice. There had been departure from divine order.
RSS It distinctly says so in 1 Chronicles 15:13: “the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order”.
FL I think all this is very important in view of what we have been passing through and are passing [p. 429] through at the present time. In bringing up the ark at first they seemed to have borrowed the expedient from the Philistines, and not at all from what God gave as to the way to bear the ark. The Philistines in returning the ark made a new cart and put it on it. God took care of it and brought it back. Now evidently the people borrowed the expedient instead of returning to what had been ordained of God; then human assistance comes in to steady the ark, and that is where the breach comes. I think in regard to what has come up to test us, we find that underneath it all there has been the working according to man’s expedients, then an effort to sustain things in human strength; this works a breach which grieves and humbles us and fills us all with pain and sorrow.
JT Quite so. Then you come to this, “we sought him not after the due order”. 1 Chronicles 15:13.
FL That is the whole essence of the thing that has been before us of late. First of all, we have come to view things from a human standpoint, and thus seek aid in human strength, and God will not have that; He puts His hand upon us, and causes a breach, and that breach searches us very sorely.
RSS And we do not like it. David was displeased.
FL It cuts very deeply; if we follow sentimentality we shall not be with God as to what He is doing, and then the exercise really brings us to the point that we have not acted according to divine principles and divine guidance; from that point on there is blessing and support. I have felt that the breach of Uzza was in figure bearing on what we have been passing through lately.
JT And what is encouraging is that the lesson learned by David and his people results in a great accession of light and blessing. But evidently had they not accepted the chastisement, we should not [p. 430] have had all that comes out subsequently in this book. So I think now if we accept the chastisement and the humiliation we may look for fresh light and blessing from God.
RSS It is very significant that David’s motives and desires were right, and he was thinking for God; but because, as he said, “we sought him not after the due order”, (1 Chronicles 15:13) God comes in in the severest chastisement.
JT To the natural mind it would seem unreasonable that God should have been so severe on Uzza, for the man did the best he could undoubtedly.
FL I had thought that Uzza’s intention was right, but he was bringing in human strength to maintain what was of God. So the failure of some whom we had respected and honoured has come from the fact that they have gone about a thing with a right motive but in a human way, without regard to the order of the house of God and divine principles in what appertains to the ark of the testimony, and they have fallen. Obed-edom comes out as one who is in full accord with the testimony of God, and who is perfectly willing to accept all that goes with the ark. He comes into privilege and gets the blessing, and one has to be thankful that in a day like this there are found men who have a clear perception that privilege and the blessing of God go with the ark of the testimony.
GFW Do you think that there was a measure of reproach in connection with the ark as it came back from the Philistines?
FL As it came back from the Philistines it was the mighty power of the God of all the earth as against all other gods, and when the Philistines did not know what to do, God suffered the ark to be put on a cart; but when it was a question of His own people who had the light and testimony, it became a grievous thing that they should act on such an [p. 431] expedient, and thus when they think they see danger, they put out their strength to steady it; then comes the breach.
AI Would you say that David had not the mind of the Lord in handling the ark; it should have been the priests?
FL His motives were good, but it is an illustration of doing a right thing in a wrong way, while God has given light for doing a right thing in a right way, and we can be thankful that there have been those who have had light from God to do right in a right way.
GFW Except Obed-edom, the people did not seem anxious to receive the ark.
FL I think in a crisis God has those upon whom His hand is, and His testimony is safe with them in a way. He gives evidence of where His blessing lies, and where that is taken account of and acted upon there is a great accession of light and blessing.
JT I think so. The Philistines had acted rightly in committing the ark into God’s hands. It was His. They had no Levites and therefore they could not act according to the due order, whereas David was not wanting in Levites.
LTF With the Lord’s people the bringing in of human strength is dishonour.
JT God passes over things in people who have not the light requisite to act according to the due order, but with those who have had light from God, to depart from the due order is sin.
GAT In what sense do we copy from others?
JT There can be no doubt that amongst those who have taken an outside position, a great deal that is of man has formed us, and this comes out in the way things are done.
Ques It says that David and the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands brought up the ark of the Lord. What is the application of [p. 432] that?
JT I think that the elders and captains over thousands present a different thought and capacity from the Levites. Experience and leadership are seen in the elders and captains. One sees in these chapters a most remarkable evidence of the work of the Spirit, showing order, energy and intelligence, and all with one thing in view to give the ark (Christ) His place amongst His people.
LTF It says, “God helped the Levites”. 1 Chronicles 15:26.
JT Yes. The Levites have to do all the hard work, and God takes account of them. But it is when they are doing their own work. Very often a Levite is occupied with the work of someone else. His business is to carry the ark and the tabernacle, and when he is engaged in that service he gets support from God.
GFW Some brother made a remark suggesting that the ark even in the hands of Philistines had its own character with respect to God, but a certain line of things only followed when it had its proper place in Jerusalem.
JT What marked it among the Philistines was judgment. But Zion is purified; in Jerusalem the enemy is dislodged, meaning, I think, that the elements of evil are overthrown in the saints. Satan is not influencing them, and instead of that you have Christ; so that now instead of judgment you get blessing.
AI What do the Levites represent to us?
JT A Levite represents a believer in the capacity of a servant; a man that works and bears things; his office was to carry the things of the tabernacle; and so here he is bearing the ark. It is arduous work; it means labour.
AI What do the priests represent at the present time?
JT The priest is the spiritual man. He is a [p. 433] man that knows what to do. The Levites are under his hand and act according to his intelligence.
GAT I suppose you would find in one person today all three — priest, Levite and common people?
JT We have had that before, but it is a very important truth. The priesthood refers to the believer in his spiritual capacity; hence only the priests could have to say directly to the things that were in the holy place and the holiest of all. The Levite could not even touch or look upon them; hence the necessity for a spiritual state in the believer. Then the believer viewed as a Levite refers to him in the exercise of his service, caring for the things of God and the saints.
ST Could that be applied to what Paul says in Corinthians as being “the offscouring of all things” 1 Corinthians 4:13; the Corinthians were reigning as kings without him?
JT Just so. And in chapter 11 of the second epistle he says he had the care of all the assemblies. That was a burden to bear.
JC Who safeguards the interests of the assembly today? Is it the Levites or priests?
JT I think the priests. The priests had the charge of the Lord. They were to abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation seven days; the whole period of the assembly’s history on earth.
JLJ Would you say that it is as priests we approach God; as Levites it is more manward?
JT But the priests have more to do than to approach God. They have to remain at the door of the tabernacle, to keep the charge.
GAT Is that to keep evil out?
JT It involves that. Divine things are to be guarded by spiritual men.
AAT What did the porters do?
JT The porters are important. There is a good deal about the porters here. They looked after the gates so that nothing evil entered the precincts of [p. 434] the house; nothing foreign or adverse. I think that Peter was a doorkeeper in Acts 5.
FL And Paul as against Peter in Galatians.
JT Yes, the principle is there. All corrective epistles have the character of being epistles of a doorkeeper: a man that sees the evil and refuses it is a doorkeeper.
RML Were the porters taken from among the priests?
JT From among the Levites.
RML But in that character they seemed to act as the priests for the seven days.
JT It does not say what the priests did in Leviticus 8. The point was, they were to be always under the sense of responsibility in regard to the charge of Jehovah.
FL You get it in David in Psalm 84:10: “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness”. There was unrighteousness outside, and he would be content to watch at the door for the exclusion of evil.
JT It is not such happy work as the office of a priest within, but it is essential work.
AI What is the difference between those that serve the tabernacle and the Levite?
JT The Levites served the tabernacle. That was their office in the book of Numbers. There were three classes of Levites and each class had a certain work to do, but you will find in each class each one had to carry something.
The sons of Kohath had to do with the ark of the testimony and the things that were in the holy place — the candlestick and the table and the shewbread; whereas the sons of Gershom and Merari were engaged with the tent and the outer things. They had wagons, but the Kohathites carried things on their shoulders; showing that there are different things in Christianity, and some are more sacred than others.
WHF [p. 435] The priests were immediately responsible for the testimony, and the Levites were under the instructions of the priests. But the priests were mostly responsible.
JT They were. They were responsible for the Lord’s charge.
WB Though the priests got light in an especial way.
JT They had immediate access to God typically. Typically they refer to those who have the Spirit, normally to every believer as having the Spirit. The spiritual discerns all things.
WB What do you understand by the ephod?
JT I think it refers to the priestly state. It was linen. The priestly garments of glory and beauty are not apparent here. It is a question rather of the state of the person. The garb in which Aaron went into the sanctuary on the day of atonement was linen. It was not a question of the official garments of Christ when He accomplished the work of atonement, but of His personal purity.
FL Before you get away from these elders and captains, will you bring out the point?
JT Does it not occur to you that we have to distinguish between elders and captains and Levites? There are those who have qualification for leadership, and there are those who have qualifications for being elders. We were speaking of it last night. It rather refers to those who are qualified to be leaders. Every Christian is a Levite and every Christian is a priest, but every Christian is not a captain.
FL That is the point, and I think we sometimes regard things as though there were a democracy where there do not exist such things as rulers or leaders. The word is very specific, to obey them that have the rule over us, and what marks them is that they have spiritual discernment to care for the flock; they watch for our souls.
[p. 436] JT They are qualified for their work by the work of the Spirit in them. A leader has certain marks, but those marks are produced in him by the Spirit.
JC But these qualifications are manifest to the saints. They would not accept it if they did not see them.
FL But the point with me is that we do not always accept it when we do see them. We give it a wrong name sometimes; we are apt to say such are seeking dominion without seeing that they are enlightened by the Spirit and watch for our souls. Of Issachar it is said “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment”, 1 Chronicles 12:32. That is, they had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, and they were discerned and recognised by their brethren; their brethren gave them their place and they were at their commandment. I think we want to recognise that there is that which answers to this still existing, and so when matters come up I feel deeply thankful to God, that there are those who have spiritual understanding and discernment who are able to give us leading and light; I am thankful to fall in with their leading, and to acknowledge such. The point is, they are not of human ordination, but they are marked by what is of the Spirit; they have understanding of the times and know what we ought to do.
JT If we go back a chapter or two we shall see the origin of these captains and elders. A captain is brought into evidence by his prowess; has he overthrown a Philistine giant? God brings him forward by something of that sort, so that he is captain, not because of any official appointment, but because of what [p. 437] he is.
BSS That came out beautifully yesterday in regard to Saul and David. God sets Saul aside and chooses David, but then He gave the people an opportunity of judging between the two. Saul was found trembling and David is confident in God and overcomes the enemy. God does not act in an arbitrary way.
WB You have to get victories in secret first before you come out publicly.
JT There never has been a captain amongst God’s people who has not had to overthrow adversaries in secret, in connection with which there was no renown; but some day he is brought into evidence by some divinely appointed circumstance.
GFW If David had not told them about the lion and the bear they would not have known anything about it.
AAT While one is thankful to recognise these leaders and captains, is there not a possibility of some assuming a place?
JT Yes; there were captains in Israel, like Joab, a man of great ability; and Abner, who did not really represent the kind of leaders that God would have amongst His people. We have to do with all these, and to discern who are leaders according to God.
RSS I think that is exceedingly important.
FL “They watch for your souls as those who shall give account”. Hebrews 13:17. They have the moral marks about them.
RSS I notice when David first purposed to bring up the ark that he consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every leader, and they did not come to a wise conclusion; evidently he did not consult with the right people.
Ques Whom should he have consulted?
JT I think that at the moment the only One to consult with was God. He had consulted with God [p. 438] before, and he should have consulted with God on this occasion.
RSS He consulted with God when he fought the Philistines, and when they come up the second time he gets different directions.
WJN Speaking of consulting God, what about the law and the testimony?
JT David should have recognised them.
FL I think the purpose was right, but he went about it in a human way. There was no breach upon them till they took up things in a human fashion.
JT But he had the mind of God here; there is nothing said about consultation. They went to bring up the ark. David had already learned that he had made a mistake.
ST The king was commanded to read the law and the testimony.
JT David says, “None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever”, 1 Chronicles 15:2.
RSS I would like to ask what is the teaching in connection with David’s wife, Michal, who despised him in her heart?
JT I suppose David himself as dancing before the ark represents the believer in the full appreciation of Christ; whereas, Michal would represent that form of the flesh which despises it. She is not despising the ark, but she despises David as appreciating the ark, which is rather different.
RSS She seems to be one who has no sympathy with what is going on.
JT None at all. She is of the house of Saul, as we know. She is not a heathen, but one of God’s people outwardly, but she has no sympathy with what is going on.
FL I suppose that when David was clothed [p. 439] with a robe of fine linen he was stripped of everything that marked him as a man; he had no mark of distinction, no royal emblem, nothing but what spoke of holiness and purity. That made him contemptible in her eyes; there was nothing for the flesh in that.
JC He was a man according to God’s own heart.
RSS What was the significance of his dealing to every one a loaf of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine?
JT I think all that points to the thought that when Christ obtains His true place in a collective way, you have the administration of blessing going out. The ark had brought judgment among the Philistines, but here it brings blessing to everybody so that evidently that is the way to get blessing amongst us.
AAT It speaks, too, of a future day.
JT In the full bearing of it, but I think the principle holds good at any time. In order to have blessing, Christ must have His place. It is not that God will not act for us, in a sense, independently of the ark, for the ark is not much in evidence till you come to this point, and yet God had been working; but in order to have blessing flowing out you must give the ark its place.
JLJ God gets His place then. David offered burnt offerings and sacrifices.
AI Bread and flesh and wine; do they speak of how the Lord ministers now in the way of satisfaction and joy for His beloved people?
JT The point here is that it is consequent upon the ark obtaining its place.
FL Is it not characteristic of all return to divine principles and divine order? I was thinking of Nehemiah 8:10 in that connection. When the testimony once more had its place, then the word was, “Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send [p. 440] portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared”. Is it not a principle in all recovery of divine ground, that there is consequent blessing and support and encouragement and joy from the Lord?
RML What is the point for us in the blessing in the last verse of chapter 16, “And David returned to bless his house”? 1 Chronicles 16:43.
JT I think it would be the peculiar place that the saints shall have in the future — those who compose the assembly; the peculiar place we shall occupy in relation to Christ; we are His house, whereas people at large are more His subjects.
JLJ David is looked at as for God in the midst of His people.
WB There is substance in the song in verses 8 to 36, which would give a good deal of matter for the people of God now, to help in connection with praise and thanksgiving. It is full of details.
JT And as you go on in the book you get the subject of singing enlarged upon, and the kind of singers. For instance, there are three heads amongst the Levites who have children. Heman had fourteen sons and three daughters, and all these were under his hand “for song in the house of the Lord;” 1 Chronicles 25: 6.
GAT Would you say that the secret of being brought into usefulness is giving Christ His true place in our hearts?
JT Clearly. In the books of Samuel it is more God acting for the people, but in 1 Chronicles it is more David acting as having been accorded his true place amongst them.
JLJ Who does Chenaniah set forth as the master of the song?
JT That is Christ. So Heman is Christ. He has sons under his hand for song in the house of the Lord.
RSS It all seems to be connected in a remarkable [p. 441] way with giving David his place, for at the end of chapter 12 we have “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them”. 1 Chronicles 12:38,39. Then it says: “Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly for there was joy in Israel”. 1 Chronicles 12:40. I think that brings out beautifully that their need was first met, and then the next verse says: “And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader” (1 Chronicles 13:1) to bring up the ark. That is, they got their need fully met and there was joy in Israel. They were perfectly satisfied, and then they began to think of God’s interests.
JLJ Would you say that is what believers have to learn first; to have all their own need met in Christ before they can think of God’s interests?
JT I do not think that any believer will ever accord God’s purpose its true place till he is wholly relieved in regard to his own state and need. This is a beautiful section; the ark is accorded its true place, and then consequent on this there is the administration of divine bounty.
GH Has the house of Obed-edom any application to us?
JT A man that gives Christ His true place is sure to be blessed of God.
GH He was evidently benefited by the ark.
JT He was a representative of a believer who loves [p. 442] Christ.
FL You might get in him something analogous to one who appreciates the light of God, who may be in isolation, and upon such an one, standing in connection with what is due to Christ, God may confer great things in the way of blessing.
JT That would be a great encouragement for people who are isolated.
RSS He was a Gittite, which is remarkable.
GH He was a representative believer.
JT Clearly. A man that valued Christ when no one else seems to do so fully.
FL You were saying the ark of the covenant is the greatest setting forth of Christ, so that even David himself when in contact with the ark ceases to be a type of Christ, but sets forth a believer before the ark. The ark is more prominent than David.