1 CHRONICLES 16 (NOTES OF A READING)
1 CHRONICLES 16 (NOTES OF A READING)
Ques Is there any special significance in the sacrifices of the seven bullocks and seven rams in chapter 15: 26? Thousands of bullocks were offered by David, and when the ark is brought to the temple they are without number.
CAC I think it is to make known to us that as a place is secured for Christ, and the Levites’ service that would bring Him in is helped of God, there is a spontaneous sacrifice to God in the matter — a spontaneous movement in the affections of the people, encouraging us to see that if we are helped to secure a place for the ark, God will have a portion; which is indeed developed in the chapter we are reading this evening. The result of the ark getting its place is this wonderful psalm of praise to God as linked to the service of God in the assembly today.
Rem I wondered if the bullocks and rams would be the intelligent service in the assembly, the spiritual result.
CAC David represents believers who honour Christ, but need to be instructed to give place to what is priestly and levitical, so it answers very much to the position of many saints today. They desire by grace to honour Christ and find a place for Him, but there is the need of the priestly and levitical elements to be brought in; we need spirituality; devotedness to Christ is not sufficient. There are thousands more devoted than we are in this room, but they entirely miss the mind of God because they do not cultivate spirituality, and so are devoted according to their own idea. It is solemnly true at this juncture that there is a good deal of devotedness, but also the need to cultivate spirituality, and there is not due attention given to Scripture and therefore no place secured for Christ according to the pleasure of God.
Rem If a thing is taken up after the due order, God would help, and the intelligent offering would show it was understood.
CAC And the recognition that all is based on the death of Christ, a full apprehension of that in the soul, that everything of value for God is based on the death of Christ. It grows upon us, so that every Lord’s day there would be enlargement in our apprehension of what has resulted from the death of Christ. The assembly begins afresh on each Lord’s day.
Ques Has this a definite point in our morning meeting in its spiritual value?
CAC Yes, I think so. As I understand it, the city of David represents a spiritual position secured on the ground of overcoming. It is a position that none of us secures without fighting for it, but when secured it is a place for Christ. David thinks of that — a tent for the ark.
It is a provisional idea.
Rem We suggested last week as to whether these things had not an assembly setting.
CAC Christ is magnified in the affections of the saints so as to have a definite place there. He is brought in as the ark of God — that is John: as the ark of Jehovah — that is Matthew: and as the ark of the covenant — that is Luke. It is not as the ark of the testimony (Mark) here; this is an inside matter. It is not a question of testimony here, but what the saints find for their own hearts in Christ.
Ques Musical instruments and music generally seem to play a part in this scene. What is your thought as to that?
CAC It intimates the joyful element in the scene. David added song; that is, there is great richness about the service, it is not cold doctrine but musical.
Rem The note in the Darby translation has “transport” (chapter 15: 22), so that it is the delight and joy of the hearts of the saints.
CAC It suggests the service being taken up in a definite and responsive way.
Ques A bullock is the largest offering; a ram would typify devotedness and consecration, and there is the character of the burnt-offering in the seven bullocks and seven rams in verse 26, would you say?
CAC Yes, the character of the offering is not specified but I would suppose that it was the burnt-offering.
Rem There seems to be a kind of order in the thoughts. The character of the offering is not given here; the stress is on the sacrifice. In chapter 16 they presented burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and it says, “When David had ended offering up the burnt-offering and peace-offerings”.
Ques Is there not a distinction between the presenting and the offering up? In Exodus the offering is brought and then offered up as suitable for sacrifice.
Ques Is this sacrifice of seven bullocks and seven rams more like what we get at the Supper, the glories of the Person who went into death — not so much the great work done, as that in the light of His Person?
CAC That is, God is glorified; there can be nothing greater than that. So it is a matter of continual exercise that our hearts should be enriched in the apprehension of Christ. We should look for it in the morning meeting that the Spirit should enlarge the apprehension of Christ to us, especially in those who take an audible part. And then the saints will get their portion; every one gets his portion in verse 3.
Ques What are the three things there? — and what place does David take here in ministering in this way?
CAC I think it is the result of exercises worked out in the hearts of saints to their completion, not exactly the divine side, but as reached in the affections of the saints, what we have to take up. There is food and refreshment; it shows how well furnished the saints will be if God has His place. We come together having this thought of Christ having His place, and God being served acceptably; then we find out we are well furnished.
Ques The service of God would not set our thoughts on ourselves, but what will Christ have as the ark, and what is there for God?
CAC God engages our hearts with what is absolutely perfect; all we can dwell on in Christ is absolutely perfect. The psalm that David delivered is full of Jehovah.
Ques Does the thought of David blessing the people and then dealing to everyone bread and wine and a raisin-cake suggest the Lord dealing support to His people in view of God getting His service, and owning it?
Rem The bride in Canticles says, “Sustain ye me with raisin-cakes”, in the presence of Christ. Is it not to support us in view of divine service?
CAC It is really in view of our taking up the psalm. The ark is brought into its place, and God is ministered to, and the people are fed, refreshed so as to be able to take up the service of God.
Rem It is striking in that way that Melchisedec brought forth bread and wine, and here something is added. It was not sufficient really. The raisin-cakes might be what would sustain us in power.
CAC We all need support to sustain us; we cannot take up divine things without divine support. We need it to get any good from reading ministry; we need to pray beforehand as needing support to profit from what comes before us.
Rem Paul’s prayer was that they might “be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3: 16).
Ques The Spirit is sparing of mentioning failure in this book, so why do we get Michal mentioned here?
CAC I thought she was brought in to show that we must not expect any sympathy from the religious man for anything that makes much of Christ and gives Him His place, or what is due to God. We must not expect it.
Rem Michal was looking through the window.
CAC She was interested, looking on in a critical way.
What we find here is that every divine element moved together; the elders, the captains, the priests and the Levites all moved together as spiritual elements do.
Rem Nothing is so unifying as putting the ark in its place.
CAC And the ark of the covenant, the One in whom God has thoroughly committed Himself to us, and when we get hold of that there will be no shortage of praise.
Michal is put as a warning, as that element may come in. I wonder whether we understand quite the difference between the service of David and the service at Gibeon?
Ques Will you please tell us?
CAC It is evident that David saw to it that both aspects of the service were maintained. There were two services going on, the one before the ark, and the one at Gibeon. Evidently the one before the ark was the more spiritual service but did not set aside the Gibeon one.
Ques. Was it wrong?
CAC No, it was right. I think it represents the public side. It is not exactly the same, but it is the service of God on the public side. The service before the ark is service taken up on spiritual and heavenly ground, the spiritual service of the assembly. There is another public aspect of service, only of a temporary character, and soon going to cease.
Rem David leaves Gibeon and goes to Jerusalem.
CAC Yes, he gets spiritual promotion. I thought that the breaking of bread was at Gibeon.
Rem “Ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come” (1 Corinthians 11: 26).
CAC And what goes on in the meeting publicly is Gibeon. The tabernacle service was in the wilderness; it was made for it and so suggests certain things are temporary. The breaking of bread is only temporary; it is not to go on a minute longer than the Lord intends, not a minute longer than when He comes. The woman is to keep silence in the assembly; that is the sort of thing that is temporary.
As we enter into the spiritual side, the public side should be enhanced. All that goes on in the meeting is to be comely and orderly, and belongs to Gibeon; but the city of David, and the ark there, is the spiritual side which we take up in power.
Rem Like singing a hymn and going to the mount of Olives.
CAC Yes. We come together to break bread; that is the wilderness, a temporary provision. Having broken bread we enter on the spiritual portion.
It is important to distinguish between the public side and the spiritual side. The more enhanced things are on the spiritual side, the more the details would be put right. If anyone said what was not true, what a blemish that would be in the public service.