the ark of the Lord, who was going up to His place in Zion. This action unintelligible to the unbelieving Michal, to whom the king's behaviour was therefore unintelligible also-was of very great importance. It identified kingly power in Zion (that is to say, the power of Christ in grace), with the token of the Lord's covenant_with Israel- a token established there in grace, when Israel had already failed entirely under the law, and even after their rejection of God as their king. The Aaronic priesthood was not able to maintain the people's relationship with their God, and, consequently, the outward order had completely failed. The altar at which the priests were to sacrifice was elsewhere (at Gibeon), and not before the tent which contained the ark. And the ark, which was the sign of the covenant and the throne of the Lord, was at a distance from the altar at which the priests ministered. The covenant of the Lord is connected with the kingly power, and that in Zion, the place which he had chosen for His rest. David himself assumes a little of the Melchisedec character; but only in testimony and by anticipation (xvi. 1-3). In these verses the priests do not appear.

In order to apprehend more clearly the import of the removal of the ark to Zion, it will be well to consider Psalm lxxviii. 60-72, and Psalm cxxxii., and to compare verse 8 of the latter with what Moses said during Israel's journey in the wilderness (Numbers x. 35, 36). It is interesting to see that each petition, in the earlier part of Psalm cxxxii., is exceeded by its fulfilment at the close.

The circumstance of the ark not being taken to the tabernacle at Gibeon, was also of deep significance. It was completely judging the whole system connected with this tabernacle. The tabernacle was still in being, as well as the altar, and the priests offered sacrifices there; but the ark of the covenant of the Lord had been taken away from it. The king disposed of the latter by his authority, placing it elsewhere. Ever since the ruin of Shiloh, this judgment had continued as a chastisement executed by the enemy; but now that God interposes by means of David and acts in power, this power places the visible sign of His covenant with His people elsewhere. The kingly

power is established at Jerusalem, and the sign of God's covenant is taken away from the tabernacle of the congregation to be placed on Mount Zion, the seat of the kingly power. When the people were to journey, Moses said, "Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee." This was when the ark went before them to search out a resting-place for them. When it rested, he said, "Return, O Lord, unto the ten thousand thousands of Israel." But when God had, up to a certain point, given rest to Israel, they knew not how to enjoy it. They took the ark out of its place to carry it into the camp of Israel, when defeated on account of their unfaithfulness, by their enemies; but this was not now the place for the ark. Neither the one nor the other of Moses' expres sions were suitable to this transfer of the ark to the midst of the camp. The ark was taken, and, as we have seen elsewhere, Ichabod was pronounced upon the people. But the faithfulness of God is abiding, and now that He has interposed in grace and power, and that the throne is established as the vessel of this power and grace, another word is given: "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength" (Ps. cxxxii. 8). Israel, the camp and the priesthood, were no longer the rest of God.

Let us now consider the import of this establishment of the ark and of the throne in Zion, as set before us in the psalm which David wrote on this occasion.

It is true that, so far as it was entrusted to man,f the kingly power failed; but it is not, therefore, the less true that it has been placed in the house of David, according to the counsels, the gift, and the calling of God, and that all the promises connected with it-the sure mercies

It was Israel journeying, who were seeking their rest, who were to find enemies on their way, and whose faith recognised these enemies as the enemies of Jehovah; or Israel carefully surrounding the token of the presence of their God, when He gave a temporary rest unto His people.

e

f

Expressed in these words, "He has delivered his strength

into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand" (Ps. lxxviii). Compare Ps. cxxxii. 11, 12, the two principles already pointed out in the thoughts on the Book of Kings.

of David-will be fulfilled in Christ. In that which we read here (chap. xvi.), the throne is considered in the light of God's thoughts, and of the blessing which, according to those thoughts, is linked with it. David, having offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and having blessed the people, deals to every one, both to man and woman, a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine, for God will" abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with bread." Then David gives the Levites a psalm, to sing praises unto the Lord.

This psalm is composed of a part of Psalm cv., of Psalm xcvi., with some alterations, of the beginning of cvi., cvii., cxviii., and cxxxvii. Psalms, which is an important form of words; and of the 47th and 48th verses of Psalm cvi.

The following are its subjects in the order which the psalm follows:

The deeds of the Lord are celebrated, as well as His marvellous works and the judgments of his mouth. Israel, as His people, and the assembly of his chosen ones, are commanded to remember these things, for He is the Lord their God, and His judgments are in all the earth. Israel is called to remember, not Moses and the conditional promises given to the people through Him, but the covenant made with Abraham-an everlasting covenant to give the land to his seed, unconditionally. Israel is reminded of the way in which God preserved those heirs of promise when they went from nation to nation. The remainder of the psalm is omitted: it speaks historically of the ways of God with respect to the preservation of His people in Egypt, and of their deliverance thence to be established in Canaan, that they might observe the statutes of the Lord; and this part of the psalm would have been unsuitable here, where grace is celebrated in the establishment of the people in power after those statutes had been broken. The beginning of the psalm celebrates grace towards Israel according to the promises made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, when the judgments of God are in all the earth. This is the first thing founded upon the presence of the ark, and the establishment of the throne in Zion.

The verses 23-33 are almost the words of the xcvi. Psalm. It is a call to the heathen to acknowledge the Lord whose glory should be declared among all nations. This psalm belongs to a series of psalms, which, from the first cry of the people until the universal joy of the nations, relate in order all that refers to the bringing again the first-born into the world. Only, in the xcvi. Psalm the words, "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth," have a place which gives them a more prophetic character. Here, the joy of the heavens and the earth precedes this message to the heathen, and instead of saying, "His courts," it is said, "before Him." The words, "He shall judge the people with righteousness," are also omitted, as well as the second half of the last verse, which applies this judgment to the world. Apart from these alterations, which appear to me to give this Psalm more of the character of a present joy, these verses correspond with Ps. xcvi. The omission of the judgment of the nations in righteousness is remarkable. It is because the subject here is joy, and the nations are called up to Jerusalem to present themselves there before the Lord. This is the leading thought. We have, then, in these two parts, the fulfilment, in Israel's joy before the Lord, of the covenant made with the fathers, following after His mighty works; and the call addressed to the nations to come up to the place of His glory. We have next this form of words, "His mercy endureth for ever," declaring that in spite of all the faults, all the sins, and all the unfaithfulness of Israel, His mercy has stood firm. It will be when the Lamb, the true ark of the covenant and the real David, shall be upon Mount Zion, even before He assumès the character of Solomon, that this will be fully demonstrated.

The 100th Psalm could not have been used here, because before that Psalm the Lord had already been celebrated as sitting between the cherubims (xcix. 1); while the act of placing the ark in Zion, was only an anticipation; it is the 96th Psalm, therefore, which was quoted. It is the presence of Christ on Mount Zion, to fulfil the promises in power, before reigning in peace, which explains all these allusions, as well as several Psalms which seem to speak of a return from captivity, and a rebuilding of Jerusalem, while praying at the same time for the accomplishment of this return.

Accordingly, since David, this has been sung. (Comp. ver. 41; 2 Chron. chap v. 13; Ezra chap. iii. 11; Jer. chap. xxxiii. 11). Ps. cvi., which concludes the fourth Book of Psalms, opens at length the proofs of this precious declaration, which the Psalm we are considering, after giving the promises made to Abraham, passes over the whole history (omitting the after part of Ps. cv. which speaks of it and which places Israel under responsibility in Canaan) unto the end, going on with the first verse of Ps. cvi., which declares that the mercy of God has continued in spite of everything. Ps. cvii. treats the same subject, but in connection with the deliverance and the return of Israel at the end of the age. Ps. cxviii. brings out this truth in connection with the person of the Messiah, suffering with His people, but at last known and accepted in the day which the Lord hath made. Finally, in Ps. cxxxvi., this doxology is sung in connection with the full blessing of Israel and of all creation; beginning with the creation itself, and celebrating the proofs of this mercy throughout all things, until the blessing of the earth, resulting in the redemption of Israel. Here we may remark, that from Psalm cxxxii., which we have already noticed as celebrating the establishment of the ark on Mount Zion, the Psalms are consecutive until the cxxxvi. Only they go beyond our present subject and introduce us into the restored temple, although still speaking of Zion as the place of blessing (comp. Psalms cxxxiii., cxxxiv., cxxxv., and finally cxxxvi., of which we are speaking, and which, as a chorus, concludes the series). Finally, we have the two concluding verses of Ps. cvi., the first of which prays that God would gather Israel from among the heathen, which will be the result of the throne of Jesus being set up in Zion;1 and the second of which concludes the Psalm (as we find at the close of each Book of Psalms) by blessing for ever the Lord God of Israel. This song of praise contains, then, every subject which the presence of Christ in Zion will give

This petition proves the prophetic character of the Psalm, and shews that it reaches onward to the latter times of Israel. iSee Matt. chap. xxiv. 31, although it is there in connection with His coming from heaven, and Ps. cxxvi.