Notes of an Address on 2 Sam. 19; ch. 20: 1, 2.
No truth in the Word of God will have more power over the child of God than the truth of the Lord's coming. Before to-morrow morning I may see His face! This truth should energize our souls. We shall hear His voice-it may be very soon. He will take us as the objects of His heart's delight.
What I long for more than anything else is that this may not be a mere theory, but a living reality in my soul. The Lord's coming should be a wonderful power in our lives at all times. If in sorrow-well, the Word says, " Comfort one another with these words."
Thess. 4: 18. Surely this is comfort. Then, if it be a question of the salvation of souls, what could affect us more and make us more earnest than the thought of the Lord's coming? (See 1 Thess. 1: 8-10.)
The difficulty with us is that we are like the five wise virgins-all went to sleep. We turn in first, settle down, get drowsy and go to sleep. May God wake us up! Well, He will with that shout. Oh! what will it be to hear His voice! He will take us into His Father's house. That will be the moment of His joy.
At the beginning of what we read, the men of Israel said, so to speak, " We can't have Absalom; well there is nothing for it but to have the king back." But that is not a question of the heart desiring the Lord back for His own sake. In the last chapter of Revelation we have, " Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." But there is no response. Again we have, " Behold, I coma quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be." But still no response. Then lastly we get, " Surely I come quickly Amen." This calls forth the answer, " Even so, come, Lord Jesus." It is Himself that is there before the heart. If we have Himself before us we shall long to see Him. In John 14: 28 we read, " If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father." And if we do love Him we will rejoice because He is coming again.
Now look at the attitude of the men of Israel at the end of the chapter, verse 43. They say, " We have rights." It was their own rights, not the glory of the king they were seeking. Oh, think of the Lord's joy to have His own with Him. We shall have no greater joy than to see His joy when He rests in His love. To think that He will find in us the fruit of the travail of His soul and be satisfied! We shall rejoice then.
David turns aside from all this talk of Israel. He knew their hearts, that they had selfish interests. God grant that we may be real. God will have reality. Now the king sends a message to Zadok and Abiathar for the elders of Judah, " Why are ye the last to bring the king back? " Surely this is a challenge to us too, for we may seek to further His interests and thus hasten His coming.
Now verse 12 says, " Ye are my brethren, my bones and my flesh." That is the truth of the one body (in figure). We are members of His body. We are one with Him. How near He has made us to Himself and how dear! This was the mystery hidden from generations. There was to be that which is the complement of Christ His body. If we realized this truth of the one body, how could there be such separations? Do we realize that we are one, and united with every child of God here on earth, and each united to Him in heaven?
Well, this moves the hearts of the men of Judah " as the heart of one man." Oh, how glorious! One heart, nothing between them, one thought-we are going out to meet the king the rejected one-to welcome him back! Surely they were happy, and how happy we may be too. Just think, one of these minutes I may see His blessed face. Does it make me happy? If not, why not?
Israel talked about the king's return. Judah talked to the king-" Return thou." (Verse 14.) So in Rev. 22: 20, when the Lord says, " Surely I come quickly," there is the response to the Lord, " Even so, come, Lord Jesus." The heart there is in communion with Himself. We should hold this truth of the Lord's coming in communion with Him. Think how it will be the moment of supreme joy to His heart. He will rest in His love. He breaks forth into singing (see Zeph. 3: 17), and we shall join as those who are most intimately associated with Himself. We like to think of that scene in Rev. 5, and it is we who are there seen nearest to Himself those who have been redeemed. All creation is there, but we are nearest, members of His body.
The king returned and came to Jordan—the place that speaks of the full result of His glorious work. " And Judah came to Gilgal "-which means death to the flesh. Notice it says, " They came to go to meet the king." They were not settling down to wait, no, they were to be associated with him in his return to take the place of honor and glory.
Now read verse 24. " Mephibosheth... had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace." What does this say to us? Surely it humbles us. We see what ought to characterize us. Mephibosheth is a picture of ourselves. He is a poor cripple. His heart had been won by the grace that gave everything and demanded nothing. He had " the kindness of God " shown to him. We know the riches of God's grace. Mephibosheth had not dressed his feet nor trimmed his beard; that is, he was not occupied with his appearance, sufferings or comfort. He had a heart completely won by David. Do we not long for our hearts to be thus carried away by Christ from our own present interests?
Ziba slandered Mephibosheth, and we may be slandered too but what does that matter? David had been deceived it is true, but Christ never, and we can afford to leave all with the Lord. He will and does care for our interests here. We are so slow to leave the Lord to do so. Whether it be our interests in heaven or here, we have One there and we have One here to care for us. The word for " advocate " in 1 John 2: 1 is the same as the word translated " Comforter " in John 14, and means " one who takes complete control and care of those he is looking after." So we have One up there and One down here to look after our interests.
Mephibosheth says to the king, " Do therefore what is good in thine eyes. ' May we have grace to say the same. Then what devotedness we see in the next words of Mephibosheth, " Yea, let him (Ziba) take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house." He was only interested in David. If we are interested in what concerns the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, can we not be assured that He will care for our interests? David's days of wandering are over-his servant is satisfied. Oh for this attitude!
In verse 40 we read, " Then the king went on to Gilgal... and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel." Judah acts as one man. How happy this is. May we be jealous of this-to have fellowship, not only with the Father and the Son, but with one another, and to show before the world the wonderful oneness of the people of God. Half Israel shows it wasn't real with them.
Then comes a discussion. Israel says Judah had stolen David, but it was David who had stolen the hearts of Judah. They knew what it was to be near to the king. (See Psa. 148: 14. " A people near unto Him.") Do we not long to be close to Him during this time we are waiting for Him? The Lord Jesus died to have us near Himself.
The men of Judah say, " Hath he given us any gift? " The Lord Jesus has given us many gifts, but this wasn't the motive here. It was the king they wanted, not his gifts. If we have Christ what have we not? We have everything. If they had the king back they would be the objects of his care.
Then Israel says, " We have ten parts in the king." They claim their rights, but it is not a question with us of rights. Let the Lord have a place in our hearts; we can enthrone Him there for His joy.
" The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.' How sad! We allow the flesh to come in and we get fierce. This was not like the king, e.g., in connection with Shimei what meekness David shows. Oh how ashamed we shall be of our fierceness and forcefulness! It is so unlike the Lord. How we get His gentleness brought out in Phil. 2., and even in Rev. 5 " the Lion of the tribe of Judah " is seen as a Lamb slain.
What happened to Israel next? We find a man of Belial (and we meet such) who is ready to split up the people of God. He says, " We have no part in David." This was quite true. Their affections had not been won. The men of Israel now show their true character. " The men of Judah slave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem." Chapter 20: 2. Jordan speaks of death and resurrection; Jerusalem, the place of glory. May we have grace to go and meet our king. We long to see Him occupying His rightful place. May we cleave to Him from Jordan until we see Him in all His majesty and glory, and find we are still members of His flesh and of His bones. I am sure there is not one of us who does not feel the lack of the power of this truth in our souls. It will separate us more from this scene, and leave its impress on our whole life, if we have the Lord Himself before us. We go to meet Him the One Who filled the hearts of the disciples here with joy, and even when He had gone, they rejoiced that that same Jesus Who had gone, would return. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They learned then this truth as never before, that the Lord was coming back again.
" The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4: 16-18.
What could comfort us like this? It will all end with us being with Him and like Him-to adore and praise Him for all His grace. May we be more separated to Himself a waiting people till He come.