Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Aminadab; and said unto them, ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of Jehovah, God of Israel, unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, Jehovah our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.*

And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders, with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded,† according to the word of Jehovah. And David spake to the chief of the Levites, to appoint their brethren to be singers, with instruments of music; all which was done accordingly. And David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, out of the house of Obededom, into the city of David, with gladness. And it came to pass, that when the Levites that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, and God helped them, David sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams. And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, the master of the song, with the singers; and David danced before Jehovah with all his might, and was girded with a linen ephod. Thus David and all the house of Israel brought up the Jehovah, with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psaltries and harps.+

ark of the covenant of

And they brought the ark of Jehovah, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before Jehovah. And as soon as he had made an end of the first

duty, he proceeded to bless the people in the name of Jehovah of Hosts; and appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Jehovah, and to record, and to thank and praise Jehovah, God of Israel, with instruments of music continually before the ark of the covenant of God; and delivered into the hand of Asaph and his brethren the following psalm:* "Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah. Seek Jehovah and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth: O ye seed of Israel, his chosen ones. He is Jehovah, our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; and hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance; when ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it. And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; he suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, saying, touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but Jehovah made the heavens. Glory and honour are

• The text says first-probably because the whole of the psalms were delivered by him afterwards for similar purposes.

in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the people, give unto Jehovah glory and strength. Give unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come before him: worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness. Fear before him all the earth; the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of Jehovah, because he cometh to judge the earth. O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel, for ever and ever. And all the people said Amen, and praised Jehovah."*

So David left Asaph and his brethren to minister before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah continually, as every day's work required and Obededom and Hosah to be porters: and Zadok, the priest, and his brethren, the priests before the tabernacle of Jehovah, in the high place that was at Gibeon; to offer burnt offerings unto Jehovah, upon the altar of the burnt offering continually, morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of Jehovah, which he commanded Israel. And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, (with trumpets and cymbals, and the musical instruments of God), who were expressed by name, to give thanks to Jehovah, because his mercy endureth for ever. And then, with a princely magnificence, he distributed amongst them the royal bounty, so that every heart

1 Chron. xvi. 8-36.

+1 Chron. xvi 37-42.

might be made glad, for he gave to the whole multitude, both male and female, to every one a loaf of bread, a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine: so all the people departed, every one to his own house.*

Having thus discharged his public duty, the monarch retired into the bosom of his family, in order to bless his own household; when he experienced the mortification of finding, that his pious conduct had excited the scorn and contempt of his wife Michal. Through a window of the palace, she had viewed her husband dancing and playing before Jehovah, and she despised him in her heart. Whether this feeling arose from a want of a proper sense of the solemnity of the act, a total indifference to God's ordinances, or some remorse that David should have the honour of restoring the ark of God, which her father had so many years neglected, she tauntingly exclaimed, "How glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who uncovered himself in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!" and David said unto Michal," It was before Jehovah, who chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: therefore will I play before Jehovah. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maid-servants which thou hast spoken of: of them shall I be had in honour." Therefore Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child unto the day of her death.t

David being now firmly seated on the throne, and having completed a palace for his own residence, and observing how differently the ark of Jehovah was circumstanced, conceived the pious design of erecting a magnificent temple for its re

ception, and communicated his intention to Nathan, the prophet, who does not appear to have expressed any disapprobation in the first instance.

But the same night, the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, with the following prohibitory, though at the same time encouraging, message for David, "Thus saith Jehovah, thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in ;* for I have not dwelt in a house, since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and walked in a tabernacle. Wheresoever I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, why have you not built me a house of cedars? I took thee from the sheep cote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel; and I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover, I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in a place of their own, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as before time, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; moreover, I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee, that the Lord will build thee a house. And it shall come to pass, when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall

We afterwards find, that either upon this occasion or some other, God assigned as a reason to David why he was not to build the Temple, that he had been a man of war and a shedder of blood, and that such a work must be performed by a different character. 1 Chron. xxii. 8, 9. xxviii. 3.