The Throne of David. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2785, 31 July 1907, Page 69

The Throne of David. TO THE EDITOR.

Sra. — I see by your last issue of the Witness that Mr Adams has replied to my answers to his questions in a. lengthy manner. And

'•evidently to his own satisfaction, and hi summing- ap may be an up-io-daie method of trying to deceive jour -readers, or it ma*, be to use tne " herrin' " he mentions, hw> I assure you that' my only object m taking *■ this matter up is on behalf of the truti\ concerning the Scripiures, and I am p^re* pared to stand by the position. I did no\ give those answers as "my opinion," bu(t as -Scriptural facts, and I hove neither beev ■" mistaken nor deoeived ' in the matter, nog will I commit any " rash " act of interprets^ tiojn, but .just let the Bible speak for itself. Now, Mr Adams quotes Psalm lxxxix as tin: original covenant made with David. Let yu< see. At the top of this chapter you wilj see the words, " Mkschil tof ' Ethan th« Ezrahite." This for a start' looks as thougb this was not a Psalm of David at till, but one of Maschil's, and" probably- written at : a much' later .date than David's,, and if cor Maschil cctu'.d write from experience. And. what do we see in the chapter? The writer is evidently meditating -'and trying "to put two and two together, for after speaking of the covenant (and here without any conditions, which just swits Mr Adams) he say* (veree 39):— "Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant. Thou hast profaned . his crown by casting it to the' ground." And! verge 44: — *'Thou has .made his glory ~ta cease, and cast 'his throne down to the(. ground." And verse 49:— "Lord, where ard Thy former loving kindnesses, which Thou awearest unto David in Thy truth?" If thii. looks like the original covenant made with. David I am sorry for Mr Adams. For my 1 •part I like 1 Kings ii, 1 to 4, better. Let use-look,at-it. David- is getting old, and is charg-c ing his successor, Solomon, what he>ie tordo. He is to -show -himself- a man f ''and keept the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk" it* His wtays,- to' keep His statutes, .and H& commandments, and His . judgments, andt His testimonies, aa it is written in the lavrt f of Moses, that thqu mayest prosper y in all that 'thou doest, that tie Lord may continue His word, which He spake concerning me, saying," — note this! — "If thy children taker heed to their way 'to walk before me ih. truth!* with all their heart and with all their sou?* there shall not fail thee (said He to me) ctf man on the throne of Israel." Now thia is from David's own. mouth, and looks more: original than Psalm lxxxix, and you can sea here the conditions which Mr Adams could! not. find. It is evident from this that David'c descendants were to continue to sit on the» throne of Israel if they did as above, which we have abundant evidence they did not;i but they grew worse and worse till theyl went into Babylon; and just before this* Ezekiel was commanded to write (chapteri xxi, 26): — "And thou, profane, wicked Printej of Israel, whose day is come, iniquity shall* have «n end; thus said the Lord: Hemovei the diadem and take off the crown : this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, anoj abase him that is high. I- will Jtverturn,, overturn, overturn it, and .it shall be nor more until He come whose light it is; anc| I will give it him." Now, Sir, does this look like perpetual continuance from Dftvidl down to the present time, which Mr Adam* affirms? I could keep on in a similar strain! far some time, but do not want to encroach! on your valuable space too much, so will pass on. Mr Adams admits that within af year of Jeremiah's prophecy Jerusalem was overthrown and all historical trace .of David's line vanished. How thoughtful of Mr Adams! to have kept his eye qn it for the benefit of our royal house and the British Israelites^I quite agree with Mr Adams that there arfj a goodly number of Israelites abroad to-day,-and I claim to be of the seed of 'Abraham!, myself, but we are without » literal king* at present. If he doubts thia let him askj some of his Jewish, acquaintances, for thews ere a good few in Dunedin, and they are all living monuments of God's mercy and truth* - Now for a few Word's to make things cleari noted 1 in my letter. . Gabriel told Mam (see Luke i, 31-33) : " Thou shalt bring fortH a son, and shall call His name Jesus. He? shall.be great, and shall be called the soni of the Highest, and the Lord God shall giver Him tihe throne of His Father David; and{ He shall reign over the House of Jacob for? ever; and of His kingdom there' shall b«L no end." Now this same Jesus is still alive, and is of the royal line of David (see Matt* i), end is now exalted to the right hand! of G.od, henceforth expecting till His foes be made his footstool (see Heb. x. 13; Acts! ii, 32-35, etc.) But this time has not arrived yet, but is one of the greatest certainties* of the Word of God. Now let us look atf Jeremiah xxxiii, 14:— "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform thafl scod thing which I have promised to the House of Israel and the House of Judah., In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of Righteousness toirow up untoi David ; and He shall execute Judgment andl Righteousness in the land" (Palestine). Thia in contradiction to the unrighteous branch now scattered and aboliehed; and verse 17,. "For thus saita the Lord: .David shall neveu want a man to sit on the throne of the House of Israel." Now this is what Mr< Adams has so much mixed up. If he would" only be careful to rightly divide the word o|. truth aa Paul advised Timothy he would find the Bible almost as plain as our schoolbooks from Genesis to Revelation; for thin Book certainly nad but one author, who in not the author of confusion, and it is said in 2 Timothy iii that the Old Testament is abler to make us wise unto salvation. — I am, el<\ I E. Hill. Eiverton, July 22, 1907.