- 32-
God and His law (1 Chronicles 22:6-12). Only such principles would secure true
prosperity to his reign (ver. 13). For himself, he had "by painful labor"^53 gathered
great treasures,^54 which were to be devoted to the building of the new Temple; and he
had made all possible preparations for it. Finally, summoning "the princes of Israel,
with the priests and the Levites" (1 Chronicles 23:1, 2), and presenting to them his son
Solomon as successor in the kingdom, he entreated their co-operation with him in what
was to be the great work of the future - making it not a personal, but a national
undertaking, expressive of this, that they had "set heart and soul to seek Jehovah" their
God (1 Chronicles 22:19).
It was in this solemn assembly of laity and priesthood that Solomon's succession was
announced and accepted, and that the future organization of the Temple Services was
determined and fixed.^55
A census of the Levites gave their number, from thirty years and upwards, at 38,000
men. Of these 24,000 were appointed to attend to the general ministry of the sanctuary
(23:28-32), 6,000 to act as "officers and judges," 4,000 for instrumental music, and
4,000 as choristers - the latter (and probably also the former class) being subdivided
into adepts, of which there were 288 (25:7), and learners (25:8). As all the Levites, so
these 288 adepts or trained choristers were arranged by lot into twenty-four courses, a
certain number of "learners" being attached to each of them. Each course of Levites
had to undertake in turn such services as fell to them. Those who had charge of the
gates were arranged into classes, there being altogether twenty-four posts in the
Sanctuary in which watch was to be kept (1 Chronicles 26:1-19). Similarly, the priests,
the descendants of Aaron, were arranged by lot into twenty-four courses for their
special ministry (1 Chronicles 24:1-19). Lastly, the sacred text gives a brief account of
the work of those 6000 Levites whom David appointed as "scribes and judges" (1
Chronicles 26:29-32), and of the final arrangement of the army, and of all the other
public offices (1 Chronicles 27.).
- David's last hymn and prophetic utterance (2 Samuel 22-23:2-7). - The history of
David appropriately closes with a grand hymn, which may be described as alike the
program and the summary of his life and reign in their spiritual aspect. Somewhat
altered in language, so as to adapt it to liturgical purposes, it is inserted in our present
Psalter as Psalm 18, to which we accordingly refer. This grand hymn of thanksgiving is
followed - to use the language of an eminent German critic^56 -by the prophetic
testament of the king, in which he indicates the spiritual import and bearing of his
kingdom.
If Psalm 18 was a grand Hallelujah, with which David quitted the scene of life, these
his "last words" are the Divine attestation of all that he had sung and prophesied in the
Psalms concerning the spiritual import of the kingdom which he was to found, in
(^)