The Doings of the King.
"Whatsoever the king did pleased all the people."--2 Sam. iii. 36.
David had been giving a proof of his love for one who had long been his
enemy, but whom he had received into friendship; and he had been giving a
proof of his tender-heartedness and sympathy with the people, by weeping
with them at the grave of Abner. "And all the people took notice of it,
and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people."
This was because they loved their king. They watched him, not as the
wicked Pharisees watched the Lord Jesus that they might find something
against Him; but with the watching of admiration and love, taking notice
of the kind and gracious things he did and said. Do you thus take notice
of what your King does? Does it please you to hear and read of what He has
done and what He is doing? It must be so if He really is your King.
But the "whatsoever" is a little harder; and yet, if it is once really
learnt, it makes everything easy. For if we learn to be pleased with
_whatsoever_ our King Jesus does, nothing can come wrong to us.
Suppose something comes to-day which is not quite what you would have
liked; heavy rain, for instance, when you wanted to go out,--recollect
that your King Jesus has done it, and that will hush the little murmur,
and make you quite content. Ask Him this morning to make you so loving
and loyal to Him, that _whatsoever_ He does, all day long, may please you,
because it has pleased Him to do it. I think He loves us so much, that He
always gives us as much happiness as He can possibly trust us with, and
does what is pleasantest for His dear children whenever He sees it will
not hurt them; so, when He does something which at first does not seem so
pleasant, we may still trust our beloved King, and learn by His grace to
be pleased with _whatsoever_ He does.
"I hear a sweet voice ringing clear,
'All is well!'
It is my Father's voice I hear,
All is well!
Where'er I walk that voice is heard,
It is my God, my Father's word--
'Fear not, but trust; I am the Lord,
All is well!'"