Literary Churchman 1 Chronicles 21:11-15 So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus said the LORD, Choose you… I. DAVID'S STRAIT. II. THE GROUNDS OF HIS CHOICE. III. DIVINE PUNISHMENT AND HUMAN PUNISHMENT. Human punishment is necessarily to a great extent for self-protection, and therefore selfish. When the laws of society punish the crime of murder or of theft, it is primarily with the object of preventing the committal of more murders and more thefts. God's laws have penalties attached to them, but when God punishes He seeks not the destruction of the sinner, but his healing and reformation. While man's punishments are in principle revengeful, or at best for the defence of society, God's punishments are remedial and reformatory; and therefore it is better to fall into the hand of God than into the hands of men. Application: 1. God in human redemption. 2. Human legislation directed to the repression of wrong incomplete, because it can only reach the outward action. God's laws deal with motives, and are therefore complete and perfect (1 Samuel 16:7; Hebrews 4:12). (Literary Churchman.) Parallel Verses KJV: So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose theeWEB: So Gad came to David, and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh, 'Take your choice: |
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