Hearing, Seeking, Finding
(No. 2590)
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, OCTOBER 2, 1898.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 24,
1883.
"Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the
woods. We will go into His tabernacles: we will worship at His
footstool." Psalm 132:6, 7.
LONG before David's time, the Ark of the Lord had been almost forgotten
by the children of Israel. It formed a most important part of the
Ceremonial Law which God had ordained. I may almost call it the central
portion of that pattern which was shown to Moses in the mountain. But
the Ark had been carried into captivity by the Philistines and,
afterwards, the terrible judgment worked upon the men of Beth-Shemesh
may have made many afraid to go near it. So it remained a long time in
Kirjath-Jearim and there David found it. And, after leaving it for a
while at the house of Obed-Edom, brought it up to Jerusalem with great
rejoicing. David's heart was so full of zeal for God that he desired
that every part of the Lord's worship should be carried out with due
order and proper solemnity. He wished to see a sanctuary built in which
the Ark of the Lord should rest in its place and the worship of God
should be carried out as He judged was meet and fit.
The first thing, therefore, for David to do was to find the Ark, for,
as I have already said, it was a central portion of the
Divinely-ordained Ceremonial Law. The Ark was put away in the Most Holy
Place and it was an express and notable symbol of the Presence of God
among the people. It was there, from above the Mercy Seat, that God met
with man and communed with him in the person of the High Priest. It was
there that the Shekinah glory, denoting the special Presence of God,
shone forth between the cherubim. It is clear, therefore, that if David
meant to restore the worship of God to its due and proper order, his
first business was to find the Ark. Yet, without forgetting that fact,
I am not going to talk so much about David finding the Ark as to think
of some who are in the condition in which I once was. When I desired to
find God, I longed to meet with Him, in the Person of Christ, in His
own appointed way, but I could not find Christ. My heart was dark, my
eyes were blind and I looked everywhere but in the right place. I did
not look where the true Light of God was shining. But, at last, I
resolved that I must find Him and I did, by His Grace, find Him! I
found Him where I little expected to find Him and now, having found
Him, myself, I have it on my heart to come and speak to everyone who is
saying, "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him!" It may be that my
message shall be like the voice that reached poor Hagar in the
wilderness, when she and her son were ready to perish with thirst,
though there was a well of water close at hand. As the Lord said to
her, "What ails you, Hagar?" so would I ask, "What ails you, poor
seeking Soul, when Christ is so near?" His people will breathe a prayer
for you that you may find Him even while I speak to you.
I. My first remark will be that, LIKE DAVID, WE WISH TO FIND THE ARK,
THAT ARK BEING CHRIST.
Dear Friends, most here present–and I should suppose, all–are well
instructed as to where God will meet with us as our reconciled God. The
symbol was the Ark of the Covenant. And the Mercy Seat, the reality, we
know is Christ. We know this, I say, for most of us have been
instructed in the Scriptures from our youth up. Oh, that we all knew it
in our hearts!
Now, concerning that Ark, the first point to be noted is that it was
covered with a golden Mercy Seat which was the place of forgiveness
when it was sprinkled with the sacrificial blood. Those who came to it,
through the High Priest, knew that God had accepted them and forgiven
their sins. You and I know that we can never meet with God except at
the Mercy Seat which is Christ Jesus, the Lord! Christ made an
Atonement, a Propitiation, for our sins–He "offered Himself without
spot to God." Though in Him was no sin, yet He was made sin for us. For
our sake He came under the curse of the broken Law of God and now, if
we want to meet with God, it must be at the Mercy Seat, by the
Propitiation which Christ has made. You say that you know this is the
case–then never try to meet God anywhere else, for remember that He is
a consuming fire! There is no safety in making any attempt to come to
God except by Christ Jesus, the one Mediator between God and men. His
pierced body, that torn veil, is the only means of access for a sinner
to a holy God!
In addition to this, the Ark was not only a Mercy Seat, but it was a
Throne of Grace. God sat there, as it were, upon a throne of mercy and
to us, today, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Throne of Grace. God in
Christ Jesus is our reigning God, stretching out the silver scepter of
His mercy and accepting all who come to Him. Do you want to pray, poor
Soul, so that God will hear you? Then plead the blood of Christ! Do you
wish to pour out your burdened spirit before the God of Grace? Then
come with the name of Christ in your mouth and His blood trusted in
your heart–and you shall not be refused! There is no meeting place
with God, there is no place for prevailing prayer, but where you meet
God in the Person of Jesus Christ the one great Sin-Offering!
Then, further, the Ark was the place of God's Manifestation. As much as
could be seen of the Glory of God was seen between the cherubim. It is
said that a bright light alwaysrested there as a token of Jehovah's
perpetual Presence–and if you would see the Glory of God, you must
look into the face of Jesus Christ. "No man can see God's face and
live." But we may see the face of Christ and live by seeing it! But
only through the veil of Christ's Humanity can we see it. I have
noticed that when men look at the sun, it has to be through smoked
glass. And when we look at God, it must be through the Incarnation of
Christ, who was found in fashion as a Man, though He thought it not a
prize to be grasped to be equal with God.
Furthermore, David knew, and you also know, that there were within the
Ark three notable things–first, the tablets of stone which God had
ordered to be placed there for preservation. There was, next, the
golden pot with manna. And then there was also Aaron's rod that budded.
Now, if you come to Christ, you will find in Him all that these things
represented and all that you need.
First, there is preserved the complete, vindicated and honored Law of
God. You will never be able, in your own strength, to keep the Law of
the Lord–you will break it as surely as you live. Yet you cannot be
accepted without a perfect righteousness! Unless God sees you clothed
in the garments of righteousness, He will never admit you to the
wedding feast. So where are you to get that spotless robe? It is in
Christ, for faith is imputed for righteousness to him who believes in
the Son of God, even as Abraham believed in God and it was accounted to
him for righteousness! But how is righteousness imputed to the guilty?
Why, the Believer lays hold of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and it
is reckoned as if it were his own! "For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made
righteous." That "One" is the Lord, our Righteousness, and when we put
on His robe of righteousness, we stand before God, "holy as the Holy
One." If, then, you need a perfect Law, you will only find it in
Christ. If any say that they have it in themselves, I believe that is
only setting up another and a false Christ, for it is a derogation to
the special Glory of Christ, of whom alone it can be said that He has
magnified the Law and made it honorable by keeping it perfectly! I have
no righteousness in and of myself, nor has any child of God any of his
own–any that we once thought we had, we do count but dross and
dung–that we may win Christ and be found in Him, not having our own
righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Oh, how we need,
then, to find the Ark, Christ Jesus, that we may see, there, the
unbroken tablets of the Law of God!
But every child of God also needs spiritual food. If the Lord has
quickened you, He has given you hunger with your new life, for
spiritual hunger always goes with spiritual life and you are saying,
"Oh, that I might but eat of the crumbs that the little dogs get under
their master's table–I must have some spiritual meat!" You will never
have it till you get where the golden pot of manna is to be found.
There is the food of the saints treasured up in Christ! There is no
food for a soul even in Heaven except in Christ Jesus. He is the Manna,
of which, if a man eats, he shall live forever! This shall satisfy his
soul, strengthen him, build him up and develop him into a perfect man
in Christ Jesus! But you must come to Christ for the food that was
typified by the golden pot full of manna.
I think that I hear someone say, "I remember that a third thing that
was in the Ark was Aaron's rod that budded. And that reminds me that I
need a power that can rule me, that can say to my rebellious passions,
'Be still,' and that can make me walk in the way of God's commands,
even bringing every wandering thought into captivity." Well, there is
no rod that I know of that can rule our rebellious nature but the rod
of Christ Jesus, the great High Priest of God! Once let that blessed
rod be all-powerful over us, and with it shall come all manner of buds,
blossoms and ripe fruit to our soul.
Jesus said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and
lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls." Only from
that rod can come the perfect fruit-bearing that every true child of
God desires to produce!
II. This leads me to my second remark, which is that knowing what we do
about Christ, the Ark, WE DESIRE TO
FIND HIM.
I hope that I am addressing some who could even use the language of
David and say that they intensely desire to find Him. They cry to the
mighty God of Jacob in their affliction and with their whole heart and
soul they long to find Christ! David made a vow about it, for his heart
was set upon finding the Ark. Dear Friend, is your heart set upon
finding Christ, or are you merely trifling with Him? Have you been so
thoroughly awakened by the Holy Spirit that within you there burns a
strong desire, insatiable as death, itself, so that you feel that you
must find Christ? If so, I am happy to be addressing you–and you are
already a happy person to have this hungering and thirsting after
Christ, for that holy craving shall be fully satisfied with Him.
David thirsted to find this Ark immediately and so much in earnest was
he that he said, "Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my
house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, or
slumber to me eyelids until I find out a place for the Lord." Oh, when
it comes to this–that you must have Christ, then you shall have
Christ! When with every breath you seem to say, "Give me Christ, or
else I die," then you shall not die, but you shall have Christ and
live! I have heard of some who have at last been driven to such a pitch
of vehement determination that they have gone into their chamber and
said, "By the Grace of God I will never leave this place until I have
found my Lord." I knew one who said, "I dare not eat till I have found
Christ, lest every morsel should choke me." And in the ardor of his
spirit to roll himself upon his Savior and to be cleansed in His
precious blood, he cast himself upon his knees and cried to his
God–and the Lord revealed Himself to him! If you must have Christ, you
shall have Him! But if you can be put off, you shall be put off.
Next, David sought the Ark most reverently, for he recognized it as
being a token of the Presence of "the mighty God of Jacob." And you and
I must seek Christ reverently. I do not like to hear the irreverent
appeals of those who speak of Christ as though He were to be seized by
force and carried off against all law and justice. Truly, "the Kingdom
of Heaven suffers violence," but it is the violence of humble men and
women who dare to act with holy boldness because they are encouraged by
their God. That I, a poor sinner, should ever speak with God in a sort
of bullying tone, as I have heard some do, as though they said even to
their God, "Stand and deliver," this will never do! Your mouth is in
the best position when it is in the dust–and your heart is nearest to
prevailing with God when it is bowed even to the ground. "Out of the
depths have I cried to You, O Lord," should be the language with which
we humbly approach His Throne of Grace.
But while David thus sought very reverently, yet observe that it was
with intense desire that he might receive this Ark when once he found
it He wanted to find it, but his ultimate objective was to harbor it,
to give hospitality to it, to find a resting place for it. And oh, dear
Heart, if you want to find Christ, let it be with this desire, "Oh,
that He may come and live in my soul, and be my own personal Christ! I
do not want merely to hear aboutHim, to be taught about Him–I want to
have Him–and if He is to be had, I willhave Him! If there is Grace
beneath the sky for a poor sinner, then I, the chief of sinners, will
not rest until I find rest in Him." If I am speaking to any here of
that kind, I say again that I am thrice happy!
III. Proceeding still further with our subject and coming directly to
our text–first, knowing what this Ark is, and then desiring to find
it–thirdly, WE HAVE HEARD WHERE IT IS–"Lo, we heard of it at
Ephratah."
"We heard of it." And is it not a blessed thing that we have heard
about where Christ is?Where did you first hear of Him? I do not know
whether, by Ephratah, David meant Bethlehem. Some think he did. That
was the place where he was born and in his own father's house David had
heard about the Ark. And there are some of us who can say with
overflowing gratitude that we heard about Christ in our Ephratah, in
our Bethlehem. His dear name was mingled with our mother's hush of
lullaby. Among the earliest recollections I have are memories of hymns
about the Lord Jesus Christ! The Word of God was our first school
book–do we not remember, as little children, spelling out in Matthew,
and Mark, and Luke, and John, something about that dear Lord? "We heard
of it at Ephratah," in our earliest home–if that is the meaning of
David's words.
Oh, but, if you heard of Christ so soon, why have you not found Him
yet? You who go to market know that there is nothing like the morning
market–and there is nothing like seeking Christ early. They that seek
Him early, shall find Him. If others do not, they shall–they shall
find Him with an emphasis–find Him to a degree and in a measure in
which some others do not. Oh, go to Christ in the morning market! Be
the first there to buy the Truth of God and never sell it!
But Ephratah means–well, I do not know what it means, nor do any of
the critics–it probably means some town of Ephraim. And I do not know
and some of you do not know, perhaps, where you did nothear about
Christ. You went to Sunday school and you heard of Him there. You went
home and you heard of Him there. In these days, there are agencies that
surround men so that they are often hearing of Him. Some here present
have long heard of Christ and you are always hearing about Him–is it
not time that you should get further than merely knowing and
hearing–and should intensely seek until you findHim? You have heard of
Christ from ministers. They have told you, many a time, where Christ
is. You have heard of Him from Christian men and women. I hope that you
will hear of Him again tonight from some Brother or Sister who will
buttonhole you before you get out of this place, for there are some
here who are very quick at that blessed work! And they will be sharp
after you, for their love to you is great and they cannot bear that a
soul should ever come within these walls and then, at last, be lost. I
do pray the Lord that none ever may!
Oh, that your coming here might be the result of God's Grace working
upon your soul, that you may be saved! I remember one friend coming to
me and he said to me very earnestly, "I should like, Sir, to take a
seat in the Tabernacle." I answered, "Well, do so, by all manner of
means! I am very glad when people do so." "But," he said, "I may not
come up to what you expect of me, for I have heard that if I take a
sitting here, you will expect me to be converted–and I cannot
guarantee that." "No," I replied, "I do not want you to guarantee it. I
do not mean the word, expect, in that sense at all, but I do hope that
it will be so." "Oh," he exclaimed, "and so do I! I am going to take a
sitting with that very view." And it was so, of course it was so! When
the man wished it to be so, God accepted the wish and heard the
prayer–and he was brought to Christ and joined the Church! May
everyone who comes here have to say, "Well, wherever we did nothear
about Christ, we didhear of Him at the Tabernacle–that was our
Ephratah. We were told where He was and we received plain and clear
directions as to how we might find Him."
IV. Now, fourthly, the next words are, "WE FOUND IT."
You remember the learned Grecian who, when he had made a discovery
while in the bath, leaped out of it and ran down the streets crying,
"Eureka! Eureka! I have found it! I have found it!" Oh, those are the
best words in my text! "We found it."
Well, where did we find it? David said that he found it "in the fields
of the woods," that is, where he did not expect to find it Have not
many of us found Christ where we never thought we should find Him?
"Oh," says one, "I shall never go to Heaven, I am sure, through the
preaching of Mr. So-and-So! I cannot stand him. I am sure I would never
get a blessing among such-and-such people." And, perhaps, dear Friend,
the very man that you have thought could not be a blessing to you is to
be made a blessing to you–and the very place where you did not expect
to find Christ will be the exact spot where you shall meet with Him!
In the case of David finding the Ark, it was not only where he could
not have expected it, but it was in a place that was despised–a rustic
place–"in the fields of the woods." Perhaps the Lord may lead you to
some very plain minister, without any polish, or talent, or ability–a
rustic speaker–a very Amos and, lo, there you will find the Ark of the
Lord! If the Lord will guide you to Heaven through the word of a
chimney-sweep, it would be far better than that you should go to Hell
under the ministry of the most eloquent orator or the greatest bishop
who ever lived. If you are brought to Jesus Christ by one who murders
the Queen's English–it is a pity that he should do that but, still, it
does not matter much, so long as he does not murder the Lord's Gospel,
for the Gospel comes out straight and clear, despite his broken words.
Then you will, as it were, find Christ "in the fields of the woods." I
have known some who have found Christ in a very lowly place. They have
gone away from all companions and up in their own little room they have
sought and found Him. I knew one who found the Savior down a saw-pit
and another who found Him in a hayloft. Some have walked the streets of
London and have been more alone, there, than anywhere else and, as they
have trudged along, men have seemed to them like trees walking–they
have found Christ, figuratively, "in the fields of the woods." Get
alone, dear Friends–it is horrible to live in a crowd! I do not know
how a man's spiritual life is to be constantly maintained in a
crowd–he must often be alone. "You, when you pray, enter into your
closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is
in secret."
"We found it in the fields of the woods," may, perhaps, mean, Brothers
and Sisters, that you will find Christ where you lose yourselves. You
know that it is very easy to lose yourself in the woods. You get in
among the trees and you do not know whether you should turn to the
right or to the left. Or you are in "the fields of the woods" and you
are quite lost, for you cannot tell which way to go. The nearest thing
to being saved is knowing that one is lost! When a man is really lost
in his own consciousness, the next thing is for him to be saved. The
end of yourself is the beginning of Christ. May the Lord cause you to
know that you are thoroughly lost, and then soon you shall sing, "We
found Christ in the woods where we lost ourselves."
It has struck me, too, in thinking over our text, that often we find
Christ very near to us. Where did Adam go after he had disobeyed his
Lord? He went and hid himself among the trees. And you and I found
Christ where we were hiding–we did not know that He was among the
trees of the woods–we thought that we were out of sight of God and far
away from Heaven and Grace and mercy. Yet all the time, there was the
mercy close at hand. Poor Sinner, you do not know how easy it is to be
saved. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." You
do not know how near that salvation is to you. "The Word is near you,
even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the Word of faith which
we preach; that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you shall be saved."
V. Fifthly, and very briefly, "WE WILL GO." "We will go into His
tabernacles."
Now that we have found where Christ is and we can go to Him, we will
have Him. We will go to God in Christ–"we will go into His
tabernacles." We will not delay a minute longer, but we will, even now,
by faith, go to the great Father in His own appointed way. We will go
to Him for all that He is prepared to give–"we will go into His
tabernacles" to find the Mercy Seat, to bow before the Throne of Grace,
to behold the Glory of God, to eat of the manna, to see the perfect Law
of God and to come under the governance of the blessed rod that buds.
"We will go into His tabernacles," first, into the outer court. Then,
into the inner court and, last of all, into the Holy of Holies. It is a
blessed thing to see a soul on the go towards God when Christ becomes
the Way!
"We will go into His tabernacles" and we will dwell there. We will
dwell with God. We will get back to the Father's House where there is
"bread enough and to spare," and there we will stay. We will go to
learn of God. We will be the disciples of Christ. We will go and we
will go at once. Oh, I wish that I could hear some saying, "We will go.
We know about Christ, we have found Him near us–we will now go and
simply trust and rest–and so dwell in the great Father's love." God
grant that you may do so!
VI. And then the last word is, WE WILL WORSHIP. "We will worship at His
footstool."
In lowly reverence we will bow ourselves down in the very dust, for we
are but dust and ashes even when we are saved. "We will worship at His
footstool." That is, with deepest solemnity, for even His Ark, His
Temple, is but the footstool of the great King! Oh, what must He be!
Heaven is His Throne, but the earth is His footstool. This world is a
wonderful place. I have looked upon mountains, hills, valleys and
mighty seas–yet the whole earth is nothing but the footstool of God!
Let us go, then, and worship before Him in lowly reverence and with
deepest solemnity.
But let us worship there with great joy. His "saints shall shout aloud
for joy" and, as they bow at His footstool, it shall not be as slaves,
but as His chosen and accepted ones. Let us also bow there very
gratefully, blessing God that He has brought us to His feet. Part of
the preparation for Heaven is to worship at God's footstool on earth,
but, by-and-by, we shall worship in His palace above! "We will go and
worship" because we have found Christ and He is ours! May this be true
of all of you, dear Friends, for Jesus' sake! Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALM132.
This Psalm is a prayer and pleading of the Covenant, such a prayer as
might have been offered by Solomon at the opening of the Temple, or by
any of the descendants of David, either in their times ofjoy or in
their seasons of affliction. It divides itself into three parts. In the
first seven verses, mention is made of David's zeal for the Ark and for
the House of the Lord. Then, in three more verses, there follows the
prayer at the moving of the Ark. And then the last verses mention the
Covenant which God made with His servant, David, which is pleaded by
David's descendants in later years. The Psalm begins thus–
Verse 1. LORD, (or Jehovah), remember David, and all his afflictions.
We cannot come before God in our own name; so what a mercy it is that
we have a good name to plead! You and I do not approach the Lord in the
name of any saint or holy man–we plead the name of "great David's
greater Son" and with the utmost emphasis can we say, "Lord, remember
Jesus, and all His afflictions–His griefs and sorrows on our behalf."
This was a most proper prayer, however, as it stands, from those who
belonged to David's race–they pleaded the name of him with whom God
had entered into Covenant on the behalf of all his seed–"Lord,
remember David, and all his trouble–his trouble which he took about
Your house, and about Your Ark."
2. Howhe swore unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob.
Jacob was the great maker of vows and you will also remember that
Jacob, on his dying bed, made mention of "the mighty God of Jacob."
David, in this Psalm, imitated his forefathers–he made a solemn vow to
the Lord that he would build a house for God, even as Jacob did when he
said, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go,
and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, so that I come
again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God. And
this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house."
3-5. Surely 1 willnot come into the tabernacle ofmy house, nor go up
into my bed; I willnot give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids
until I find a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of
Jacob. He used strong words to signify that his house would be no house
to him and that he would not regard his bed as a place of rest until he
had discovered where God would dwell. It means that he would give
himself wholly up to this project–it would be his life-work to find a
suitable place for the worship of the Most High. I wish that this same
zeal would take firm hold of all Christians. How many there are who
dwell in their ceiled houses while the House of God lies in waste! They
can provide abundantly for themselves, but for God's cause, for God's
Gospel, for a place wherein the poor may meet for the preaching of the
Word, they do not seem to care. May the Lord give us to feel something
of this self-denial and devotion to God that moved the heart of David!
6, 7. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the
woods. We will go into His tabernacles: we will worship at His
footstool This is what David did and you see what trouble he took in
the matter. But you know that he was not permitted to build a house for
God. Yet he had the same reward as if he had done so, for God built up
his house and established his dynasty for many generations! God often
takes the will for the deed with His servants. And when they wish to do
a good work and there is some reason why they may not carry out their
plans, the Lord looks upon them and gives them the same reward as if
they had accomplished their design. After all, dear Friends, David
wised to build a house for God and although it was very right and
proper in itself, yet, in the sight of God, it was but a small matter!
He took little account of Solomon's Temple, though it was "exceedingly
magnificent!" You remember how Stephen said, just as a sort of passing
remark of no great importance, "Solomon built Him an house. Howbeit,
the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands." And it is a very
curious fact in history that from the very day in which the great
Temple was dedicated, spiritual religion began to decline in the land!
God's worship was never more pure than when it was rendered in a tent
in a humble way. But, as soon as the great gilded Temple was erected
and priestly pomp began to display itself, it seemed as if men began to
depart from the spiritual worship of Jehovah. How often it is that the
more gorgeous the Ceremonial Law, the less hearty and the less
spiritual the worship becomes! Our great and glorious God who fills
Heaven and earth takes small account of noble architecture and earthly
pomp and splendor, or of the sweetness of music, or the fumes of
incense. He is far above all that is merely sensuous! He delights to
dwell where there are broken hearts that He can bind and where genuine
Believers worship Him in spirit and in truth.
8-10. Arise, O LORD, into Your rest; You, and the Ark of Your strength.
Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness; and let Your saints
shout for joy. For Your servant David's sake turn not away the face of
Your anointed. Turn back for a minute to the 8th verse. "Arise, O
Jehovah, into Your rest." This exclamation was very similar to the
language which Moses used whenever the Ark set forward–"Rise up,
Jehovah, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let them that hate You
flee before You." And when it rested, he said, "Return, O Jehovah, unto
the many thousands of Israel." So David did well to use similar words
when the Ark was, at lat, brought to its resting place. He calls it the
Ark of God's Strength, for such it really was. It had done great
wonders. It was when the Ark was borne by the priests into the midst of
Jordan that the river was divided so that the people could pass over
with dry feet. Even when the Ark was taken captive, it brought disaster
to the Philistines. And when the men of Beth-Shemesh irreverently
looked into it, great numbers of them were slain! It was truly the Ark
of God's Strength–the great type of the power of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord! In the 9th verse we read, "Let Your priests be clothed with
righteousness." That is the best robe that he can wear who serves God!
And you know that all of us who believe in Jesus have been made kings
and priests unto God. Righteousness, therefore, should be the garment
which we wear from head to foot. "And let Your saints shout for joy."
God's holy ones should be happy ones! No man has so much right to be
happy as he that is holy. We serve the happy God–we may well be happy
ourselves–and we are not to keep our happiness hidden within our own
hearts. "Let Your saints shout for joy." Let them exult, let them
triumph, let them express their delight. The 10th verse is a prayer for
the king and for the whole line of kings–the Psalmist pleads with the
Lord to continue to look upon them for the sake of David with whom He
had made His Covenant. Now the Psalm finishes with the Covenant made
with David.
11. The LORD has sworn in truth unto David; He willnot turn from it, I
willset upon your throne the fruit ofyour body. That was literally
fulfilled in a long line of kings, but it is more gloriously fulfilled
in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. David the prophet-king is dead,
but he, seeing before that God would raise up Christ, laid hold upon
this precious promise, "I willset upon your throne the fruit ofyour
body.." Our Lord Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews, but He is also
King of kings and Lord of lords and, as God has set Him on the Throne,
neither devils nor men can ever pull Him from it.
12. If Your children will keep My Covenant and My Testimony that I
shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon your throne
forevermore. And so it would have been. The kingdom of Israel would
never have been broken up, either by internal rebellion or external
attack, if it had not been that the kings flagrantly turned aside from
God. He bore with them very long, but they waxed worse and worse and,
at last, God's Covenant had to be kept, through their default, by a
deed of vengeance against them. Yet today, in spirit, this Covenant
stands fast, for the Lord Jesus has kept it on His people's behalf and
now He shall sit upon the throne of David forevermore, blessed be His
holy name!
13. For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.
Here are some of the sweetest words that were ever written! There are
fathomless depths of sweetness in them, for here we have the Truth of
God concerning the election of the Church of God. "The Lord has chosen
Zion." Some men cannot endure to hear the Doctrine of Election– I
suppose they like to choose their own wives, but they are not willing
that Christ should select His bride, the Church! Everybody is to have a
free will except God! But let them know that God still exercises a
Sovereign choice among the sons of men. Jesus said to His disciples,
"You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." Blessed be His name,
the Truth still stands! "The Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it
for His habitation." We delight to dwell with those whom we love and
God so loves His Church that He desires to always dwell in it–and He
does dwell in it by His Spirit–and a day shall come when the perfected
Church, the new Jerusalem, shall come down out of Heaven from God,
having the Glory of the Lord, and the Lamb shall be the Light thereof.
You know how the last chapters of the Book of Revelation describe the
glorified Church and God dwelling in the midst of it. "The Lord has
chosen Zion." That is the first thing–election. "He has desired it for
His habitation. That is the next thing–the indwelling of the Spirit of
God in the Church. And this is one of the greatest marvels of which we
have ever heard!
14. This is My resting place forever Is it not amazing that God,
Jehovah, should say of His people, "This is My resting place forever"?
Now, if He rests, I am sure that we may! It is very remarkable that
when God was making the world, He never rested till He had fitted it up
for His child, and everything was ready for Adam. God never stopped His
work till there was everything that Adam could desire. And when it was
all complete, then He rested the seventh day. So, when He has done
everything for His Church, when His work for her is all completed, then
Christ rests, but not till then! He says, by the mouth of Isaiah, "For
Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will
not rest until the righteousness thereof goes forth as brightness, and
the salvation thereof as a lamp that burns." But that being once
accomplished, He says, "This is My rest forever." God does not rest in
the work of His hands as a Creator, He rests in the work of Christ as
the Redeemer!
14. Here will I dwell; for I have desired it God dwells in His Church
and will dwell in it. He has desired to do so and His desire will
certainly be realized–who can cause Him to be disappointed?
15. I will abundantly bless her provisions. By which I understand that
there will be provisions, that there will be abundant provisions and
that there will be abundant blessings on those provisions. God grant
that we may always find it so! Let us plead this precious, "I will." "I
will abundantly bless her provisions."
15. I will satisfy her poor with bread. Poor, and yet
satisfied–satisfied with bread! Yes, but what kind of bread? The Bread
that came down from Heaven, the Bread of God, which is Christ Jesus,
whose flesh is meat, indeed, and whose blood is drink, indeed. "I will
satisfy her poor with bread." The Lord does not say anything about her
rich. No, but we read in another place, "The rich He has sent away
empty." I wish to always remain among the poor of the Lord's flock–
not to put my name down among those perfect people who are so rich in
Grace that they are obliged to tell everybody about it! No, I would be
poor in spirit–emptied more and more, lying lowly and humbly at my
Lord's feet. I am the more ready to do this because I perceive that the
Lord has prepared all His goodness for the poor in spirit. "I will
satisfy her poor with bread."
aloud for joy. The prayer in the 8' verse ith was, "Arise, O Lord, into
Your rest." In the 14' verse, we read the answer, "This is My rest
forever: here will I dwell."
Then in the 9t verse was the petition, "Let Your priests be clothed
with righteousness." Now the Lord gives the response, "I will also
clothe her priests with salvation." Righteousness is only a part of
salvation, but oh, what glorious raiment it is when a man once wears
the silken dress of salvation! Talk of "cloth of gold"–there is
nothing among royal array that can be compared to the vestments of the
saints! I go in for vestments when they are those of which the Lord
says, "I will also clothe her priests with salvation." They shall be
covered over with it, from head to foot, so that there shall be nothing
of His people to be seen but His own salvation! Notice the prayer in
the 9th verse, "Let Your saints shout for joy." And the answer is here,
"Her saints shall shout aloud for joy." God always gives more than we
ask! Silver prayers get golden answers! "Open your mouth wide," He
says, "and I will fill it." Yes, and then open it again and He will
fill it yet again, for He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think."
17. There will I make the horn of David to bud. As a stag's horn grows,
putting out fresh buds and branches, so shall the power of David be
increased and enlarged. We see that promise fulfilled spiritually in
the growing Kingdom of Christ.
17. I have ordained a lamp for My Anointed. His name shall never go out
like an extinguished lamp. If it is blown out, once, as it were, in the
death of Solomon or any other, king, yet from that lamp shall another
be lighted. The Lord says, I have ordained a lamp," and Christ will
always be a source of brightness in the world! He will always be "a
light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel." As
the holy lamp in the sanctuary was never to go out, so has God ordained
that Christ shall always shine to the joy and delight of His people.
18. His enemies will I clothe with shame. In this Psalm two sets of
clothing are mentioned and you can have which you like. Here is one, "I
will clothe her priests with salvation." And here is the other, "His
enemies will I clothe with shame." Shame is a terrible thing! Many a
man has thrown away his life to try to escape from the shame of a
guilty conscience. But the ungodly will be forever clothed with shame
and they will be eternally condemned. "His enemies," that is the
description of the ungodly. It is of small account what your outward
character appears to be–if you are an enemy of Christ, these are the
garments in which you will die–and these are the garments in which you
will continue to suffer forever. "His enemies will I clothe with
shame."
18. But upon Himself shall His crown flourish. Upon Christ the laurel
wreath, or rather, the Crown of Glory, shall never wither. "He shall
not fail nor be discouraged, till He has set judgment in the earth: and
the isles shall wait for His law."