The Lesson of the Almond Tree
(No. 2678)
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, JUNE 10, 1900.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL
7, 1881.
"Moreover the word of the LORRD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what do
you see? And I said, I see a branch of an almond tree. Then said the
LORD unto me, You have seen well: for I am ready to perform My word."
Jeremiah 1:11,12.
OBSERVE, first, dear Friends, that before Jeremiah becomes a speaker
for God, he must be a seer. The name for a Prophet, in the olden time,
was a "seer"–a man who could see–one who could see with his mind's
eye, one who could also see with spiritual insight, so as vividly to
realize the Truth of God which he had to deliver in the name of the
Lord. Learn that simple lesson well, O you who try to speak for God!
You must be seers before you can be speakers.
The question with which God usually begins His conversation with each
of His true servants is the one He addressed to Jeremiah, "What do you
see?" I am afraid that there are some ministers, nowadays, who do not
see much. Judging by what they preach, their vision must be all in
cloudland, where all they see is smoke, mist and fog. I often meet with
persons who have attended the same ministry for years–and when I have
asked them even very simple questions about the things of God, I have
found that they do not know anything. It was not because they were not
able to comprehend quickly when the Truth was set forth plainly before
them, but I fear that it was, in most cases, because there was nothing
that they could learn from the minister to whom they had been
accustomed to listen. The preacher had seen nothing and, therefore,
when he described what he saw, of course it all amounted to nothing.
No, my Brother, before you can make an impression upon another person's
heart, you must have an impression made upon your own soul. You must be
able to say, concerning the Truth of God, "I see it," before you can
speak it so that your hearers shall also see it. It must be clear to
your own mind, by the spiritual perception which accompanies true
faith, or else you will not be able to say with the Psalmist, "I
believed, therefore have I spoken." Let me say again that sentence
which I uttered a minute ago–the speaker for God must first be a seer
in the Light of God.
And, next, the true speaker for God must see what God sets before him.
In this case, the Lord had set before Jeremiah's eye "a branch of an
almond tree." We might have thought that as a preparation for his
prophetical work, he would have seen mysterious wheels full of eyes, or
flaming seraphs and cherubs, or the wonderful creatures that were
caused to appear in the dreams of Ezekiel and the Revelation to John.
Instead of this, Jeremiah simply sees "a branch of an almond tree" and,
beloved Friends, when you look into the Bible, you will see some very
simple things there–such things as save little children's souls–such
things as men with no education can understand and believe! Be not
anxious to be numbered among those who are so "eclectic" and "cultured"
that if God sets before them the branch of an almond tree, they cannot
condescend to notice it.
That is something which everybody can see, so why should such
remarkable eyes as theirs behold the plain things which ordinary
individuals can perceive? They want to see–I scarcely know what they
want to see, except their own foolish dreams–and even those are hidden
from them. God give us Grace to see branches of almond trees when He
sets them before us–I mean may He give us Grace to see such simple
Truths as these–"You must be born again." "This is a faithful saying,
and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners." "He that believes and is baptized, shall be saved." What
do your see, my Friend? Do you see what God would have you see, what He
has put before you in His Word? If so, I may say to you what the Lord
said to Jeremiah, "You have seen well." But if not,
however gorgeous the panorama or pageant which you have invented for
yourself to behold, you might as well be blind, for you will only be
following some will-o'-the-wisp that may amuse for a while, but will
ultimately destroy the souls of men!
Further, those who would speak aright for God must also take care to
see with all their eyes. I do not suppose that everybody here who had
seen the vision of a branch, would have known it to be "a branch of an
almond tree." I do not imagine that I would, though I think I could,
after close examination, identify a branch if it were from an olive
tree, or orange tree, having become familiar with them during my visits
to the South of France. But I do not know that I would, in a moment, be
able to say of a certain branch, "That is the branch of an almond
tree." But Jeremiah understood these things and, therefore, as soon as
he saw what was set before him, he did not merely say, "I see a
branch," but, "I see a branch of an almond tree." He distinguished at
once the kind of branch that was revealed to him in vision, for he was
a man who had those powers of discernment and discrimination which are
most necessary in the Lord's servants. And if you, dear Friend, are
called to teach the children in the Sunday school, or if you try to win
souls by private conversation, or if you are a preacher of the Word,
blessed are you if you can see below the surface of the Truth of God
and can peer into its hidden depths of meaning and get a spiritual
insight into the Word of God so that you do not merely see a small
portion of the Scriptures, but you perceive a far larger part than most
people do! You should, if you can, see it all.
I think that many years of spiritual education and Divine training
would be required for you to attain to that position–at any rate, to
see all that is necessary for the due discharge of your ministry, all
that may help you to know the meaning of the Truth and to bring it out
for real, practical use among those to whom you seek to be made a
blessing. O seer, ask to have clear eyes! Speaker, remember that your
speaking must begin with your eyes and–though it may seem a strange
thing to say–the first education for the true servant of God does not
concern his tongue so much as his eyes! "What do you see?" Seek to be
able to see all that you can see! And take care that you do not miss
anything through inadvertence or neglect. "Search the Scriptures." Be
you one of those who gazes into the Truth, as the angels desire to look
into it, so that when you see the vision, you shall be able to say,
with Jeremiah, "I see a branch of an almond tree."
Next, the servant of the Lord must seek to win the approval of his
Master as Jeremiah did. It will be a grand thing for you, dear Brothers
and Sisters who try to speak to others, if you would receive such
praise as God so freely gave to Jeremiah, at the very first moment of
his ministry, when He said to him, "You have seen well." You shall
speak well if you have seen well. O my dear young Brothers in the
College, you who are here tonight, I hope that it will be true of you,
whenever you think of the Doctrine of Human Depravity, that you have
looked into your own hearts and seen the evil of your own nature till
you have wept over it! So shall it be said to each one of you, "You
have seen that well." I hope that you will so clearly see the truth of
the Fall that you will recognize the evil that comes of it and the evil
that abides in the corrupt nature of man.
And then may you get such a sight of the Cross–such a clear view of
the atoning blood and understand so fully the great Doctrine of
Substitution and the Divine plan of reconciliation, that God may be
able to say to you, "You have seen well." A lack of distinctness in our
understanding of the Truth of God will lead to a lack of distinctness
in our utterance of it. Oh, to have eyes like those of the Heavenly
Bridegroom, of whom His spouse said, "His eyes are as the eyes of doves
by the rivers of waters, washed with milk and fitly set," for, in His
turn, He says to His bride, "Behold, you are fair, My love; behold, you
are fair; you have doves' eyes." The ministers of the Church of Christ,
who have, to a great extent, to be her seers, need to have clear,
far-seeing, and pure-seeing eyes! May God grant us the power to
distinctly trace His wondrous Grace from the eternal Fountain of
electing love, along the streams of never-ceasing mercy which bring
final perseverance to the saints, right onward to the coming of our
Lord and the blessed rising of all His Church to be with Him in His
Glory forever and ever! Before you venture to tell anything of the
Gospel message to others, you need to hear the Lord say to you, as He
said to Jeremiah, "You have seen well."
For this purpose it will be necessary that your eyes should be
enlightened. What an appropriate prayer is that for you Sunday school
teachers and Christian ministers to offer, "Open You my eyes, that I
may behold wondrous things out of Your Law"! I think that if I had, as
a preacher, to make only one request to my Master, and He asked me,
"What will you that I should do unto you?"–I should reply, "Lord, that
I may receive my sight more fully than ever, and see Your Truth more
clearly than ever," because there is no fear about our speaking for God
if our seeing is what it should be. That is the main matter and,
therefore, the Lord asks each one of us, "What do you see?" If our
answer proves that we
have seen well, it is because the Spirit of God has enlightened us and,
enlightenment from God having been once received, we shall proclaim to
others right gladly what God has revealed to us.
Yet once more, those who see what they can see and take care to see it
well, are the people who shall receive further instruction, for it was
when Jeremiah said, "I see a branch of an almond tree," that the Lord
went on to explain the vision to him, saying, "You have seen well: for
I will hasten My word to perform it." Those who do not see what they
can see shall not be allowed to see any more. If you will not use, in
diligently studying the Scriptures, the judgment and perception which
you already have, God will not give you further light since you neglect
the gift that is in you. He will leave your fire to burn low because
you do not stir it up–and it shall get to be more dim than it is now,
for he who will not learn more when God is willing to teach him shall
forget what he already knows. I charge you, who are called to teach
others in any way whatever, to submit yourselves fully to the teaching
of the Holy Spirit. A disciple is the only person who can become an
Apostle. A scholar in the school of Christ is the only one who can be
sent out to tell others what his Master wishes to have made known to
the sons of men.
I have spoken thus with the view of helping those who are working for
Christ. But now I must try to explain the vision mentioned in our text.
"Jeremiah, what do you see? I see a branch of an almond tree."
I. Observe, first, that THE ALMOND IS A WAKEFUL TREE. The Hebrew word
which is rendered, "almond," comes from a root signifying to be
wakeful, so this passage might be read thus, "I see the wakeful branch.
Then said the Lord unto me, You have seen well: for I will be wakeful
concerning My word to perform it."
When the other trees are asleep, before the warmth of the springtime
has awakened them from their winter slumbers, the almond tree awakes
and opens the lovely eyes of its abundant blossoms. In Jeremiah's
country it begins to bloom in early January and it is in such haste to
produce its fruit that it is often ripe before the end of March. You
know how, even in our suburban gardens, one of the first signs of the
approach of spring is that the almond tree begins to blossom. The East
wind often keeps it back, yet it struggles to its utmost to come out
while other trees are asleep. Even before the chestnut, which is
generally up as early as almost any of our trees, has been able to cast
off the blankets in which it slept during the winter, the almond tree
has opened its eyes and looked out as if it were asking whether
springtime is not coming. The almond is a wakeful tree, and so says the
Lord, "I will be wakeful concerning My word to perform it."
Note, first, that God never forgets a promise. Alas, you and I do not
remember all our promises! How often are they made only to be broken!
But God never forgets one that He has given. We even forget God's
promises and, often, when we are in trouble, we can hardly recollect
one that we can plead before Him. But God never yet forgot a
promise–all these centuries in which He has been dealing with men, He
has never yet failed to keep His word. "Has He said, and shall He not
do it?"
What is equally wonderful, God has never forgotten a single person to
whom a promise belonged–not even the least. Even if they have only
desired to seek Him, or if they have only commenced to seek Him, He has
been gracious to them–He has heard their cry and has delivered them.
This is a big world and there are many millions of people in it, yet
not one of them has ever been able to say that God has failed to keep
one of His promises. More than that, in the whole universe, throughout
all the ages, there has never been a forgotten soul! He who counts the
brilliant stars, counts such dim things as our understanding–and He
who numbers the very hairs of our head never fails to reckon the cries
of our hearts.
Further, there has never been a single occasion of a promise which God
has allowed to slip. When the promise has become due, He has discharged
it to the tick of the clock! There are no dishonored bills recorded
against God in the archives of men or of angels! No one can look up to
the heavens and say to Him, "You have deceived me and I was deceived."
But we can say, "Faithful and true are You, O Jehovah; this is part of
Your Son's title, for He is the faithful and true Witness, and You are
the faithful Promiser who always performs what He has promised." "The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness."
Let me also add that there is not a threat in God's Word which has not
been fulfilled, or which will not yet be executed. He has been a
wakeful God in that respect. When men have persisted in their iniquity,
He has not allowed them to escape the just punishment of their evil
deeds. Happily for us, we cannot hear the sighs and cries of the
spirits shut up in Hell, but they are there. In His mercy God has made
a great gulf between us and those who are tormented in that flame– but
they are there, though we cannot see or hear them. As surely as God
lives, their iniquity and transgression are al-
ready receiving their just recompense of reward–and there is a worse
doom to follow. As God watches over His people to do them good, so does
He watch over the transgressor who is finally impenitent–and makes him
to know the terrors of His wrath. That is the black side of this Truth
of God and it must not be ignored. You may rest assured that a judge
who does not punish the guilty is as unjust as the one who does not
acquit the innocent. There must be with every king who is worthy of the
name, an execution of the sentence of the law upon evildoers, as well
as the award of praise for them that do well. Paul says, concerning the
earthly representative of authority, "He bears not the sword in vain."
And that sentence is certainly true concerning the King of Kings.
"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
Look, then, dear Friends, at this branch of an almond tree and believe
in a wakeful God who will surely deal with men according to His Word,
whether in promise or in threat.
II. But the more obvious sense of the text is that which I give under
the second head. THE ALMOND IS IN HASTE TO BLOSSOM AND BEAR FRUIT.
Hence our translators have rendered the passage, "I will hasten My word
to perform it." The almond tree is not slow to bloom–it is one of the
very first trees to tell us that springtime is near. And the Lord is
quick to fulfill His Word.
Very briefly, let me remind you of the quickness of God to fulfill His
threats. Do you realize, dear Hearers, you who are now hearing the
Gospel, but have not received it, that God's threats take effect at
once? "No," you say, "'He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor
rewarded us according to our iniquities.'" That is most true, yet there
is a sense in which His sentence takes effect at once. For instance,
"He that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God." If you have heard the
Gospel–and some of you have heard it many, many years–and yet have
not heeded it, you will not be condemned for the first time at the Last
Great Day, you are condemned even now! Some people say to us, "Why do
you ministers, in your preaching, so constantly deal with another life,
instead of dealing with this one?" Our answer is that we do deal with
this life–we deal with it continually, for we believe that both sides
of that text are true at this very minute, "He that believes on the Son
has everlasting life: he that believes not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abides on him." Even now, at this moment, while
you are in this building, if you are not a Believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ, the wrath of God is abiding on you!
Listen again. There is another immediate effect of the Word of the Lord
which follows as quickly as the blossom appears upon the almond tree.
Upon some hearers, it produces an instant hardening. You remember how
Paul wrote, "We are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are
saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savor of death
unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life"? You, dear
Friends, are deriving, from every Gospel sermon that you hear, either
life unto life, or else death unto death. If you get no good from it,
you will assuredly get harm. An unbelieving hearing of the Gospel is a
multiplication of curses to your soul–another sermon for which you
have to give account, another rejected exhortation recorded against
you, another earnest invitation which you have refused–and for which
you will be held responsible. You are heaping up to yourselves wrath
against the Day of Wrath even while you hear the Word of the Lord. I am
not now talking about what will happen to you when you die, or when you
rise for the final judgment–I am speaking about what is happening NOW!
The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which
melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins. Take
heed that you do not soon see the almond tree blossom in this terrible
sense.
There is also another sense in which a definite result is speedily
coming, for you must soon die unless Christ comes shortly. In any case,
it cannot be long before some here will be gone. We who have reached
middle life must not reckon on continuing to live for many years–and
others are already bald with age, or their hair is gray–so they must
soon die. Suppose, however, that you young people should live to be
ninety–yet how soon that period will be ended! Years seem to spin
round, especially as we grow older. I thought, when I was a boy, that a
year was a very long time. But, now, one scarcely seems to have time to
kiss his hand before it is Christmas again! People say, "Christmas is
coming," as if it were a long way off, but the next one is coming as
soon as the last one has gone! Time flies very rapidly as years advance
upon us–it even appears to quicken its pace, though it does not really
go any faster than it used to do. It will be but a short while and you,
my dear Hearer, if you die without Christ, will find that God is not
slack concerning His threat– that though He seems to tarry in
long-suffering, yet He comes in due season after all. And when He
comes–ah, when the last trumpet rings out and the Great White Throne
is set and the angels gather in solemn pomp to the tremendous judg-
ment of the grand assize–you will find that the time which seemed long
enough, proved all too short, while the eternity, which you despised,
you will dread with such despair as we cannot even now imagine!
Forever, forever, forever, forever lost! I see "a branch of an almond
tree" for some of you, for it may be that I am addressing some who will
never enter any place of worship again. I may be speaking to some out
of these many hundreds who will not be alive this day next week. Out of
our great congregation, there never is a gathering of the same people
twice in this place week by week. Even among our membership, there are
now, on the average, two a week who are taken Home, and I know not how
many more out of the congregation. Who will be next? I see, for that
next one, "a branch of an almond tree," for God will hasten His Word to
perform it.
While I have felt compelled to speak of these solemn Truths, I am glad
to turn to the other part of the subject which is this–that God is
quick in performing His promises. They are like the almond tree–they
blossom and bear fruit very quickly. "What s ort of promises," you ask,
"are thus speedily fulfilled?"
Well, first, the promise to give salvation to all these who believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen–
"The moment a sinner believes, And trusts in his crucified God, His
pardon at once he receives, Redemption in full thro'His blood." I see
"a branch of an almond tree" here. The Psalmist says, "His word runs
very swiftly," and I am a witness that it does. Many years ago, I, a
poor sinner, went into a place of worship to hear the Gospel preached.
The preacher repeated the Lord's command, "Look unto Me, and be you
saved." I looked to Christ and I was saved that very instant. It takes
no longer to tell the story than it did to work the miracle of mercy.
Swift as a lightning flash I looked to Christ, and the great deed was
done! I was a pardoned and justified soul–in a word, I was saved! Why
should not the same thing happen to you who are here? It will happen to
everyone who shall now be led to believe in Jesus Christ.
"Oh, but," says one, "there are often long delays before peace is
enjoyed." Then it is because you make them, for God does not. "But
sometimes we have to wait," says one. Yes, yes. I know all about that
waiting. Do you remember, in the parable of the prodigal son, where he
waited? Why, with the harlots and others with whom he wasted his
substance in riotous living, or with the swine when he was feeding them
with the husks with which he would gladly have filled his own empty
belly! That is where he waited! But when did he end his waiting? When
he said, "I will arise and go to my father." He did not wait any
longer, for we read, "And he arose and came to his father." And then it
is written, "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him,
and"–"and"–"and"–"and stood still, and waited for him to come"? No,
no! I know that God waits to be gracious, but, according to the
teaching of that parable, "when he was yet a great way off, his father
saw him, and had compassion, and ran."
Do you know how fast Godcan run? Come, now, there is a task for you! We
know, sometimes, how fast fleet runners can go. What a rate they go! As
we hear about them, we seem to realize the force of David's description
of Saul and Jonathan, "They were swifter than eagles, they were
stronger than lions." But again I ask, can you tell me how fast Godcan
run? No, you do not know, you cannot tell. But you do know that He is
all on fire with love to embrace a poor penitent sinner–and He speeds
towards him at an amazing rate! Remember that hymn with which we
commenced this service–
"On cherub and on cherubim, Full royally He rode, And on the wings of
mighty winds, Came flying all abroad. 'And so delivered He my soul."
Swift as the lightning's flash is the glance of Divine compassion that
brings life to a penitent soul! Believe, then, in Jesus and "the great
transaction's done!" "He that believes on the Son has everlasting
life." "Why, Sir, he only believed a minute ago! Has he already
received eternal life?" Yes, he has everlasting life just as surely as
if he had been believing in Jesus for 50 years! If you do but believe,
this blessing is at once yours! "I see a branch of an almond tree." Oh,
that you also may see it blossom before your very eyes, although, when
you came into this House of Prayer, it seemed as bare as the rest of
the trees that have been nipped by the wintry winds!
This part of our subject is just as true about prayer. The man who
knows how to pray remembers God's promises concerning prayer and its
answer. Think of that remarkable passage in Isaiah 65:24–"It shall
come to pass, that before
they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will
hear." That is quicker than the telegraph! "Before they call, I will
answer." God knows what petition is in your heart! He foresees what
will be the utterance of your tongue and He has the answers all ready
for them. I have found many of my prayers answered years before I
prayed them. "No," you say, "that could not be." Well, there was one of
them that was answered more than 1,800 years before I prayed it. That
was when I cried to God for a Savior and He gave me One all those
centuries before I was born, even the Savior who worked out for me a
complete salvation on Calvary's accursed tree! O you praying souls, "I
see a branch of an almond tree!" When men begin to pray in faith, they
are speedily heard!
So is it when God's people want to have their spiritual life revived.
When we get into a dull doleful state, as we sometimes do, if we cry to
God, He is able to quickly revive our drooping spirits. You remember
that verse in the Song of Solomon, "Or ever I was aware, my soul made
me like the chariots of Amminadib"?–Which were, I suppose, noted for
their swiftness–"I was dull, motionless, lifeless; but before I could
tell where I was, I found myself almost flying along like the chariots
of Amminadib." So may it be with you, dear Friend! Though you are like
Laodicea, neither cold nor hot, yet remember what the Lord said to the
angel of that Church. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any
man hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will
sup with him, and he with Me." Renewed communion with Christ may be
enjoyed at once, even by you who have fallen into a lukewarm state!
Our subject also applies to deliverance from trouble. "The righteous
cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles."
God may not take away your trouble, but yet, in a moment, He may give
you Grace to bear it and turn the trouble, itself, into a source of
joy. "I see a branch of an almond tree" full often. In times of deep
depression, God can lift up the heart very speedily.
So can He bless His Word. As neither snow nor rain returns to Him void,
so is it with His Word–it shall prosper in the thing to where He sent
it, and it shall prosper at once. O you who want to win souls, go about
your work very boldly, believing that God will bless you! "Lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world," said Christ. When
Peter preached, the Apostles and disciples did not wait for several
years to find out the result of his sermon–though I daresay there were
further results after a long time–but they picked up 3,000 birds which
had been brought down by that one discharge of the great Gospel gun!
Oh, that you and I would so work for God as to expect immediate
results–and go and look for them! "I see a branch of an almond tree."
I believe that there are some here who will, tonight, lay hold on
Christ. It was a great joy to me to have a Sister come in, just before
service, to tell me that, years ago, she found the Lord when I was
preaching at the Agricultural Hall. She said, "That will comfort you."
I said, "Yes, it does. It shows me that I was useful once, but," I
added, "I want to be useful now. I want to see souls brought to Christ
now." And so they will be! Let us believe it and see this branch of an
almond tree blossom tonight!
III. Now, to close, I can only briefly remind you that THE ALMOND TREE
SETS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL WHO WOULD BE LIKE GOD. He hastens His Word to
perform it. Oh, that you and I would be in haste to perform our word!
Is there one here who wishes to seek the Lord?' 'Seek you the Lord
while He may be found; call you upon Him while He is near." There will
be a friend or two, on the lower platform, after the service, to talk
with any of you who wish to say anything to them about your own souls
and to hear from them some good words about the Lord Jesus Christ. Do
not go away, even from this service, till you have sought and found the
Savior! Seek Him now, you young people! Recollect that precious
promise, "Those that seek Me early shall find Me." Others shall find
the Lord if they seek Him, but, certainly, the young shall do so even
if others do not. Be up early, then, while yet you are in your teens,
before you get to be a young man or woman–seek the Lord now, for you
shall surely find Him if you search for Him with all your heart. God
help you to do it!
Then, you who have found Him, be prompt in obeying Him. Do you know
what David said? "I made haste, and delayed not to keep Your
commandments." If you have found the Savior by faith, be baptized
according to His command and His example. Unite yourself with His
people and begin at once to serve Him.
And then, you who have been serving the Savior, if you have any good
desire in your heart to do anything for Christ, do it You may be dead
tomorrow morning, therefore I would advise you to do something for
Christ tonight. Are you going to leave something in your will for the
Master's cause? Be your own executor if you can–and whatever you think
of doing, do it speedily. Do not leave anything till tomorrow that can
be done today. "I see a branch of an almond tree." There are some men
who must act now, or they never will do anything, for it is pretty
nearly the end of the day with
them. Up, Brother, up! "I see a branch of an almond tree." Do what you
can tonight. Speak to your children about Christ tonight. Wake them up
if they are in bed. Speak to that friend to whom you have often
intended to speak. I know of one who resolved to speak to a man who
used to come to his counter twice a week to buy some goods. He thought,
"The next time he comes in, I will speak to him about his soul." He
never came again! On the morning when he should have come, there came a
messenger to say that he was dead. Therefore, take advantage of every
opportunity while it lasts. "In the morning sow your seed," but do not
wait for the morning! "In the evening withhold not your hand" and,
"whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."
And, lastly, be ready for your immediate departure. Be prepared to go
Home to Heaven tonight. Come, now, are all things ready for your
journey? If not, pack up all the luggage, label it, and have everything
ready for the start at any moment. Blessed is that man who is ready to
blossom in Heaven any instant. "Oh," says one, "I should not like to
die tonight. I believe that I am a Christian and that I am saved, but I
do not feel ready to go." Set your house in order, then, for your house
cannot be right if it is not in order! If your house is in order, why,
then you are ready to die! There is no right living except living as
you would wish to live if you knew that this was to be your last day.
The right way to spend the next hour is so to spend it as if it were
your last hour. The Lord bring us into that happy condition that it
shall not matter to us one single farthing whether we live or whether
we die–and may He keep us in that blessed state, for Christ's sake!
Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALM 18:1-19.
Verse 1. I will love You, O Lord, my strength.' 'I do love You, and I
will love You yet more and more. I bind myself to You for the future as
well as the present."
2. The LORD is my rock and my fortress, andmy deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my
salvation, and my high tower Note how David delights to heap up poetic
imagery to describe his God. They who glory in the Lord would gladly
speak worthily of Him and because there is no one object in Nature that
can fully set Him forth, they mention many, as David does here. Like
he, if we would convey even a faint idea of what God is to us, we must
think of all things that are strong and worthy of our confidence–and
putting them all together, we must say that our God, our strength, in
whom we trust, is all this and much more,
3. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I
be saved from my enemies. Prayer brings salvation. Prayer must,
however, be mingled with praise, for prayer and praise make up the
breath of the Christian life. Have I not often reminded you that we
breathe in the air of Heaven by prayer, and then breathe it out again
in grateful praise?
4. 5. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men
made me afraid. The sorrows of Hell compassed me about: the snares of
death prevented me.' 'They were before me, behind me, all around my
path whichever way I turned."
6. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: He
heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into
His ears. What a difference there is between this living God of
David–our living God–and that impersonal nonentity which, nowadays,
is regarded by many as God. The god of the pantheist–what is he? A
nobody and a nothing! But our God made the heaven; and our God hears
the prayer of all who truly cry unto Him.
7. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills
moved and were shaken, because He was angry. The cry of one of His
oppressed children stirred Him to anger! Nothing moves the heart of God
like an injury done to His people. You remember how the Prophet
Zechariah wrote to the captive Jews in Babylon, "Thus says the Lord of
Hosts, He that touches you touches the apple of His eye."
8. 9. There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His
mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it He bowed the heavens also, and
came down; and darkness was under His feet In this wonderful poetic
description, Jehovah is represented as descending from His Throne at
the cry of one of His children in distress.
10. And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yes, He did fly upon the
wings of the wind. So swift is prayer to reach the ears of God, and so
swift is God to come and answer His people's prayers!
11. He made darkness His secret place; His pavilions round about Him
were dark waters and thick clouds of thee skies. Like an Oriental king
who travels beneath his royal canopy, the Lord is pictured as coming to
earth with the bursting clouds and opening heavens as the pavilion of
the Deity.
12. At the brightness that was before Him, His thick clouds passed,
hail stones and coals of fire. These are some of the weapons with which
He assails the adversaries of His people. With this dread artillery, He
smote Pharaoh of old when He rained hail upon the land of Egypt, and
fire mingled with the hail, and the fire ran along the ground.
13. 14. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave
His voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yes, He sent out His arrows,
and scattered them; and He shot out lightning, and discomfited them.
God Himself came forth on His people's behalf, and fought for them from
Heaven. As we read that "the stars in their courses fought against
Sis-era," so did God make the very tempests in the skies to be like an
invincible legion, sweeping before it the enemies of His anointed
servant.
15-18. Then the channels ofwaters were seen, and the foundations ofthe
world were discovered at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast ofthe breath
of Your nostrils. He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of
many waters. He deliveredme from my strong enemy, and from them which
hatedme: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day
of my calamity. They went before him, they blocked his way.
18, 19. But the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large
place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. Oh, how sweetly this
record continues! Never was there a poem more lofty in its diction.
Even Milton cannot equal the language of this Psalm! This Inspired
writing rises superior to all human compositions, even if regarded only
from the poetic point of view. Oh, what must have been the Psalmist's
experience when he was delivered after this wonderful fashion! And if
God has delivered you and me in a quieter and gentler way, yet He has
quite as surely delivered us! And blessed be His name from this time
forth, and even forevermore!