The Rocky Fortress and Its Inhabitant
(No. 1764)
A SERMON PREACHED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 3, 1884,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly; he that despises the
gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that
stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from seeing
evil, he shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the
munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be
sure." Isaiah 33:15,16.
THERE were terrible times in Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah. The
Assyrian power was exceedingly formidable and it was ferocious to the
last degree. Woe to the unhappy land which fell under the power of this
spoiler! Assyria knew not the meaning of "mercy." It came down "like a
wolf on the fold," tearing and devouring without pity. The armies of
Sennacherib were ravaging the kingdom of Judah and they had brought it
into such a state that the Prophet cried, "The earth mourns and
languishes: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a
wilderness and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits." Before the
invaders the land was a garden and behind them it was a desolate
wilderness.
Yet the Lord had given a promise to His people in Jerusalem on this
wise–"therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, he
shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come
before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he
came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city,
says the Lord." Notwithstanding Rabshakeh's blasphemous letter and all
his foul reviling, those who trusted in Jehovah were not dismayed, for
the Lord had promised to defend the city for His own name's sake.
There were godly men in the city, though I fear they were not many, who
rested content with the sure promise of God and went about their daily
business feeling perfectly safe. They would have felt secure if the
whole land had swarmed with Assyrians as the fields with locusts, for
they believed the Word of the Lord. Their trust was in the living God
and therefore, they feared not the multitude of the enemy! But the
whole of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were not of this brave
or-der–the unholy were afraid and fearfulness surprised the
hypocrites. Their sin and their deceit made cowards of them! They would
all be destroyed, they would all perish by the Assyrians!
Who was to save them? What power could resist the conqueror of nations?
Where were the gods of Hamath and Ar-phad? The people of those cities
had trusted in their gods and yet none of them had been delivered out
of the hands of the invaders! How could Jehovah turn back the fierce
tyrant, now that he had come upon the land like a flood? The sinners
and the hypocrites in the time of trial were discovered–the sinners
showed their fear and the hypocrites manifested their unbelief. They
began to flee before they were pursued! They trembled though no enemy
could be seen from the walls. God in vengeance was near to the city!
The land smoked with all-consuming fire! The flame of the Lord's
indignation burned perpetually–how could these men hope to live in
such times? As well hope to live amid devouring fires and everlasting
burnings!
Alas, there are many who dwell among God's people at this time and have
a name and a place among them who are sinners and not
saints–hypocrites and not Believers–and these will, before long, be
discovered and dismayed. While all goes well with the Church of God,
you cannot separate the vile from the precious, nor pluck up the tares
from among the wheat, nor cast out the bad fish from among the good
which are enclosed in the same net. But trying times come and days of
adversity–and then the false brethren are discerned! When persecution
arises, the hypocrites are offended! When affliction rushes like a
torrent, the sand-founded houses fall! And especially shall it be so
when, amid the terrors of the Last Tremendous Day, every secret thing
shall be revealed–and hypocrites and sinners shall appear in their
true colors!
Fearfulness will leap unexpectedly upon the hypocrites to their intense
surprise, for they will see how impossible it is for them to dwell with
God and to abide in His holy Presence. Oh, dear Brothers and Sisters,
let us not be satisfied with being in Zion, or in the Church. Let us
not rest till we are quite sure that we are not sinners in it, that we
are not hypocrites in it, for, mark you, if our religion is not
sanctifying and true, it will fail us in the hour of trial! If our
confidence in God does not make us calm and hopeful in the time of
temptation and sorrow, what is the use of it? Yet it is certain that no
man shall find his profession to be of use to him in testing times but
he that is true in it; he that is thorough in it; he that is neither a
sinner nor a hypocrite in the sense in which those words are here used.
Safety in Zion belongs to those born in her by regeneration, reared in
her by sanctification, enfranchised in her by faith in the Son of God,
settled in her by fixed principles, confirmed in her by obedience to
her laws and bound to her by intense love of her King and her citizens.
Such "shall dwell on high" secure from danger–and only such–the
aliens and foreigners within her gates shall, before long, be driven
forth with shame! We are going to look, this morning, at these favored
people. First, to note their character. Secondly, to observe their
security. And to finish, thirdly, by calling up all present to seek
their felicity. Oh, for the aid of the Holy Spirit all the sermon
through!
I. First, let us NOTE THEIR CHARACTER. They are described, in part, in
the words of our text, but I am obliged to go a little further afield
for one essential part of their character. The true people of God, who,
in the time of danger will be preserved are a people who display a
humble, patient, present faith in God. They reveal their character in
the second verse of the chapter before us when they pray–"O Lord, be
gracious unto us; we have waited for You: be You our arm every morning,
our salvation also in the time of trouble." They humbly cry, "O Lord,
be gracious unto us." They are a praying people who make their appeal
to God under a sense of need–they are not fatalists, for they pray.
Neither are they self-sufficient, for they seek help from God.
They beseech the Lord to bless them, not according to their own merit,
but according to His Grace. Though their outward life has been cleansed
and their hearts are renewed, yet they do not imagine that they have
any claim upon God. Their appeal is to His free favor–"O Lord, be
gracious unto us." They are not a people who think that God will be
necessarily gracious and that, therefore, they need not pray for mercy,
for they are found crying to Him in earnest prayer. They are, you see,
a trustful people who feel that they have need–and that their need can
only be fulfilled by the Sovereign Grace of God, to whom they make
supplication. Those who dwell on high with God are always lovers of
Grace–it is the top and bottom of their hope!
Furthermore, they are a waiting people–"We have waited for You." If
the Lord does not seem to hear their prayer at once, they nevertheless
expect that He will do so and, therefore, they wait expectantly. If at
once they have not all the comfort and joy they would desire, they wait
on God's pleasure, not rushing into sin to snatch a hasty rescue, nor
running away at the first rebuff and saying, "What profit is there if
we wait upon Him?" Quite certain that the Lord does hear prayer and
that He waits to be gracious, they hopefully wait His time, for His
appointments are always wise. They are a people who have a present
faith which they exercise every day, saying, "Be You our arm every
morning!" They do not imagine that by having trusted in God years ago
and having obtained salvation, they may, therefore, now live without
faith–they believe today as they believed from the beginning of their
Christian life and so prove it true that, "the just shall live by his
faith."
Every step they are depending. Every morning they are looking up to the
hills from where their help comes. These are the true people of God and
the only people of God–trusting, hoping, expecting, relying and
resting upon the Lord their God! The fear of the Lord is their treasure
and they cry with exultation in the language of the 22nd verse, "The
Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He
will save us." The description in our actual text is the portrait of
their outer life, but a living faith is the secret basis and foundation
of it all. This being understood, our text gives a description of these
people, setting out their various features.
It first describes their feet, or how they walk–"He who walks
righteously." Faith has an effect upon our entire manhood. When a man
believes, his faith affects every part of him. It operates upon his
actions, thoughts, wishes and designs. And it affects both his private
and public life. One of the first evidences of a true belief in God is
that a man walks righteously. He tries to act rightly towards his God
and towards his fellow men–and thus he is led to be devout before the
Lord and upright among men. The rule of right is the rule for him–not
policy, nor the hope of gain, nor the desire to
please–much less the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. By the
Grace of God he labors above all things to walk in the narrow way of
true holiness.
I want you to notice this, because the promise I am going to speak
about belongs only to the people who answer to this
description–therefore, see you to it–that you do not take the comfort
of the promise if you come not under the character to whom that comfort
is given! The man who does not walk righteously shall not dwell on
high! There shall be no place of defense for him. If we depart from the
ways of righteousness and run in the paths of the wicked, we shall meet
with the same fate as they. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap." Where the Grace of God
truly dwells and a living faith is in exercise, the man becomes
righteous in his walk and conver-sation–and his course is more and
more conformed to the will of the Lord.
I deny that a man is a believer in the Lord Jesus if he remains a
dishonest man. I deny that he has real faith in Jesus Christ if he is
rotten in heart, unjust in business and untrue in life. He knows not
Christ who delights in iniquity! So you see that the first description
of this blessed man who is to dwell on high is very searching, for it
does not relate to his profession, but to his walk and conversation
from day to day. It is not talk, but action that we have here. Here is
no room for the fiction of formality! All is fact, fact of daily life.
The next feature that is described is his tongue–"He speaks
uprightly." No description of a man's character can be perfect which
does not include his speech. A man who lies, or who talks obscenely or
profanely, is a bad man! A man whose words are arrogant and boastful,
cruel and slanderous, unreliable and deceptive, unchaste and impure, is
no child of God! The Grace of God very speedily sweetens a man's tongue
and, if his religion does not operate upon his speech, it is surely not
the religion of the pure and holy God. "By your words you shall be
justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." If the tongue is
set on the fire of Hell, the heart is not on fire with Grace from
Heaven!
The doctor says, "Stick out your tongue," and he judges the symptoms of
health or disease thereby. Assuredly, there is no better test of the
inward character than the condition of the tongue. "Out of your own
mouth will I judge you" is a fair decision. If, then, our lips do not
speak uprightly, that is, speak truthfully and justly–if our tongue is
not salted and sanctified by the Grace of God–then we cannot claim any
of the privileges which are described in our text! God grant that we
may prove by our conversation that the Lord has reweaved us in our
inner man. The next feature is the heart–"He that despises the gain of
oppressions." Not only does he not oppress any man–nor wish to gain
anything by extortion or by grinding the faces of the poor, or by any
act of unrighteousness–he thinks such gain as might be made in that
fashion to be utterly contemptible!
He desires gain if it may come cleanly to him. Prosperity is as welcome
to him as to another man, for he has his own needs and the needs of his
household for which he is bound to provide. But if any should say to
him that there is gold to be had through pinching the laborer in his
wages, or through grasping by law that which is not morally his own, he
abhors the thought! He says of such gain, "I would not win it if I
could. I would not put such evil money among my honest earnings–it
would pollute all the rest of my substance." A good man is jealous lest
he should seem to receive the wages of unrighteousness. He desires to
receive his goods as blessings at the hands of God and not to win them
as a spoil from the oppressed.
A true Christian would not bring into his house a thing over which he
could not seek the blessing of God–he would count it a thing accursed
like Achan's wedge of gold. Many ways of making money which are
tolerated, nowadays, would be loathsome to a right-minded men. Though
unrighteous practices should promise to fill his house with silver and
gold, he would not follow them. He could not sell his Lord for pieces
of silver! He despises the gain of oppression! It is as the mire of the
streets to him. He looks down upon it with utter contempt. Dear
Friends, it little matters what our outward life may be, or even what
our speech may be, if our heart is not affected by our religion! If
Grace only lies skin-deep in you, it has only saved your skin, but not
your soul!
Until Grace touches the mainspring, it has done nothing! The heart must
despise evil as well as the lips denounce it! Until the wellhead is
sweetened, the streams are foul. Not only must I do right, but love
right! Not only must I avoid wrong, but I must hate wrong! Not only
must I refuse unrighteous gain, but I must utterly despise it! See, my
Brothers and Sisters, how much is necessary before any one of us can
claim the choice blessings which are spread before us in the second
part of our text? The portrait does not omit the hands, those important
members of the body–those prominent actors both for good and for evil.
In Isaiah's day, bribery was connected with every government office
high and low–
but the good man "shakes his hands from holding of bribes." If money
was slipped into his hand before he was aware of it, he shook it off
with indignation. He would not take what was offered or keep what was
given.
There is still much bribery abroad in indirect ways. Men are offered
advantages if they will wink at evil, or frown on good. Satan tempts
young and old with the old insinuation, "All these things will I give
you if you will fall down and worship me." The Destroyer still makes
merchandise of souls! Oh, for Grace to shake off every sort of bribe
from our hands as men shake off dust from their feet with utter
abhorrence when their indignation is awakened! Clean hands are as
necessary as renewed hearts. If your hands clutch the reward of a
sinful trade, or a dishonest transaction. Or if you hold a profit by
countenancing wrong, or forbearing from right, you are not among the
people whom the Lord has sworn to guard with His own right hand!
Thus we have described the feet, the tongue, the heart and the hands.
Now comes the ear–"that stops his ears from hearing of blood." Men who
delighted in war, in olden times, were apt to boast to one another of
their cruel deeds– whom they slew and how they slew them–they rolled
the dainty morsels of cruelty under their tongues. In Hezekiah's time,
I guarantee, blood-red tales were told with horror that would have made
our ears tingle–but these were greedily listened to by those of a
coarse spirit. But the good man in Jerusalem would not hear them. When
a man boasted of having slain such an enemy, the godly man said, "Go
tell your tale somewhere else, lest I bring you before the judge. I
will not hear of your wicked doings. I cannot endure your brutal talk."
He shut his ears. He drew back from the discussion. It was sickening to
him.
Now, it is not the hearing of blood, alone, that you and I must avoid,
but the hearing of anything that is tainted, prurient, skeptical,
depraving. This has much to do with the health of a genuine Christian's
soul–that he puts an embargo upon unclean conversation, counts it
contraband and will not allow it to enter his soul by the gate of the
ear. He wisely shuts the gate, lets down the iron gate and pulls up the
drawbridge, so that no filthy communication may come in by Ear-Gate!
The same sacred prudence prevents our reading books which are corrupt,
or false. As soon as we reach a page which has an ill savor about it,
we drop the volume and return it to its owner. Or, if it is our own, we
cast it into the fire that it may do no harm to others. The righteous
man "stops his ears."
He will not be interested in that which cannot subserve his highest
interest. He is not willing to be like the king in the story, poisoned
through the ear. He knows that an evil tale cannot injure him if he
never hears it and, therefore, he denies his curiosity that he may
preserve his memory undefiled. He is deaf to news about which a good
man would be dumb. He has the blood upon his ear to signify that his
Lord has bought him with a price in that member, as well as in every
other. Yes, his ear is bored to the doorpost of the Truth of God, that
he may hear it, and it only, with full intent of heart.
The picture is complete when the eyes are mentioned–"and shuts his
eyes from seeing evil." He cannot help seeing it as he goes along his
pilgrimage through life, but he seeks not such sights and, as much as
he can, he avoids it. He takes no pleasure in the most brilliant
displays of folly. Vain pomps and glories charm him not. He does not
seek his amusement in gazing upon bedizened wickedness. If there is a
turmoil in the streets, he is not the man that will be called as a
witness to it, for he discreetly walks the other way, leaving off
strife before it is meddled with. He is one that does not leap into the
ditch in the hope that he may come out of it without being covered with
mire–he chooses the clean path and keeps out of harm's way.
When others crave to see life, he judges such life to be death and
pursues a nobler path. He wishes to see only that which is good, true
and helpful to his progress to Heaven. Opened eyes and ears are good,
but sometimes closed eyes and stopped ears are better. You know the old
classic story of how Ulysses caused his sailors to pass the rocks of
the Sirens in safety. The sweet enchanting song of the fatal sisters
would have fascinated the mariners and drawn them upon the rocks and so
the crafty Ulysses sealed the ears of all his mariners with wax, lest
the sweet deluders should destroy them–
"Then every ear I barr'd against the strain, And from access of frenzy
lock'd the brain." To be blind and deaf and dumb in some places would
be far better than to hear and see and speak to our own
condemnation–it is infinitely better to enter into life halt or blind
or deaf, than, having all our powers, to use them for sinful purposes
and fall into the fires of Hell at the last!
Shortly, the text means just this, that a true Believer is a man who
has himself well in hand, having mastery over his whole manhood. He has
a bit in the mouth of all the steeds which draw the chariot of life and
he holds them under due control. He will not let his ears or his eyes
delude his fancy, nor his feet or hands deface his conduct, nor his
heart or tongue betray his spirit. He will have nothing to do with
evil! He has no fellowship with it. His spirit is redeemed,
regenerated, renewed. He will not be flattered into pride, nor bribed
into deceit, nor allured into unholiness. The Holy Spirit has worked in
him holiness–and integrity and uprightness preserve him. The true
Christian is a man who keeps himself clear of the common sins of the
arts and the popular vices which flourish uncondemned.
The sins mentioned in the text were those current in Jerusalem–there
they oppressed the poor, they ground them down in their rents, in their
wages, in the price of food, in the usury demanded for loans–there
they took bribes and sold justice! But the good man did not because of
the fear of the Lord. In Jerusalem men-at-arms gained wealth by deeds
of blood and violence. They devoured widows' houses and ate up the
inheritances of the fatherless! But the child of God did not.
Gainful sins were to him most accursed. He would rather suffer wrong
than inflict it. David sketched this man in his 24th Psalm and with
this I give a finishing stroke to the portrait–"Who shall ascend into
the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has
clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto
vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the
Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
II. We have reached our second head. I ask you to follow me while,
concerning these godly men, WE OBSERVE THEIR SECURITY. Observe it,
first, as it is pictorially described in the text. The times are those
of war–the battle rages in the plains, but, "he shall dwell on
high"–aloft upon the craggy rocks shall be his citadel. In times of
invasion men resorted to the highest mountains and rocks, that there
they might be sheltered among the lofty fastnesses. While others flee,
this man shall dwell–dwell at ease, in permanent peace–and that
dwelling shall be on the heights, far beyond the reach of the invader.
Is not this glorious?
The bands of robbers ravage all around, but they cannot plunder him–he
looks down upon them and defies their power. There upon the
inaccessible rock stands the City of Peace, its quiet walls gleaming in
the sunlight and flashing back a calm defiance to the foe. "Mark you
well her bulwarks." A Believer dwells on the heights–his life is hid
with Christ in God–he cannot be reached by the darts of the adversary.
"Yet," says one, "though he dwells on high, the enemy may reach him by
scaling-ladders, or by some other means of assault." By no means shall
they smite him, for he shall have a "place of defense." Is it not
written, "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His
children shall have a place of refuge"? "Salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks."
As a castle prepared for war, as "the tower of David built for an
armory," so shall the Lord be unto His people! The adversary shall rage
in vain, dashing himself against ramparts which he cannot shake. He
shall go round the city like a dog, but find no entrance, for the Lord
is there. "Yet," says one, "these walls may be dashed down, or may fall
into decay." Not so, for, "His place of defense shall be the munitions
of rocks." Stupendous rocks–firm, massive, enormous– shall furnish
him a hiding place! Immutable strength shall gird him around both day
and by night forever and ever! "His place of defense shall be the
munitions of rocks."
Not one fortification, but many shall make up his stronghold–mountains
shall be round about him–the solid foundations of the earth shall
stand between him and the enemy and nothing shall, by any means, hurt
him–
"Mountains of stupendous rock His dwelling place shall be! There might
his soul without a shock The wreck of Nature see."
"Yet," says one, "the enemy may starve a man out of his citadel–rock
cities have been captured, at last, because the inhabitants have been
pinched with hunger. There has been nothing for the men-at-arms to eat
and, therefore they have sold their castle for bread." But this is also
provided for–"bread shall be given him." God will take care that the
godly shall not want. As the Lord's chosen cannot be driven out, so
they shall not be starved out. The Believer shall hold the fort till
Christ shall come, for the bread of angels shall be rained upon him
sooner than he shall lack!
"Ah, well," says one, "but even if bread could be conveyed into the
fortress, yet you know these elevated positions cannot be readily
supplied with water–and by thirst they may be forced to yield." The
Promiser has thought of that, also, for it is written, "his waters
shall be sure." The well within the gate shall never fail! The hidden
springs shall never
be dried up and the people of the city shall drink and drink as much as
they will–and yet the supply shall never be exhausted. O you enemy,
let your hopeless warfare end! Give up the conflict, for vainly do you
beleaguer the City of God! The chosen of the Lord shall never be
conquered by the foe, for his God has taken measures to garrison him
against all assaults and to deliver him in all straits!
Do you remind me that all this is poetry? I answer, It is a poetical
description, but it is true in every jot and tittle, and so I ask you
to accompany me while we consider this thing as it may be actually
experienced. It is a matter of fact that the man who believes in the
Lord Jesus Christ and lives as a Christian should live, dwells on the
heights. His mind is lifted up above the common cares, worries and
vexations of life. The Holy Spirit has begotten him, again, unto a
lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and,
therefore, his conversation is in Heaven, from where he looks for his
Savior, the Lord Jesus. I am sure that many of you know what it is to
ride on the high places of the earth and to look down upon the world as
a poor, paltry thing.
You have walked with God in His Light, even as He is in the Light, and
then you have been filled with a joy which no man takes from you and
you have trod the world beneath your feet–and all that earth calls
good or great. Thus has it been true of you, "he shall dwell on high."
You have also found that you have had a place of defense in time of
trouble. Though often assailed, you have never been really injured.
Unto this day the rage of man has caused you no real loss. You can
understand, today, the meaning of that Word, "Who are you, that you
should be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which
shall be made as grass?" Even Satan, himself, has not been able to
overthrow you–you have trod upon the lion and the dragon! In the name
of the Lord you have resisted the devil and he has fled from you.
Tell it out this day to all the sons of men, that the Lord your God has
been a wall of fire round about you! I, also, will join you in this
glorying. "O my Soul, you have trod down strength!" All things have
worked together for good to us up till now and we know it–we have had
a place of defense–and in this we will rejoice and be glad! And do you
not know today how secure, how immutable is your defense? Even as the
eagle on the rock cannot be reached by the fowler, so are you secure.
Look! You have God's promise–"I will never leave you nor forsake you!"
"No good thing will be withheld from them that walk uprightly."
These promises are the munitions of rocks behind which you are
sheltered–the sure Words of an unchanging God are your bulwarks! You
also have the oath of God as your high tower, for He has sworn by
Himself because He could swear by no greater! There stands His Covenant
made up of promises, secured by oath and ratified by blood–who shall
break within that line of defense? What munitions of rock can be
compared with these things in which it is "impossible for God to
lie"–these pledges which God can never dishonor–these guarantees of
everlasting faithfulness that can never be questioned. Oh, the blessed
security of a child of God!
At this present moment, O child of God, you are dwelling where you must
be safe for, first, you were chosen before the foundation of the world
and God will not lose His choice, nor shall His decree be frustrated!
Next, you have been bought with the precious blood of the Son of God,
Himself, and He will never lose what He has dearly bought. You have
been quickened by the Holy Spirit and such a life can never die! You
know who has said, "I give unto My sheep eternal life, and they shall
never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand." You have
been taken into the family of God and made His child–and will your
Father now disown you, or remove your name out of the family register?
You are also joined unto Christ in one spirit, you are a "member of His
body, of His flesh, and of His bones," and shall Christ be dismembered
and the Son of God be torn in two? Believing in my Lord, this morning,
I stand where the devils of Hell cannot reach me and where the angels
of God might envy me, for I can exclaim in your name and in my own,
"Who shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord?" We challenge earth and Hell, time and eternity, to dissolve
the blessed union between Christ and His people! Who is he that can
harm you if you are followers of that which is good? If your confidence
is in the living God, who shall put you to shame?
I must not fail to notice that the poetic utterance, "Your bread shall
be given you," is also literally true. It has been true to you, my
Brothers and Sisters, concerning your daily bread. That Word of God is
true, "Trust in The Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land,
and verily you shall be fed." At times there has been little on the
table, but All-Sufficiency has still filled the storehouse. When God
multiplied the oil and the meal of the poor women at Sarepta, I do not
believe that at any one moment she ever had more than sufficed for a
single meal. Every day that Elijah lived with her she had to scrape the
bottom of the barrel, for she had never more than a handful of meal and
a little oil. We are not told
that either the barrel or the cruse were filled up, but we read–"the
barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail."
You may frequently reach the end of your provisions, but you can never
exhaust your Provider! The meal may come by handfuls and the oil may
only drip out, drop by drop, but what does that matter? Was not the
manna from Heaven a small round thing and did it not fall morning by
morning? If you have earthly provision as you need it, should it not
suffice you? If you get as much as you need for this meal and as much
as you need for the next meal, is it not well? Are not the loaves of
heavenly bread all the better for being fresh? The manna would not
keep, but bred worms–who wants such unsavory food? There is nothing
like living from hand to mouth when it is from God's hand to faith's
mouth! Daily bread promotes daily gratitude and from God's hand hourly
Providence brings multiplied tokens of love and is a surer sign of
remembrance than if we could have life's mercies all in a lump.
"Bread shall be given him" refers, also, to heavenly bread which we
have even more cause to think about than about the bread which
perishes–this, also, shall be given us. If we are driven away from a
faithful ministry. If we move to the utmost ends of the earth where we
miss the means of Grace, yet the Lord will feed our souls. If His
ministers do not feed us, He will, Himself, minister to us. The Word of
the Lord shall not cease to nourish us. "The Lord is my shepherd, I
shall not want." As for the waters, the living waters of Grace and of
the Holy Spirit–these shall always flow–in summer and winter shall
the still waters be found at your side! Yes, they shall be within you
"a well of water springing up unto everlasting life."
Words cannot tell the privilege of the man who lives in God and lives
with God! He need not shiver in the damps of earth–he lives on high!
He need not fear the fury of the enemy, for he has a place of defense!
He need not dread the lapse of time–his munitions are of rock! He need
not tremble at famine and drought–his needs shall all be met by the
care of Heaven! The man who knows His sins are forgiven, who is covered
with the righteousness of Christ, who is in vital union with the Lord
Jesus, who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit–that man, I say, need not
desire to be any other than he is, but may give himself up to blessing
and praising and magnifying the Most High every moment of his life till
he is caught up to the highest Heaven, to dwell where enemies cannot
threaten nor necessities arise!
III. So this brings me to close by urging you, dear Friends, to SEEK
THEIR FELICITY. First, shall I need to say, "Do not try to obtain it by
hypocrisy"? Since they are so happy, whom God favors, do not think that
by getting your name into their Church book you will necessarily be
favored, too. Oh, Brothers and Sisters, be true Believers and not
make-believers! Do not pretend to be what you are not. Sinners in Zion
are still sinners and they will, one day, be afraid. Hypocrites, though
joined with the people of God, are still hypocrites, and will, before
long, be surprised with fearful-ness. Do not hope by a mere empty
profession to win the blessedness of God's people, for by such means
you will win a curse rather them a blessing.
Secondly, do not hope to win the bliss of the righteous by
self-righteousness, for although we have been describing righteous men
this morning, yet we have not been describing self-righteous men! The
self-righteous is not righteous– the two things are wide apart as the
poles. These very people whom God favored had sinned, for we read in
the 24th verse of the chapter, "The people that dwell therein shall be
forgiven their iniquity." The blessing is not to the man who glories in
his innocence, but, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered." These favored people cried, "O Lord, be gracious
unto us." They knew their need of Grace. Do not hope that God will
favor you when you neither confess your sin nor seek His Grace.
Self-righteousness damns! It is only the righteousness of God that
saves.
Seek the character and the privilege of the saints as a gift of Divine
Grace. Gladly would I drop into your hearts and mouths that prayer of
the second verse–"O Lord, be gracious unto us." I commend it to you!
Go to your homes and in your silent chamber pour out your hearts with
cries and tears, saying, "O Lord, be gracious unto us! We cannot walk
in Your ways and keep our tongue and eyes and ears as we desire to do
unless we are renewed and preserved by Your Grace. Be gracious in
forgiving the past and in helping us for the future to live in Your
fear and service. Do this through Christ Jesus our Lord, we implore
You." Your prayer shall be heard and these blessings shall be
yours–but see to it that you seek unto the Lord by a sincere faith.
Again, use the second verse as your guide and cry, "Be You our arm
every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble." Commit
yourself to the guardian care of the Lord each day and especially fly
to Him in the hour of trouble! Then will He create righteousness in you
and cause you in every good word to do His will.
Go, I say, and seek unto the Strong for strength and to the Righteous
One for righteousness–and the blessings of the dweller upon the
heights shall be yours.
As for you, my dear Brothers and Sisters, who are really walking before
the Lord aright, straining with your utmost endeavors to do only that
which is just and true, at the same time trusting alone in Jesus for
your salvation, I would charge you to rejoice exceedingly! If this text
is true–that we dwell on high and that our place of defense is the
munitions of rocks–and that our bread shall be given us and our waters
shall be sure, let us be glad! What a happy people we ought to be! We
ought, every one of us, to have a beaming face, flashing eyes, an
elastic step, a singing life, a courageous heart! All men should be
made to feel that the chosen of the Lord are a happy people. It is our
privilege beyond that of all other men to go through the world with
Heaven about our steps. It is not ours to be clad in the weeds of
sorrow, for the Bridegroom is with us! We are not commanded to
complain, but to rejoice!
I leave to others the task of showing the beauty of groaning, or the
delightfulness of murmuring–it is mine to urge you to shake yourselves
from the dust and put on your beautiful garments! Why are you so cast
down? Dear people of God, you go out in the streets in rags and yet you
have royal robes provided for you–why do you not put them on? "Oh,"
you, say "but I have great sorrow." Yes, but it is written, "As
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." Why tell everybody of your grief? Is
there any good to be done in that? What does our Lord say? "But you,
when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that you appear not
unto men to fast." It is a Christian's duty to be happy! What a blessed
religion is that in which joy is a matter of precept–"Rejoice in the
Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice."
I have been so long away from England that I do not know where our
Queen is residing just now, but if I had the wings of a dove and could
mount into the upper air, I would soon find out! I should look for the
Royal Standard. I should see it floating over Windsor or Osborne and,
by this token, I should spy the royal abode. Fling out the banner to
the breeze when the King is within! Is the King at home with you, dear
Brothers and Sisters? Do not forget to display the standard of holy
joy! Hoist it up and keep it flying! When the Bridegroom is not with
us, we will mourn. But so long as we see His face, no man can make us
fast. Rejoice, and yet again, rejoice, and thus let the Royal Standard
fly at the top of the tower–the King is within us! The Prince of Peace
is enthroned in our hearts!
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high and we dwell on high with
Him! Glory be unto His name! Ring the joy-bells! With clamor of united
joy let us shout unto our God who makes us to ride upon the high places
of the earth! Let it be known abroad that there is no God like our God
and no people like His people! Under Heaven there are none so joyous as
the Lord's afflicted saints, none so rich as the Lord's poor, none so
honored in Heaven as those that are despised of men for Christ's sake,
none so worthy to be envied as those who, today, are ridiculed for
their faith in God! The Lord be with you and bless every one of you
with the full enjoyment of this majestic text, for Christ's sake. Amen.