was at peace, his heart began to yearn to be about the work, and build
to the glory of God. "See now," he said, "I dwell in an house of
cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains." But the word of
God came to him by Nathan the prophet, forbidding him to build, because
he was a man of blood, the temple was to be erected by his son Solomon.
Nevertheless, David collected for the temple, and above all, composed
his beautiful psalms to be sung in it. The gold and the cedar that
Solomon set up are gone, but the Psalms remain, and have passed over to
be the heritage of the Church.
SUBJECT.--How striking is the zeal of David, and how little zeal have
we for God's glory, and for the adornment of His house! Let us
consider to-day this zeal for God's house, and for those things that
appertain to the worship of God, and tend to His glory.
I. Of all the pathetic stories in the Bible, there is one which has
struck me for its singular pathos, yet it is one which I dare say has
escaped your notice. You have heard of the zeal of David, how his
enthusiasm carried him away, out of himself, so that he forgot his
royal dignity, and danced before the ark. You have heard of his bitter
disappointment, how when through many years he had longed and planned
to build the temple of God, his desire was not allowed to be carried
into effect, but the honour was reserved for his son. The zeal of
God's house had eaten him up. This was very touching, I think, but I
remember a still more touching story of zeal for God's house, and God's
honour, and that, not in a great man, but in a humble woman.
Eli, the priest and judge of Israel, had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas,
and they were priests in Shiloh. They were utterly bad, profligate
men, utterly regardless of the honour of God, and they disgraced their
sacred calling by their shameless lives. They snatched from the
sacrifices the best portion of the meat, and kept it for themselves,
and they dishonoured the tabernacle by their shameless immoralities
committed with those women who came to Shiloh to worship.
In a great battle fought between the Israelites and the Philistines,
the ark of God was taken, and Hophni and Phinehas were both slain.
Then the news was brought to Eli the priest, and the old man, when he
heard it, fell back off his chair in a fit, and broke his neck and
died. The news also reached the wife of Phinehas. We do not know her
name. We only hear of her this once, but by the one little incident
recorded of her, we know what she was.
"The daughter-in-law of Eli, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be
delivered, and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was
taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed
herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time
of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for
thou hast borne a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard
it. . . And she said, The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark
of God is taken." Good, God-fearing, loving heart! Not a thought
about herself. She is in great suffering; not a cry from her other
than this, "The ark of God is taken!" They tell her that her
father-in-law, old Eli, has fallen and broken his neck, "But she
answered not, neither did she regard it"--only she said, "The ark of
God is taken." They tell her that her husband has been killed in the
battle. "But she answered not, neither did she regard it"--only she
cried, "The ark of God is taken." They brought to her her new-born
child, a son. What dearer to a mother than the little infant to whom
she has given life? But no, even that does not move her mind from the
one absorbing idea, "She answered not, neither did she regard the
babe," only she cried, "The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark
of God is taken." Then the women who stood by said to her, "What shall
the name of the child be, thy husband who should have named it is dead,
thy father-in-law is dead, thou must name it." "But she answered not,
neither did she regard it,"--only she cried, "The glory is departed
from Israel." Then the women that stood by said, "So shall the name
be," and they called the child Ichabod, which means, "Inglorious." A
few minutes later, and she was dying, and the last murmur on her lips,
and the last thought of her heart were, "The ark of God is taken."
I say this is a singularly touching story, for it shows us a woman
whose whole soul was imbued with zeal for the glory of God, and that
woman was the wife of a man whose whole priestly career was one of
dishonour to God.
II. Now I have given you two striking instances of zeal for God's
honour, one in a man, and one in a woman. Have you any such zeal in
you? Are your thoughts at all taken up with God's church, God's altar,
God's worship? Are you eager that all should be beautiful and seemly
in the temple of God? Does it pain you above every other pain when you
know of something which is to the dishonour of God and of His Church?
Have you any zeal at all like that of David? Have you any
self-forgetfulness in what concerns His honour, like that of the
nameless wife of Phinehas? I think if there were a little of this
zeal, so many of our churches would not be untidy, neglected, ruinous.
There would not be moth-eaten altar-cloths, and worm-eaten altars.
There would not be green mouldering walls, and broken pavements. There
would not be a service slovenly, unmusical, irreverent, or if not
irreverent, at least unworthy of the glory of God.
In heaven flame the golden candles, and the censers fume with
frankincense. In heaven the seven lamps ever burn, and the altar
shines like the sun. In heaven the angels and the saints cease not day
nor night in singing praises, and bowing in worship--and we! how do we
show that we love God's worship? The zeal of God's house does not eat
us up, we do not even know what it is.
LXVI.
_THE MEETING HEREAFTER._
Funeral Service.
Joshua iii. 17.
"And the priests that bare the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood
firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites
passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over
Jordan."
INTRODUCTION.--That must have been a striking sight! The whole of
God's people passing over Jordan. On one side, on that of the
Wilderness, a crowd pressing down, and going into the deep river bed,
on the other, those who had traversed, rising out of it, and spreading
out on the high bank, looking down and watching those who descend into
the bed, and cross through it to rejoin them. They stand in a blaze of
light. The sun is setting, and the whole sky behind them is flaming
with golden clouds, the light strikes in the eyes of those on the
further bank, and they look down into the dark channel and shrink, it
is immersed in shadow, but then again, they look up, and see the glory,
and the forms of their fathers, and brothers, and mothers, and sisters,
and children standing there, steeped in light, and they pluck up
courage and go down.
They have no cause to fear.
In the midst of Jordan stands the Ark of the Covenant, and it will not
move from that place till the last has passed over.
SUBJECT.--That story may serve for our comfort. We, like the
Israelites, are on our journey, and we have to pass through the dark
bed of the stream of Death, before we can enter into the promised land.
And we have two subjects of consolation.
(_a_) We have the Ark of the Covenant standing in Jordan to secure the
path.
(_b_) We have our dear ones watching and waiting for us on the farther
shore.
I. We have the Ark of the Covenant standing in Jordan to secure the
path. "Lo, I am with you always," said Christ, "even unto the end of
the world." That Ark signifies His abiding presence in His Church,
which stands between the living and the dead, a Church on this side,
militant, on the other, triumphant, a Church on this side made up of
good and bad, of tares and wheat, of sheep and goats, on that side, a
Communion of Saints.
The Ark and the priests stood in Jordan, so does God's Church and
priesthood ever remain, so long as the world lasts, and that world will
last till the number of the elect has been made up, till the last of
the people of the Lord is passed over Jordan.
The Ministry will remain to teach the way of the Lord, and point the
path through the river bed, and to cheer those who are downhearted, to
lift up the finger and bid them look to the further shore, and to the
glory there, and to those who stand on it watching.
The Sacrifice will remain, the atoning Blood for the remission of
guilt, the altar will remain as well as the pulpit, the priest as well
as the teacher, sacrifice as well as instruction. Ever throughout the
year, the atoning Blood will be pleaded with the Father for the pardon
of the sins of the people. The Bread of Heaven, the manna will remain,
to be man's spiritual food and sustenance, and strengthen the heart for
the passage of Jordan.
The presence of Christ will remain, "I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee." "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with
thee, and through the waves, they shall not overflow thee." Therefore,
well says David, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
Death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."
II. Metabus, King of the Volsci, was pursued by his enemies. He
carried in his arms a little babe, his niece Camilla. In his flight he
came to the brink of a river, deep, troubled, and strong in current,
and it arrested his flight. He would not have been afraid of the
stream himself, had it not been for the little child. He hesitated.
What should he do? He dare not enter with the babe, as he must use
both arms to battle through so strong a stream. The enemy were behind.
He heard their shouts! From a distant hill-top they had spied him. He
could not find it in his heart to desert the little one whom he loved
so dearly.
Then, what do you suppose Metabus resorted to? There were a great many
reeds by the river side, with his dagger he reaped them down, and he
wrapped the babe up in rushes and reeds thickly round it, and tied them
together with his girdle, and then he raised the little bundle in both
his hands, and flung it with all his might across the river. After
that he sprang into the water and swam across to the other side. He
picked up the dear little bundle, took the child out, found it quite
unharmed, and escaped with it lying next his heart.
My Brethren! Is not this something like us?--we may have our little
ones, and be called on to part with them. There lies the river, the
dark rolling river of death. We must cross sometime ourselves. Safety
is yonder. Danger, destruction, here. In God's name, trusting in Him
when He wills it, we part with those so dear to us. We wrap them up in
their white wraps, and close them from sight in their coffin, and cast
them away. They are gone--over the river, and then we are ready in our
turn to plunge in and follow.
Now it is a great encouragement to us to follow when we know that those
we love are passed and are in safety. You parents who have parted with
your darlings, you have wrapped them up and cast them away. Whither?
They have only flown across the river, and when you leap in and swim
through, you will find them there--your Camillas, safe and smiling on
you, on the other side.
CONCLUSION.--Ah! my brethren, what a happy meeting that will be!
Father, mother, brothers, sisters, children, whole families gathered
together. What embraces! What tears of joy! What stories to tell of
past troubles! What gratitude to God for his mercies shown! What
thankfulness for His Ark that rested in the midst of Jordan, that
supplied direction, sustenance, propitiation, comfort, and nourishment
for the journey.