121275925 deuteronomy-33-verse-27-29
TRANSCRIPT
DEUTERONOMY 33 VERSE 27-29EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
saying, ‘Destroy them!’
BARNES, “Thy refuge - Rather, “dwellingplace.” Compare Psa_90:1; Psa_91:9.
CLARKE, “The eternal God - אלהי קדם elohey kedem, the former God; He who was of old. Not
like the gods which were lately come up. He who ever was and ever will be; and He who was, is,
and will be unchangeably holy, wise, just, and merciful. See the note on Gen_21:33.
Everlasting arms - As the arm is the emblem of power, and of power in a state of exertion, the
words here state that an unlimited and unconquerable power shall be eternally exerted in the
defense of God’s Church, and in the behalf of all those who trust in Him.
Thrust out the enemy - He will expel all the ancient inhabitants, and put thee in possession of
their land.
GILL, “The eternal God is thy refuge,.... God is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting; the
Ancient of days, before all things, and all time; which is, and was, and is to come: the same is true
of Christ, who is the everlasting Father, or Father of eternity, the true God, and eternal life; as
appears from his nature, having the whole fulness, all the perfections of deity in him; from his
office, as Mediator, in which he was set up from everlasting; from his concern in eternal election,
in the everlasting covenant, and in the creation of all things out of nothing: and he is the refuge of
his people, the antitype of the cities of refuge, to whom sinners, under a sense of sin, flee for
refuge; and where they are safe from avenging justice, the wrath of God, the condemnation of the
law, everlasting ruin and destruction, or the second death; or their "mansion", or "dwelling
place" (k); which he has been in all generations, as Moses also says, Psa_90:1. Such is Christ to
his people, who dwelt secretly in him from everlasting, being chosen in him, and given to him;
and openly in conversion, where they dwell as in a strong hold, safely, quietly, comfortably, and
pleasantly:
and underneath are the everlasting arms; that is, of God, which are the support of his people, and
their protection, safety, and security; such as the arms of his everlasting love, which encircle
them, and compass them about as a shield; his everlasting covenant, which is immovable, and in
which they ever remain; eternal redemption and salvation, wrought out by Christ, which secures
them from destruction; and everlasting power, by which they are kept and preserved as in a
garrison; and everlasting consolation, which flows from all this: and so the arms of Christ, or his
almighty power, are under the world, to uphold it in being; and under his church, to support it,
on whose shoulders the government of it is; and under particular believers, whom he carries in
his arms, embraces in his bosom, bears them up under all their afflictions and temptations, trials
and exercises; nor will he ever suffer them to drop out of his arms, or to be plucked from thence:
and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; the Canaanites out of the land of Canaan, to
make room for Israel, which he was just about to do, and quickly did. In like manner Christ
thrusts out Satan and the spiritual enemies of his people, whom to dispossess is a work of mighty
power; and not only so, but gives orders to destroy them, and does destroy them, and makes his
people more than conquerors over them:
and shall say, destroy them; the Canaanites: to do which the people of Israel had an order from
the Lord, Deu_7:1.
HENRY, “
SPURGEON, ““The eternal God is thy refuge.” — Deuteronomy 33:27 (Morning and Evening)
The word refuge may be translated “mansion,” or “abiding- place,” which gives the thought that
God is our abode, our home. There is a fulness and sweetness in the metaphor, for dear to our
hearts is our home, although it be the humblest cottage, or the scantiest garret; and dearer far is
our blessed God, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. It is at home that we feel safe:
we shut the world out and dwell in quiet security. So when we are with our God we “fear no
evil.” He is our shelter and retreat, our abiding refuge. At home, we take our rest; it is there we
find repose after the fatigue and toil of the day. And so our hearts find rest in God, when,
wearied with life’s conflict, we turn to him, and our soul dwells at ease. At home, also, we let our
hearts loose; we are not afraid of being misunderstood, nor of our words being misconstrued. So
when we are with God we can commune freely with him, laying open all our hidden desires; for if
the “secret of the Lord is with them that fear him,” the secrets of them that fear him ought to be,
and must be, with their Lord. Home, too, is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is
in God that our hearts find their deepest delight. We have joy in him which far surpasses all
other joy. It is also for home that we work and labour. The thought of it gives strength to bear
the daily burden, and quickens the fingers to perform the task; and in this sense we may also say
that God is our home. Love to him strengthens us. We think of him in the person of his dear Son;
and a glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemer constrains us to labour in his cause. We feel
that we must work, for we have brethren yet to be saved, and we have our Father’s heart to make
glad by bringing home his wandering sons; we would fill with holy mirth the sacred family
among whom we dwell. Happy are those who have thus the God of Jacob for their refuge!
SPURGEON, ““Underneath are the everlasting arms.” — Deuteronomy 33:27 (Morning and
Evening)
God—the eternal God—is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in
deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep
sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray,
because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless. Well, child of God, remember that when thou
art at thy worst and lowest, yet “underneath” thee “are everlasting arms.” Sin may drag thee
ever so low, but Christ’s great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the
deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as “the uttermost”; and to the uttermost he saves. Again,
the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut
away. What then? Still underneath him are “the everlasting arms.” He cannot fall so deep in
distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him.
The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict, but even then he
cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the “everlasting arms”—they are
underneath him; and, while thus sustained, all Satan’s efforts to harm him avail nothing.
This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God. It
implies a promise of strength for each day, grace for each need, and power for each duty. And,
further, when death comes, the promise shall still hold good. When we stand in the midst of
Jordan, we shall be able to say with David, “I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” We shall
descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower, for the eternal arms prevent our further fall. All
through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the “everlasting arms”—arms that neither
flag nor lose their strength, for “the everlasting God fainteth not, neither is weary.”
SPURGEON, “This short passage is found in the midst of a mass of gold—sentences containing
the richest treasures of the Truth of
God. All this spiritual wealth is the heritage of the people of God—not only of His typical people
to whom these words
were spoken, but to His real people, the true seed of Abraham, those who are the believing
children of the Father of all
Believers. If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, you may take these precious words home
to yourself—and you
may live upon them—you may eat the fat, drink the sweet and rejoice in all the refreshment that
they bring to your
spirit!
In the four verses, from the 26
th
to the 29
th
, notice how near God is said to be to His people. He is described as being
above us, arching us over with His Divine Power—“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun,
who rides upon the
Heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds.” Faith can hear the tramp of the
celestial cavalry above our
heads! We who trust in the Lord are always safe, for the angels of God are looking down upon us
from the battlements of
Heaven, ready to show themselves strong on our behalf as soon as their presence is needed by us.
Then, our text tells us of
God beneath us. As He is above us in the heavens, so underneath us are the everlasting arms. The
next sentence shows us
God before us—“and He shall thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, Destroy
them.” And the remaining
verses of the chapter represent Him as being all around us, so that we are encompassed with God
—not only with His
Presence, with which He fills Heaven, earth and all deep places—but with the glorious Presence
of His mighty love. He is
above, beneath, before, and all around us! He never forsakes us, for in Him we live, move, and
have our being. Let us rejoice, therefore, in our Lord’s nearness!
I. Now, coming to our text, I want, as God’s Spirit shall help me, to bring to your notice, first,
THE QUARTER
THAT IS THUS HONORABLY SECURED—Underneath.
“Underneath.” Well, in the first place, that is the point of mysterious assault. We look for the
attacks of the powers
of darkness from underneath. They are very remarkable attacks—there are many who are the
objects of them, but there
are few who fully understand them. There are many of God’s children who are often sorely vexed
by Satan, yet they do not
know that it is the devil who is troubling them. They blame themselves for thoughts that are none
of their own, but which
come up from the infernal Pit like smoke and sparks from that dread lower world. O Friends, if
Satan has ever grievously
tempted and assailed you, you will dread beyond expression any repetition of that temptation or
assault! Mr. Bunyan
well says that a man had better go over hedge and ditch—and many miles round about—rather
than meet this terrible
adversary! He not only works through the world and through the flesh, but he has modes of
personal attack—fiery darts
from his own hands—false accusations and foul insinuations which come only from him. By all
these he assails Christians
and brings us to a stand so that, sometimes, we know not what to do! Just underneath us there
seems to yawn the awful
Pit, out of which Satan rises with his abandoned fallen angels, to do us mischief.
Then comes in this gracious assurance—“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” Against this
mysterious, because incomprehensible foe, whose darts are so painful and deadly, God has been
pleased to set a shield. And He puts underneath
you, O child of God, His everlasting arms! You may be tempted by Satan, but it shall only be in a
measure—God will
not let him put forth all his diabolical strength! When the Lord suffered Satan to tempt Job,
there was always a proviso,
which said to the devil as to the raging sea, “Hitherto shall you come, but no further.” The Lord
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at the point where he hoped to destroy the good man—and it shall be so with you, also, tried
Believer. Underneath you,
in your worst attacks from Satan, shall be the everlasting arms of the Lord Himself!
Note a second meaning of this word, “underneath.” That is the place of our daily pilgrimage. To
the Israelites, “underneath” was the burning sand of the terrible wilderness. Sometimes,
“underneath,” were the fiery serpents and all
manner of evil things, so that their march towards Canaan was a continual trial to them. “But,”
says God to His people,
“though sense sees nothing underneath but ever-burning sands, let faith see underneath the
everlasting arms.” Some of
you go forth to your daily labors and you find the place of your service to be a real wilderness,
full of trial and everything
that is unpleasant to you. Yet look again, with eyes touched with Heaven’s eye-salve and, instead
of seeing the bitter poverty, and the grinding toil, and the daily trial, you will begin to see that
God is in it all and, “underneath are the everlasting arms!” You shall go cheerfully home to
Heaven, borne up by God. He who made you will carry you! He who loves
you will bear you all the days of old till you shall come unto the Mountain of God and stand in
your lot at the end of the
days! I think, therefore, that our text applies not only to the point of mysterious assault, but to
the place of daily pilgrimage and toil.
Do you not think that this word, “underneath,” also relates to the place of perilous descent?
There are times in a
man’s life when he has to come down. It is not a very easy matter to go down the hill safely. Some
persons have proved
that it is difficult to grow old gracefully, but to the Christian it ought not to be impossible or
unusual to grow old graciously. Still, there are difficulties about that coming down the hill of life
—coming down in a very material sense, perhaps, from competence to real poverty. Coming
down as to your mental powers. Being conscious of losing your former
influence over your fellows. Coming down in general repute, through no fault of your own, but
through circumstances of
which you are not the master. All this is very trying to human nature. You know that on the way
to Heaven there are
many Hill Difficulties—and brave spirits rather enjoy climbing to the top of them! We like a
craggy path, hard and
rough, where we can keep on looking upward all the way even if we have to scramble on our
hands and knees. There is
something pleasant in going up in that fashion, but it is when going down into the Valley of
Humiliation that we are apt
to slip. We do not like going down and, as many horses fall at the bottom of the hill, so I believe
that many people trip at
the end of a trial when they think it is nearly over and they have no need to look so carefully to
their feet.
Well now, dear Friends, if any of you are going down the hill, I think the text comes in very
sweetly—“Underneath
are the everlasting arms.” You cannot go so low but that God’s arms of love are still lower! You
get poorer and poorer,
but, “underneath are the everlasting arms.” You get older and feebler. Your ears are failing,
your eyes are growing dim,
but, “underneath are the everlasting arms.” By-and-by, unless the Lord speedily returns, you will
have to die—and you
will come down very low, then—but still it will be true, “underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Further, I think that we may use the text as referring to a matter of intense concern. Sometimes
we say to one another,
“Is our religion real? We trust we love the Lord, but do we really love Him? We think we are
reposing in Christ, but are
we really doing so? We have a measure of joy and peace—does it really come through believing
in Jesus, or is it a delusion
of the flesh or of the devil? We have, so far, come a long way in the heavenly trail, but are we
really going towards
Heaven, or is it all a mistake?”
It is a good thing, occasionally, Brothers and Sisters, to look underneath. He who never sees what
is under him may
have great cause to do so. Examine your foundations—see what your cornerstones are, for if you
should be building on
the sand, then, in the time of storm, your fine building will be all swept away! It is a grand thing
if we can find this text
to be true—“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” I dig through my experience and,
“underneath are the everlasting
arms.” I question my joys. I examine myself about my sorrows, but do I come down on the
purposes of God, the Immutable faithfulness of the Most High, the eternal Truths of God
revealed in Scripture? Do I come down upon the everlasting
arms? If so, I am resting where the whole universe may rest—I am resting on a faithful God and
I need not be afraid! Do
not fear to examine yourself! If you do, there is, perhaps, all the graver need for the testing and
trying. Search and look,
and go to the bottom of these matters. Happy shall you be if, diving to the very depths, you can
say, “Yes, underneath are
the everlasting arms.”
I shall use this first word of my text in one more way. I think we have, here, the secret of singular
discoveries that will
yet be made. We do not at present know the reality of things—we judge according to our feelings
and by the sight of our
eyes—how else can we judge? But the day will come when things will appear very differently
from what they do now. Sermon #2435 The Everlasting Arms 3
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There is a huge trouble which has mastered us for years—it has seemed, with its dense shadow,
to darken our heavenly
way for a great length of time—but the day will come when we shall look through that trouble
and we shall find that
“underneath are the everlasting arms.” Perhaps some of us are in sore perplexity. We cannot
understand the Lord’s
Providential dealings with us. He does not always tell us the reason for His actions—we might not
understand it if He
did—but we may rest assured that He is working out purposes of Infinite Love! He ceases not to
care for us even when
things appear to be at their very worst. I bear my willing witness to the faithfulness of God! I am
not as old as some, but I
am old enough to have gone through fire and water, and I am here to testify that I have not been
burned by the one, nor
drowned by the other! Cannot many of you say the same? In your sorest trials and in your
hottest furnaces, has He not
been especially present with you and bestowed great blessings upon you? ‘Tis even so! Then trust
Him, you saints, for
what His Word assures you is gloriously true—“Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Go deeper down. Look further into the real reason of things than you have been accustomed to
do and you shall
come on this solid foundation—that God is working out for you infinite and eternal blessedness
by these light afflictions
which are but for a moment.
II. Now, secondly, let us note THE MANNER IN WHICH THIS QUARTER IS SECURED
—“Underneath are the
everlasting arms.”
The everlasting arms are there and that means, first of all, that God Himself is close to us,
guaranteeing the eternal
safety of all those who trust in Him. Of course, where any of his elect arms are, there He is, and
God is not divided from
His own arms. This is our joy and comfort that God is with us! What strength it gives to faith to
believe that God is present! Even the false prophet, Mohammed, had a strong faith in god—in
Allah—and when he fled for the first time and
hid in a cave with only one friend, his companion said to him, “Our pursuers are after us and
there are only two of us.”
“Stop,” exclaimed Mohammed, “there are three, for Allah is here!” It was the utterance of a
brave and grand faith—
would that his whole career had been in harmony with it! Wherever there are two of God’s
people, there is Another with
them, for God is there. We do not count Him in as we ought to do, yet, if we were wise, we would
put ourselves down as
only ciphers and say, “Nobody is there till HE is there! He is the one true, personal Numeral that
multiplies all these ciphers indefinitely.”
Mr. Wesley said, as he died, “The best of all is, God is with us.” And that is the best of all, is it
not? Underneath is
God, Himself. He who made the heavens and the earth cannot forsake those who do not forsake
Him. If you love Him. If
you trust in Him, He might as soon cease to be, as fail anyone who is relying upon Him. This is
the glory of Jehovah, that
while the gods of the heathen are worthless idols, our God hears prayer and answers the cry of
His people! Try Him and
see if it is not so. Blessed are they who trust in Jehovah, for they shall find in the living God help
in every time of need,
and sufficient strength for every day of trial! So, then, we see that what might appear to us as the
dark abyss, the dreary,
mysterious underworld, is all guarded by Jehovah, Himself—“Underneath are the everlasting
arms.”
Our text also means that the Lord’s Immutable Purpose is being fulfilled. Where God’s arms are,
He is at work, and
He is at work accomplishing His purposes of Grace. The text speaks of everlasting arms—that is
a strength that never
fails and never turns aside from the purpose to which it has bound itself. O child of God, down
deep where you cannot see
it, the Divine Power of the Eternal Godhead is always at work for you! The arms of God are busy
on your behalf! He has
made them bare to show Himself strong in your defense! You can be sure of this! God has a
purpose of love to all who
believe in Him—and that purpose of love shall stand fast to all eternity! Whatever changes there
may be in the appearance of this world and in the great universe of which it forms a part, there
shall be no change in the Infinite resolve of
God to bless His people and preserve them to the end. Why, Believer, be of good comfort, and say
to yourself, “At the
bottom of everything that happens to me, there is the Immutable Purpose of God and God,
Himself, working it out!”
Beside the Lord’s Immutable Purpose and His Infinite Power by which God is at work for you at
all times, our text
means that His inexhaustible patience is waiting its time. “Underneath are the everlasting arms”
bearing up your load,
sustaining it with long endurance while He keeps on working for you—invisible, yet always active
on your behalf. Do
you expect to see your God on this side Heaven? If so, you will be disappointed! Are you willing
to walk by faith and not
by sight? If so, you shall have a double blessing, for, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet
have believed.” Oh,
that the Holy Spirit of God would bring you to this point! Having trusted God in the Person of
His dear Son. Having
laid the whole weight of your eternal interests upon Him whom God has revealed to be your
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there in perfect safety, without a moment’s care or anxiety! God’s everlasting arms must carry
out God’s eternal purposes. Not one of His promises can fall to the ground, for, “God is not a
man, that He should lie; neither the son of man,
that He should repent: has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not
make it good?” It is God
Himself who undertakes to bear you up, and bear you through—therefore rest assured that He
will do it!
III. I must not speak longer upon that matter, for I must say just a little upon the third point.
THERE ARE TIMES
WHEN THIS TEXT IS VERY PRECIOUS TO BELIEVERS—“Underneath are the everlasting
arms.”
One of these times is, I think, when we are very sick and very feeble. The pillows have been
fluffed up for you and made
as soft as they can be. And the bed, which is so apt to grow hard, has been tenderly smoothed by
kind fingers, yet you
sink back as if you were about to die of exhaustion! Sink back, then! Be not afraid, for,
“underneath are the everlasting
arms.” Perhaps there comes a faintness over you and you seem to be sinking, sinking—you know
not where—still, “underneath are the everlasting arms!” You try to rise, but you cannot. You
would clutch at something by which you think
you might get back to activity, but you fall back into the same state of weary languor and pain.
Well, but still, “underneath are the everlasting arms!” It is delightful to feel that our feebleness
encroaches upon Omnipotence—that just when
there is nothing left to us—then God comes in with all His fullness and bears us up! He is always
faithful and full of compassion—He does not afflict willingly, or grieve the children of men—so,
when He must grieve them, it is then that He
displays His special power to strengthen and sustain them. Go home to your bed, if so it must be
with you. If there are
wearisome months of sickness and disease awaiting you, go home and carry this text with you
—“Underneath are the
everlasting arms.”
Is not this Word of God very sweet, too, when burdened with sore troubles, or oppressed with
heavy labors? You feel
that you need double strength and you say, “I cannot keep on any longer. There is too much for
mortal powers to endure, I cannot bear up under these repeated trials. The last time I felt thus, I
thought that I had no strength left, and now
this feeling comes over me again—what shall I do? I am thrown down, I am crushed as though
men were riding over my
head! I seem to be cast out like the mire in the streets.” Yes, but still, “underneath are the
everlasting arms.” We sang,
just now—
“As your day, your strength shall be.”
Is that truth or fiction? Ask God’s people as to their past experience and they will set to their seal
that God is true! And
you, too, shall find it true. Oh, how wondrously God’s saints have been borne up under
persecution—and cheerful and
glad under oppression! The sweetest songs that ever were heard on earth were sung behind
prison bars! Perhaps I shall
not be wrong when I say that the most wonderful joys that ever were felt by mortal hearts have
been felt by men and
women who, on the morrow, were to be burned at the stake—but whose very souls have danced
within them because of
the unspeakable delight which the Presence of God has given them!
I think it was Socrates who said, “Philosophers could be merry without music.” I take the
statement from his mouth
and alter it, and say, Christians can be happy without happy circumstances! They can,
sometimes, like nightingales, sing
best in dark nights. Their joy is not mere outward mirth. Sorrows fall upon them, yet, from the
deep that lies underneath
wells up yet more exceeding joy! Yes, “underneath are the everlasting arms,” and when we can
no longer stand, it is a
blessed thing to lean or fall back on them!
I have already told you that another time when this text is very sweet is when you are going down
hill. And some of
you may be going down hill pretty fast just now. Never mind—“Underneath are the everlasting
arms.” When you come
down the hill of old age, you know what lies at the bottom. Why, then, go up again, higher than
you ever went before,
renewing your youth and being forever with the Well-Beloved!
So, dear Friends, I may change the application of my text, “Underneath are the everlasting
arms,” and pass it on to
those who are all trembling and shaking. Some of you, perhaps, know what I mean. That young
man has begun to preach a
little, but he says, “I fear that I shall break down.” Dear Brother, if you get a message from God
to tell, then tell it, and
do not be afraid, for, “underneath are the everlasting arms.” You are seeking to gather a few
young people together and
you are trying to bless them, but you feel your own weakness so much that you say, “I know I
shall make a failure of it.”
Do not say so, for, “underneath are the everlasting arms!” He who helps us when we go down,
down, down, is equally
ready to do so when we are going up in His service! When our ardent zeal is bearing us forward
to do something more for
the Lord than we are quite equal to, then, “underneath are the everlasting arms.” And if you are
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ness, daring to indulge a loftier joy—if you are trying to sing some of those hymns which, a few
months ago, you
thought were pitched in too high a key for you—be bold and daring! Your wing feathers will
grow by your very attempt
to fly! The possibilities of Grace are boundless—leave yourself to them. Be not always weak and
trembling. God help
you to become as a David, and you who are as David, to become as an angel of the Lord!
Once more, the hour will come when everything will begin to melt away beneath your feet.
Earthly comforts will fail
you, friends will be unable to help you—they can wipe the clammy sweat from your brow and
moisten your lips with a
drop of water—but they cannot go with you on the great voyage upon which you are about to be
launched. When heart
and flesh fail, then may the Lord speak to you the sweet words before us, “Underneath are the
everlasting arms!” It will
be a sinking to the flesh, but a rising to the spirit! Underneath dying saints there is the living
God! Be not afraid, therefore, even to die, for, to the Christian, “to die is gain.” I remember, at a
funeral, when we laid the body of one of God’s
saints in the grave, a dear minister prayed, “Lord, we thank You that though our dear friend has
come so low as to be in
his grave, he cannot go any lower, for, ‘underneath are the everlasting arms,’ and in due time
You will bring him up,
again, in those everlasting arms, raised in the likeness of his Lord.”
That is true of all Believers! Therefore let this text come sweetly home to your heart
—“Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
I must conclude with this remark. There are some here who are net yet saved. I would illustrate
the way of salvation
to you by this text. You are hoping to save yourself. You are depending upon something that you
have done, or that you
have felt. I want you to let all that go, to give up every hope you have that comes out of yourself.
“Oh,” you say, “but I
shall fall.” Yes, you will, and that falling shall be your salvation, for, “underneath are the
everlasting arms.” There you
are, up at that window, and the flames are raging behind you so that you cannot escape—but one
stands below. He is
strong enough to catch you in his arms and he says, “Drop into my arms! Do not hesitate!” Jesus
Christ never yet allowed
any soul to be injured that dropped into His arms. Let go, man, let go! Let go everything and
drop into the arms of Jesus! That is the saving thing—to let everything else go and trust only to
Jesus, depending wholly upon Him who lived,
and died, and rose again—and is the ever-living Savior of sinners. Drop into His arms! They are
everlasting arms, as
strong to save, now, as they were 1,800 years ago! Drop into His arms. God help you to do so, for
His name’s sake!
Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON:
DEUTERONOMY 8.
Verse 1. All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you
may live, and multiply,
and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers. Every word, here,
seems emphatic. Like the children of Israel, we are to observe all the commandments of the Lord
our God—not merely some of them, picking and
choosing as we please. It is a very ill conscience which regards some of God’s statutes and pays no
attention to others! In
fact, the very act of making a selection as to what commands we will observe is gross
disobedience. “All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do.”
Notice that we are not only to do as we are bidden, but to do it with carefulness—“you shall
observe to do.” God
would not have a thoughtless, careless, blind service! We must bow our mind and heart as well as
our will to His service.
Remember, also, that it is not sufficient to “observe” the commandments so as to note what they
are, but we are to “observe to do” them. That observation which does not end in right practice is
like a promising blossom upon a tree which
never knits and which, therefore, produces no fruit. Further notice that to walk in the ways of
God is for our own benefit
as well as for His Glory—“That you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which
the Lord swore unto
your fathers.”
There are, doubtless, many good things which we miss because we are not careful in our walking.
I am sure that the
happiest life will be found to be that which is most carefully conducted upon the principles of
holy obedience to God’s
commands. There are certain blessings which God will not give to us while we are disobedient to
Him. Many a father
feels that he cannot indulge his child as he would wish to indulge him when he finds the child
negligent as to his father’s
will. So, if we please God, God will please us, but, if we walk contrary to Him, He will walk
contrary to us. Let me read 6 The Everlasting Arms Sermon #2435
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this most instructive verse again, that it may be further impressed upon your memories and your
hearts—“All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you
may live, and multiply, and go in and possess
the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers.” To help you in obeying these commands, it is
added—
2. And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty years in
the wilderness, to humble
you, and to prove you, to know what was in your hearts whether you would keep His
commandments, or no. Look back and
derive from your past experience a motive for more careful obedience in the future. He does not
read his own life aright
who does not see in it abundant causes for gratitude—and how can gratitude express itself better
than by a cheerful,
hearty obedience in the present and the future?
3. And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, These two
sentences come very closely
together—“Suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna.” I suppose we are not fit to eat
heavenly bread till first of
all we begin to hunger for it. God loves to give to men who will eat with an appetite—“He
suffered you to hunger, and
fed you with manna.”
3. Which you knew not, neither did your fathers know. It was a new kind of food and even in the
day when they ate it,
they did not fully know what it was. They saw that it came by a miracle and it remained a
mystery and, I think we can say
that though we have fed upon the Bread of Heaven, some of us, for well-near 40 years, yet we
hardly know, nor dare to
think that we know, what it is made of, nor can we tell all the sweetness that is in it. We know the
love of Christ, but it
still passes our knowledge. It is true of us, as of Israel in the wilderness, “He humbled you, and
suffered you to hunger,
and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know.”
3. That He might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that
proceeds out of the mouth
of the LORD does man live. It is a grand thing to be delivered from materialism, to be freed from
the notion that the outward means are absolutely essential for the accomplishment of the Divine
Purpose. If God had so willed it, we could have
lived on air—if the air had been sanctified by the Word of God and prayer for such a use! The
Lord has, however, chosen
to feed us upon bread—yet our highest life, our real life, does not live on bread, but it lives on the
Word which proceeds
out of the mouth of God! This is one of the passages with which our Lord fought Satan in the
desert and overcame him.
Happy is that servant of God who will arm himself with this same Truth and feel, “I am not to be
provided for merely by
money, or by anything else that is visible. God will somehow provide for me and I can leave all
care about the means, if
the means fail, and get away to the God of the means and lean, not on what I see, but on that arm
which is invisible! That
which you can see may fail you, for it is, like yourself, a shadow. But He whom you cannot see
will never fail you. The
strongest sinew in an arm of flesh will crack, but the eternal arm never fails and never is
shortened! Lean on that arm and
you shall never be ashamed, nor confounded, world without end! It takes 40 years to teach some
people that lesson, but
some, alas, have not learned it even at the end of 80 years!
4. Your raiment waxed not old upon you, neither did your feet swell these forty years. See how
God not only cares for
His people’s food, but for their raiment, also. We may, therefore, well take heed to Paul’s
injunction—“Having food
and raiment let us be therewith content.” Whether it was by a miracle that the Israelites’ raiment
did not wear out, or
whether it came to pass, in the order of Providence, that they were able to get fresh clothing
when it did wear out, does
not matter at all—it made no difference to them how it was arranged, for it was equal kindness
on the part of God who
provided for them. “Neither did your feet swell.” We call the Arab, sometimes, “The pilgrim of
the weary feet,” but the
Israelites’ feet were not weary. They traversed a stony wilderness, yet God kept them in such
health and strength that
their feet swelled not even after 40 years of journeying! You and I often get worn out in 40 hours
—forty days are as long
as we can hope to go. But God enabled His ancient people to go on for 40 years and still their feet
swelled not. Dr. Watts
sweetly sang—
“Mere mortal power shall fade and die,
And youthful vigor cease.
But we that wait upon the Lord
Shall feel our strength increase!
The saints shall mount on eagles’ wings,
And taste the promised bliss,
Till their unwearied feet arrive
Where perfect pleasure is.” Sermon #2435 The Everlasting Arms 7
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5. You shall also consider in your heart that, as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God
chastens you. We
sometimes think that we could do without the Lord’s chastening. If He will give us food and
raiment and keep our feet
from swelling, we will not crave the rod. No, but though we do not ask for it, the rod is one of the
choicest blessings of
the Covenant—and if we are the Lord’s children, we shall not go without it! To come under
Divine discipline is one of
the greatest mercies we can ever have. Many of us, who are now men and women, thank God for
earthly parents who have
corrected us. We wonder what we would have been if there had been no discipline in our father’s
house. So, truly, is it
with all of us who are God’s children—in years to come we shall prize the chastisement which
now makes us grieve. Even
now it is well if, by faith, we can apply to our own heart this text—“as a man chastens his son, so
the Lord your God
chastens you.”
6, 7. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways,
and to fear Him. For the
LORD your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths
that spring out of valleys and
hills. There are changes in our condition. Israel was not always in the wilderness—the chosen
people were brought into a
good land, into a place of rest from their weary wandering. So it may happen to you and to me
that even in temporal
circumstances, God may work a great change for us—and especially will He do this in spiritual
matters. After a time of
wilderness traveling, we who have believed enter into rest—we come to understand the Gospel—
and he who understands the Gospel is not, any longer, in the wilderness! In a certain sense, he
has come into the land of promise where he
already enjoys Covenant mercies. It is true that the Canaanite is still in that land and we have to
drive him out, but it is a
good land to which God has brought us, “a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that
spring out of valleys
and hills.” The Lord makes us drink of the river of His good pleasure. He satisfies us with the
cooling streams of His
Covenant love.
8. A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and
honey. I will not go
into a spiritualizing of all this, but I know that you who have come to believe in Christ and have
entered, by faith, into
His rest, know what sweet things God has provided for you—not merely bare necessities, but
choice delights. He gives
you to eat of the sweetnesses. He gives you the fatnesses—the wines on the lees, well-refined, and
the fat things full of
marrow. I trust that there are many here who know the blessed experience of joy and peace in
believing. You have entered
into a fair region. You have passed through the belt of storms. You have come where the trade
winds blow heavenward,
Your sails are filled, your vessel skips along before the breeze. You are making good progress
towards the Fair Havens of
eternal happiness!
9. A land wherein you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack anything in it; a land
whose stones are iron,
and out of whose hills you may dig brass. There are deep things hidden away in the Gospel
treasuries. Silver and gold
there may be none, but then, iron and copper are much more useful things—and the most useful
things we shall ever need
in this life lie hidden beneath the surface of the Gospel! If we know how to dig deep, we shall be
abundantly rewarded by
the treasures which we shall discover. Well now, if your experience has thus changed. If you have
left the fiery serpents
and the howling wilderness behind you and have come into a place of peace and enjoyment, what
follows?
10. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land
which He has given
you. He permits you to eat—not to satiety, but you may eat and be full—only not so full but that
you can always bless
His name! Do not be afraid of holy joy! Eat and be full of it, only let it never take your heart
away from Him who gives
you the joy. On the contrary, bless your God for the good land which He has given you. It is said
that in the olden times,
pious Jews always blessed God before they ate, and always blessed God after they ate. They
blessed God for the fragrance
of the flower whenever they smelt it. Whenever they drank a cup of water, they blessed the Lord
who gave them drink out
of the rock in the desert. Oh, that we were always full of praises of God! Then it would not hurt
us to be full of meat. But
if we get full of meat and are empty of praises, this is mischievous, indeed!
11. Beware that you forget not the LORD your God, in not keeping His commandments, and His
judgments, and His
statutes, which I command you this day. That would be practical atheism—not keeping the
commandments of God is one
of the most vivid ways of forgetting Him!
12-14. Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
and when your herds and
your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is
multiplied; then your heart is lifted
up and you forget the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from
the house of bondage. The 8 The Everlasting Arms Sermon #2435
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other day a friend asked me this question, “From where does God get His princes?” And the
answer I gave was, “He often
picks them off dunghills.” Oh, but they sometimes forget the dunghills where they grew and
think themselves wonderfully important individuals! Then there is a time of pulling down for
them. We cannot eat and be full without having the
temptation of getting our heart lifted up! It is a great blessing to have the heart lifted up in one
way, that is, in God’s
way—but to be lifted up by bread, to be lifted up by silver, to be lifted up by flocks and herds is
such a bad way of being
lifted up that evil and sorrow must come of it! See, the Lord does not forbid His people to build a
house, or to eat and to
enjoy what He gives them. But He does charge them not to forget the God who gave them these
mercies, nor to forget
where they used to be in slavery—“Beware that you forget not the Lord your God which brought
you forth out of the
land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
16. Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and
scorpions, and drought,
where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint. I cannot but
pause as I remember my own passage through “that great and terrible wilderness, where there
was no water.” When a soul is under conviction of sin,
“fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought” are very feeble images of the pains and miseries that
come of guilt unforgiven! “Where there was no water.” Oh, what would we not have given, then,
to have understood a little of that Gospel
which, perhaps, we now despise? Oh, what would we not have given, then, just to have moistened
our burning lips with
the Living Water of the precious Word in which, possibly, now we see no refreshing? May God
have mercy upon us for
our forgetfulness of His great mercy! Let us, with deep gratitude, think of Him again—“Who led
you through that great
and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there
was no water; who brought
you forth water out of the rock of flint.” “More likely,” says one, “to bring fire rather than water
out of a rock of flint.”
And it did seem as if the Cross of the curse must have cursed us, yet it blessed us! The Lord
brought forth Living Water
out of that Rock which was smitten for guilty man!
16, 17. Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers knew not, that He might
humble you, and that He
might prove you, to do you good at your latter end; and you said in your heart, My power and
the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. We must not say this about either temporal or
spiritual wealth! If we have grown in Grace and have
become useful, and are spiritually a blessing to others, we must not take any credit for it—or else
down we shall go before long! God did not enrich you that you might set up for a god in
opposition to Him. Christ did not love you that you
might make yourself a rival to Him. Oh, that must not be! We must never say in our heart, “My
power and the might of
my hand have gotten me this wealth.”
18, 19. But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is He that gives you power to get
wealth, that He may establish His Covenant which He swore unto your fathers, as it is this day.
And it shall be, if you do at all forget the LORD your
God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day
that you shall surely perish.
If you live like sinners, you will die like sinners! “Where, then, is the perseverance of the saints?”
asks one. Why, in this,
that they shall not live like sinners! God’s Grace will not let them go wandering after idols to
worship and to serve them!
He will keep us faithful to Himself, but if we will wander after idol gods, it proves that we are not
the Lord’s true Israel,
and we must expect to be served as others have been who have turned aside to worship idols—
20. As the nations which the LORD destroys before your face, so shall you perish; because you
would not be obedient
unto the voice of the LORD your God.
SPURGEON, “THERE is a great satisfaction in having such a text as this, for even if the
preacher should not be able to say anything
to edification, yet the text itself is rich food for the saints, and may fully satisfy their hunger. Let
but a child of God really digest such a royal dainty as this, and he shall be as well fed as was
Elijah when, waking up, found food under the juniper tree, in the strength of which he might go
for 40 days. This one verse may, by the Holy Spirit, be made sufficiently
nourishing to sustain a Believer from that place where he now is, to the gates of Glory. “The
eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
It is fabled that the swan sings but once, and that just before it dies; so Moses, who had been all
his life a Prophet,
now closes his career a poet, and dies singing. He praises God, setting Him above all gods, and
defying all men to find
one like unto Him, “Who is like unto the God of Jeshurun?” Not satisfied with this, he also exalts
in the highest degree
all the people who have God to be their portion. “Happy are you, O Israel, who is like unto you?”
I may say that my text
is a combination of the two—he is here extolling God, the everlasting and eternal God who is our
refuge—and he is here
admiring the privilege of Believers who have such a God to rest upon. While we are speaking,
therefore, this evening, if
you are not profited by our words, yet your hearts may be blessed if you praise God for His great
goodness towards you,
and may you also feel melted with holy joy at the blessed privileges which belong to you as the
people of God, in having
such a God who is so good to you.
The text naturally divides itself into two parts—the present and the future; in the present, we
have the Eternal God
to be our Refuge; in the future it is written that He shall thrust out the enemy from before us,
and shall say, “Destroy
them.”
I. Beginning, then, with the first part of the text, THE PRESENT BLESSING appears to me to
give us three distinct thoughts.
God is our Shelter; “The eternal God is your refuge.” But the word, “refuge,” according to many
of the best translators, may be read, “mansion,” or “abiding place,” so here comes a second
thought, that God is our Abode. Then the next
sentence gives us the third thought, “And underneath are the everlasting arms,” so that God is
our Support, as well as
our Shelter and our Abode.
1. We will begin our meditation, in the Spirit’s power, by considering God as our Shelter. The
children of Israel,
while they were in Egypt, and in the wilderness, were a type of God’s visible Church on earth.
Moses was speaking primarily of them, but secondarily, of all the chosen ones of God in every
age. Now, as God was the Shelter of His ancient
people Israel, so is He the Refuge of His saints through all time. And first, He was eminently their
shelter when they were
under bondage and the yoke was heavy. When they had to make bricks without straw, and the
taskmasters oppressed
them, then the people cried unto the Lord, and God heard their cry, and sent unto them His
servant Moses. So also, there
often comes to men a time when they begin to feel the oppression of Satan. I believe that many
ungodly men feel the slavery of their position. Even some of those who are never converted have
sense enough to feel at times that the service of
Satan is a hard one, yielding but little pleasure, and involving awful risks. Some men cannot go
long making bricks
without straw, without being more or less conscious that they are in the house of bondage; these,
who are not God’s
people, under the pressure of mind consequent upon a partial discovery of their state, turn to
some form of pleasure or
self-righteousness in order to forget their burden and yoke; but God’s elect people, moved by a
higher power, are led to
cry unto their God. It is one of the first signs of a chosen soul—that it seems to know, as if by
Heavenly instinct—where Present Privileges and Future Favor Sermon #624
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its true refuge is. Dear Brothers and Sisters, you remember that although you knew but little of
Christ, and in Doctrinal
matters you were very dark, though you did not understand, perhaps, even your own need, yet
there was a something in
you that made you pray, and realize that only at the Mercy Seat could you find your refuge.
Before you were a Christian,
before you could say—“Christ is mine,” your bedside was the witness to many flowing tears
when your aching heart
poured itself out before God, perhaps in strains like these—“O God, I need something; I do not
know what it is I need,
but I feel a heaviness of spirit; my mind is burdened, and I feel that You only can unburden me. I
know that I am a sinner;
oh, that You would forgive me! I hardly understand the plan of salvation, but one thing I know—
I need to be saved; I
would arise and go unto my Father—my heart pants to make Your bosom my refuge.” Now, I
say that this is one of the
first indications that such a soul is one of God’s chosen, for it is true, just as it was of Israel in
Egypt, that God is the Refuge of His people even when they are under the yoke.
When captivity is led captive, the Eternal God becomes the Refuge of His people from their sins.
The Israelites were
brought out of Egypt; they were free; albeit they were marching they knew not where, yet their
chains were snapped; they
were emancipated, and needed not to call any man, “Master.” But look, Pharaoh is angry, and he
pursues them—with
his horses and his chariots he hastens after them. The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil;
my lust shall be satisfied upon them.” Thus there is a period in the spiritual life when sin labors
to drag back the sinner
who has newly escaped from it. Like hosts ready for battle, all the poor sinner’s past iniquities
hurry after him, and overtake him in a place where his way is hedged in. The poor fugitive would
escape, but he cannot! What, then, must he do?
You remember that then Moses cried unto the Lord. When nothing else could be found to afford
shelter to the poor escaped slaves; when the Red Sea rolled before them, and the mountains shut
them in on either side; when an angry foe pursued them, there was one road which was not
stopped up, and that was the King’s Highway upward to the Throne, the
way to their God, and therefore they began at once to travel that road, lifting up their hearts in
humble prayer to God,
trusting that He would deliver them. You know the story too well for me to need to repeat it here
—how the uplifted rod
divided the watery deeps, how the people passed through the sea as a horse through the
wilderness, and how the Lord
brought all the hosts of Egypt into the depths of the sea—that He might utterly destroy them, so
that not one of them
was left, and those who had seen them one day saw them no more forever. Beloved, in this sense
God is still the Refuge of
His people. Our sins which pursued us so hotly have been drowned in the depths of the Savior’s
blood. They sank to the
bottom like stones, the depths have covered them, there is not one, no, not one of them left, and
we, standing upon the
shore in safety, can shout in triumph over our drowned sins, “Sing unto the Lord for He has
triumphed gloriously, and
all our iniquities has He cast into the midst of the sea.”
While God is thus the Refuge of His people under the yoke, and when sin seeks to overcome
them, He is also their
Refuge in times of need. The children of Israel journeyed into the wilderness, but there was
nothing for them to feed upon
there; the arid sand yielded them neither leeks, nor garlic, nor cucumbers; and no brooks or
rivers, like the Nile, were
there to quench their thirst; they would have famished if they had been left to depend upon the
natural productions of the
soil. They came to Marab, where there was a well, but the water was very bitter; at other stations
there were no wells
whatever, and even bitter water was not to be had. What then? Why, the unfailing refuge of
God’s people in the wilderness was prayer. Moses, their representative, always betook himself to
the Most High, at times falling upon his face in
agony, and at other seasons climbing to the top of the hill, and there pleading in solemn
communion with God, that He
would deliver the people. And you have heard full often how men did eat angels’ food in the
desert—how Jehovah rained
bread from Heaven upon His people in the howling wilderness, and how He smote the Rock, and
waters gushed forth.
You have not forgotten how the strong wind blew, and brought them flesh, so that they ate and
were satisfied. Israel had
no need unsupplied; their garments waxed not old, and though they went through the wilderness,
their feet grew not
sore. God supplied all their needs. We in our land must go to the baker, the butcher, the clothier,
and many others in
order to fully equip ourselves. But the men of Israel went to God for everything! We have to store
up our money, and buy
this in one place, and that in the other—but the Eternal God was their Refuge, and their resort
for everything, and in
every time of need they had nothing to do but to lift up their voice to Him.
Now it is just so with us spiritually. Faith sees our position today to be just that of the children of
Israel then—
whatever our needs are, the Eternal God is our Refuge. God has promised you that your bread
shall be given you, and
that your water shall be sure. He who gives spirituals will not deny temporals. The Mighty
Master will never allow you Sermon #624 Present Privileges and Future Favor
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to perish while He has it in His power to succor you. Go to Him with whatever may be the trouble
which weighs you
down. Do not suppose your case too bad, for nothing is too hard for the Lord! Dream not that He
will refuse to undertake temporals as well as spirituals—He cares for you in all things. In
everything you are to give thanks, and surely in
everything by prayer and supplication you may make known your needs unto God. In times
when the cruse of oil is ready
to fail, and the handful of meal is all but spent, then go to the All-Sufficient God, and you shall
find that they who trust
in Him shall not lack any good thing.
Furthermore, our God is the Refuge of His saints when their enemies rage. When the host was
passing through the
wilderness, they were suddenly attacked by the Amalekites. Unprovoked, these marauders of the
desert set upon them,
and destroyed the tail end of them, and what did Israel do? The people did not ask to have a
strong body of horsemen,
hired out of the land of Egypt for their refuge, or even if they did wish it, he who was their wiser
self, Moses, looked to
another arm than that of man, for he cried unto God! How glorious is that picture of Moses, with
uplifted hands, upon
the top of the hill giving victory to Joshua in the plains below. Those uplifted arms were worth
10,000 men to the hosts
of Israel; no, twice 10,000 had not so easily gotten a victory as did those two extended arms which
brought down Omnipotence itself from Heaven! This was Israel’s master-weapon of war—their
confidence in God. Joshua shall go forth
with men of war, but the Lord, Jehovah-Nissi, is the banner of the fight, and the Giver of the
victory! Thus, dear
Friends, the Eternal God is our Refuge. When our foes rage we need not fear their fury. Let us
not seek to be without
enemies, but let us take our case and spread it before God. We cannot be in such a position, that
the weapons of our foes
can hurt us, while the promise stands good—“No weapon that is formed against you shall
prosper, and every tongue
that rises against you in judgment You shall condemn.” Though earth and Hell should unite in
malice, the Eternal God
is our Castle and Stronghold, securing to us an everlasting refuge.
To close our remarks upon this point—when their falls into sin had cursed the people of God,
and provoked the
Most High so that He sent fiery serpents among them, even then the Eternal God was their
Refuge. When we are conscious that sin has brought us into any mischief or sorrow, we are apt to
feel—“I must not go to God with this, because
it is clearly the natural and inevitable result of my sin—it is a rod of my own making.” Yes, but
we may go even with
that, for if the Lord should send the fieryserpents, still, you must fly into the arms of that very
God who has sent the serpents to bite you—for it is He, and He alone, who can lift up the bronze
serpent before your tearful eyes, and give you
life through looking at it! We make a mistake when we imagine that we may not go to God as
sinners; we may feel unworthy to go, but we must not think that we shall be unwelcome. I do not
go to my Heavenly Father in times of need
because I feel there are excellencies in me, which will qualify me for receiving His help, but I go,
because I feel unfit to be
blessed, and am therefore anxious for the blessing; I go because I feel unworthy of deliverance,
and am the more desirous
that I may get deliverance from the God of Grace.
The Eternal God, then, is our Refuge in a thousand ways. I have only given you a few hints on
this part of the subject, but we will sum them up, and then you can enlarge on them at your
leisure. Under the yoke, before sin is forgiven, if
you are a child of God, the Eternal God is your Refuge; when you have escaped from sin, and the
past haunts you, still
the Eternal God is your Refuge; when, in the wilderness, your needs press you down, whether
they are temporal or spiritual, then the Eternal God is your Refuge; and when your enemies
attack you, or your own guilt has brought you into
such a position that God Himself chastises you sharply, still, even then it holds good and true
that, the Eternal God is
your Refuge if you believe in Him.
2. Now take the second thought with brevity. The Eternal God is our Mansion, our Dwelling, our
Abiding Place.
The children of Israel had no other, and therefore if God were not their Dwelling Place, they
were houseless. Pilgrims of
the weary foot, they found no city to dwell in. At eventide they pitched their tents, but they struck
them again in the
morning; the trumpet sounded and they were up and away; if they were in a comfortable valley
for one day, yet that relentless trumpet bade them resume their wearisome march through the
wilderness in the morning; and, perhaps, they
thought they lingered the longest where an encampment was least desirable. Nevertheless they
always had a dwelling
place in their God. If I might use such a description without seeming to be fanciful, I would say
that the great cloudy
canopy which covered them all day long from the heat of the sun was their roof—and that the
blazing pillar which protected them by night was their family fireside. God Himself dwelt in the
very midst of them in the bright shining light,
the Shekinah, within the Holy Place, and up from the very spot there rose the great pillar which
was cloud by day, and Present Privileges and Future Favor Sermon #624
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fire by night, and so, within the compass of God’s protecting Presence they found a perpetual
abode. So Moses sings,
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Wherever they were, if they were
but under the shadow of
that cloud, they were quite at home, and whenever they got within the radius of the bright pillar
of fire, they felt that
they were not away from the family circle. Now I hope that many of us can say that the Eternal
God is our Dwelling
Place—
“Home, home,
Sweet home,
There’s no place like home,”
says the song, and certainly, if God is our Home, the song has a depth of sweetness in it. At home
one feels safe. An Englishman’s house is his castle; who shall intrude upon him there? When the
bolt is drawn, when the curtains are drawn,
when the family gathers round the fireside, then we have shut the world, and all our enemies’
babbling tongues out, and
we dwell in quiet. So when we get to our God, not bolts of brass nor gates of iron could guard
God’s people as well as
that wall of fire which Jehovah is to all His chosen. When we draw near to God in sweet
communion, we feel as if the devil himself were dumb—
“Then, let the earth’s old pillars shake,
And all the wheels of Nature break,
Our steadfast souls shall fear no more,
Than solid rocks when billows roar.”
At home, too, we take our rest. Out in the world, in the workshop, we toil until the sweat
streams from our face; in
the pulpit, in the midst of our congregations, our mind is so active and on the alert, that the brain
is often wearied, but
at home we cast ourselves down upon the couch, and feel that now the day’s work is over, and
that the happy evening of
rest has come. When I get to my God, no servile works have I to do—no hewing of wood and
drawing of water, like a
Gibeonite, in God’s house; but here I am, His servant, happy in His service, and finding sweet
rest in what I do for Him.
“We who have believed, do enter into rest,” and there is a peace which, “passes all
understanding, which keeps our heart
and mind, through Christ Jesus.”
At home we let our hearts loose. We cast aside all dignity there—we are no longer on our guard
like men in armor;
we are not afraid that our children will misunderstand us, or that our dear ones will misconstrue
our words and sentiments; we feel at ease. So is it when we are with our God. I dare tell Him
what I dare not tell anyone else; there is no secret of my heart which I would not pour into His
ear; there is no wish that might be deemed foolish or ambitious by others, which I would not
communicate to Him; for surely, if “the secret of the Lord is with them who fear Him,” the
secrets
of them who fear Him ought to be, and must be with their Lord.
It is at home, if anywhere, that a man is thoroughly happy and delighted. He takes his soul’s best
solace there; his
eyes sparkle most at his own fireside; whatever the man may be abroad, with all his cares and his
troubles, he can’t wait
to get home, as going to the place of his delight. So I trust it is with us and our God. We go out,
like Noah’s dove; with
weary wings we fly over the watery waste, ready to drop; but we come back again, like that same
dove, into Noah’s hand,
and there we find our resting place forever.
It is for home that a man works and labors. I am sure when I see the workers filling the streets,
just when work is
over, that the most of them have a home to go to for the sake of which they toil. What makes that
man work so hard?
Why, there are three little ones at home who must be fed! How is it that he is content to go
through so much toil, but
there is a wife at home dear to his soul, and for her and the babies he fights the battle of life
bravely. Be it ever so homely;
be it up ever so many pairs of stairs, yet the thought of that little room, and of the dear ones there
at home gives strength
to the man to bear his burden and helps his fingers to fly the quicker over his work. In this sense,
too, I think we can say
that our gracious God is our Home, our Mansion. The love of God strengthens us. We do but
think of Him in the Person
of His dear Son, and a glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemer compels us to labor. We feel
that we must work, for
we have brethren yet to be saved; we have uncalled ones yet to be brought in; we have the head
of Christ to crown—we
have the Father’s heart to make glad by bringing home to Him His wayward and wandering
sons.
We will pause here, and see if we can say, “Yes, ‘tis true, Lord; You are, as the Eternal God, our
Mansion and Dwelling Place.” I pray, dear Friends, do not say this in words unless you know in
truth that the Eternal God is your Dwelling
Place. Sermon #624 Present Privileges and Future Favor
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3. We must be very brief on the third part of this present privilege—“Underneath are the
everlasting arms.” This
means that God is our Support, and our Support just when we begin to sink. We need support
when we are sinking, and
by the arms being “underneath,” it seems that this support is given just when we are going down.
At certain seasons the
Christian sinks very low in humiliation. He has a deep sense of his own sin; he is humbled before
God till he scarcely
knows how to lift up his face and pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so abject, so mean,
so base, so worthless.
Well, Child of God, remember that when you are at your worst, yet “underneath you are the
everlasting arms,” Christ’s
Atonement dives deeper than your sin. Sin may sink you ever so low, but the great Atonement is
still under all! I will give
you a text which proves it. “He is able to save unto the uttermost them who come unto God by
Him.” You may have gone
very low, but you can never have gone so low as “the uttermost.” Here is another. “All manner of
sin and of iniquity
shall be forgiven unto men.” You have plunged into nearly all sorts of sin, but you have not gone
into, “all manner of
sin.” Or if you have, it may be forgiven, so that this promise goes underneath you. The love of
God, the power of the
blood, and the prevalence of the intercession are deeper down than sin with all its Hell-born
vileness can ever sink the
sinner, while breath is in his nostrils
Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trials from without. He loses his
property; his children die;
his wife is carried to the grave—every earthly prop is cut away. What then? He goes down, down,
down—yet still underneath him are the everlasting arms! You cannot sink so deep in distress and
affliction, but what the Covenant Grace of
an ever-faithful God will be still lower than you are—even when at your very lowest. Look at
your Savior—you are never as low as He was. Perhaps you cannot pay your rent, and you are to
be turned out of that little room; this is falling
low, indeed, but what did your Savior say—“Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests,
but I, the Son of Man,
have not where to lay My head.” I have supposed you to be in a very sad case, but, you see,
underneath you there are the
sufferings of Christ. Perhaps your friends have forsaken you; yes, but hear Him—“He who eats
bread with Me has lifted
up his heel against Me.” He is deeper in the mire than you. You are very, very, very poor, but see,
there He hangs upon
the Cross—stripped naked, without a rag to cover Him; deserted by all. You have gone very far,
but not as far as that.
Jesus represents the great goodness of God in its communion with your need, and in Him your
God puts underneath you
His everlasting arms.
Possibly you are sinking very deep down, under trouble from within. You have felt such
vexations of spirit as you
never thought you could have known; you have waged such a conflict as you never dreamed of;
the fountains of the great
deep have been broken up, and, as a deluge, sin threatens to cover your spirit, and drown all the
life in your heart. Beloved, you cannot, even there, be brought as low as Christ was, for what did
He say—“My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me?” God is still with you to be your succor, and if you have lost the light of your
Father’s Countenance, yet
you have not lost it to so great an extent as your Savior did; you have not yet sweat “great drops
of blood,” you have not
yet prayed with strong crying and tears, and found that the cup could not be removed altogether.
You have not yet descended into the depths, as your Savior did; and so we will take it for granted
that underneath you, wherever you may be,
there are the everlasting arms. I think I see the devil trying to drown a Believer, but underneath
are the everlasting arms.
Satan says, “I will have him yet,” and down he dives lower still—but the everlasting arms are
even there. Why, look
what he did with Jonah! He got him into the whale’s belly, but he was not content with that. The
whale, of course, was
near the surface when it first sucked Jonah in, but it goes down, perhaps half a mile; it must go
yet deeper, and so it stirs
up the deep in its pain, for it has an indigestible morsel within, and it does not know what to do
with it! It plunges down,
down, DOWN, till Jonah says he went to the bottoms of the mountains, and the weeds were
wrapped about his head, and
the earth with her bars was about him forever—yet even then, “underneath were the everlasting
arms,” and therefore the
whale comes up, and Jonah stands upon the dry land once more! So shall it be with you, Beloved,
for in your worst trials
and times of difficulty, underneath you are the everlasting arms!
And this, also, I may give you by way of comfort, in any weary labors in which you may be
engaged. There are some
of God’s servants who feel as if they would willingly die; for to serve God, though very pleasant,
is at times very difficult
work; and when one is involved in God’s service, and is ready to drop, one will cry out, “Oh,
when shall the day of rest
come?” Courage, courage, you fainting soldier! Underneath are the everlasting arms—you shall
have strength equal to
your day! Your shoes shall be iron and brass! You shall end your journey well, and you shall
fight the fight till the victory comes! Present Privileges and Future Favor Sermon #624
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At last, when death comes, the promise shall still hold good. We shall stand in the midst of
Jordan and, like poor
Christian, it is possible that we may begin to sink; but may we have some Hopeful with us then,
to say, as Hopeful did to
Christian, “Be of good cheer, my Brother, I feel the bottom, it is good”—for underneath us there
will be the everlasting
arms. You may be full of pain and anguish, and the spirit may sink into a spiritual death even
before the natural death
comes on; you may feel dying to be dreadful work, but still, if the worst should come to worst,
you shall yet in the hour
of extremity win the victory! You shall triumph over death, and enter into the Presence of God,
and bless His name because, “underneath you are the everlasting arms.”
I can scarcely venture on the second part of my subject tonight at all, for we have not done with
the first point. I wish
you to notice those two phrases which are the pith of the text. “The Eternal God.” “Everlasting
arms.” “The Eternal
God.” Here is antiquity. The God who was before all worlds is forever my God. Oh, how I love
that word, “eternal”!
But, Brothers and Sisters, there are some people who do not believe in an Eternal God. At any
rate, they do not believe
in Him as being theirs eternally. They do not believe that they belonged to Christ before they
were born; they have a notion that they only had God to be theirs when they believed on Him for
the first time. They do not believe in Covenant
settlements, and eternal decrees, and the ancient purposes of the Most High; but let me say that
for comfort there is no
thought more full of sweetness than that of an Eternal God engaged in Christ Jesus to His people;
to love, and bless, and
save them all! One who has made them the distinguished objects of His discriminating regard
from all eternity. It is the
ETERNAL God. And then there are the “everlasting arms”—arms that will never drop, arms
that will never grow weary, arms that will never lose their strength. They put the two words
“eternal” and “everlasting” together, and they remind us of another sweet word—Immutability.
An everlasting God who faints not, neither is weary, who changes not,
and turns not from His promise. Such is the God we delight to adore and to use as our eternal
shelter, our dwelling place
and our support.
II. The second part of the subject, AS TO THE FUTURE, I cannot dwell upon for lack of time,
but only give you an
outline of what one might have said upon it if there had been opportunity.
He who has been our God in the past, will certainly be our God in the future! And in the future
we have two things
to comfort us—Divine Work, and we have a Divine Word.
Here is a Divine Work. He will thrust out our enemies before us. Whatever your difficulties may
be, whatever your
sins may be against which you have to contend, remember, Jehovah leads the van, and crushes
your foes before you come
to them. You have to fight, Christian, with vanquished enemies, and it is an easy thing when you
have to overcome a
dragon who has already had his head broken by your risen Lord. Therefore Dr. Watts makes us
sing for our comfort—
“Hell and your sins resist your course,
But Hell and sin are vanquished foes!
Your Savior nailed them to the Cross,
And sung the triumph when He rose.”
Before you get to your difficulties, your God will have removed them. The stone was laid at the
mouth of the sepulcher,
and the women said, “Who shall roll away the stone?” But when they arrived at the spot, they
found that the stone had
been rolled away by an angel long before. March on, Christian—the Jordan may be very deep—
but as soon as the feet of
God’s priests touch the border of the river it shall be dried up. You shall have before you 10,000
things which may appall
you, but if you will but go on in the strength of faith, they shall prove to be but the shadows
which disappear when the
sun rises. There is Divine Work always going on before God’s people; His shield always goes in
front; His sword always
cuts and clears the way, and we have but to follow where He leads. When the children of Israel
passed over Jordan, the
priests who bore the Ark first dipped their feet in the stream, and it parted before the servants of
the Lord because God
was between the cherubim. So in every crossing which lies in the path to the city of our God, that
better city, Jerusalem
the Golden, we see the footprints of one who is our Priest—touched with a sense of our infirmities
and griefs because He
has endured the same before us; Who has planted His feet in the darkest depths, and made a
path through the mightiest
waters so that we need not fear—but may boldly plunge in—assured that we only follow Him
whose Presence will always enable us to say, “Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of
Death, I will fear no evil, for You are with
me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.” We follow the Captain of our salvation who says,
“Come on, follow Me.”
He goes before. Every dart that wounds you passes by Him. Yes, He has felt the first smart of
each poisoned arrow in the
devil’s quiver, and the venomous power has been washed away in His blood. There is not a
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whose edge has not been turned on the armor of our great Champion; the keenness of every
blade is gone since it was buried in His wounds. When Jacob wrestled with the Nameless One till
the break of day, he came out of the contest with one
sinew withered so that he limped to his grave; and thus each of our foes has received a touch
from the finger of Him,
“who comes up from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah, traveling in the greatness of His
strength.” And that touch
has crippled the power of our enemies, they are spoiled and robbed of much of their satanic
might because they have been
beneath the heel of Him who has trod down all our foes beneath His feet.
Still, we are not to be idle, for we have next a Divine Word. He shall thrust out our enemies, but
He will also say,
“Destroy them.” We have to take God’s Word, and to be obedient to it in the future. Whatever
sins we have, there is only
one thing to be done with them, and that is to “destroy them.” A man has a number of faults, and
he says, “Well, Sir,
there is my drunkenness, and my swearing, and so on; I am quite agreeable to what you say, I
will destroy them. I will
hang them on a gallows as high as that on which Haman would have hanged Mordecai; but, Sir, I
have little a trick in my
trade—I should not like to tell everybody of it—it is a very profitable one, and I do not think it is
so very bad, for nearly
everybody else in the trade does it. Do you not think the best way would be to practice it, and give
part of the money I
get by it to God’s cause? I will be very careful, and do it only when compelled.” My dear Friend,
I have only one thing to
say to you about your sin, and that is, “destroy it!” Do not try to make it better, to dress it up,
swear it in, and make a
soldier of it for Christ—no—destroy it; this is your work. If your eye offends you, “pluck it out.”
“Oh,” says another,
“but I have a very bad temper; I sometimes fly into a passion, I think I must try to get over it by
degrees, but still I can
make a great many excuses for myself, and am I not quite right in doing so?” My dear Sir, I can
only say one thing, and
that is, “destroy it,” for the only proper treatment of sin is to cut it off and cast it from you. Do
not pamper it or excuse
it, but destroy it! Smite it to the heart if you can, and never be satisfied till you have utterly
destroyed it. Look at Saul.
He has been against the Amalekites, and he brings home a very beautiful flock of sheep and
bullocks, and so on. He is told
to destroy them all, but he brings them home, and Agag with them. Why did he not kill Agag?
Well, he was such a gentleman, such a thorough gentleman, that he did not want to kill him; it
was a public duty to sweep the commonplace
Amalekites out of the way, they were such rascals; but this Agag, why, he walked so delicately, he
had such a nice way
with him, he was so winning, he had such an enchanting face, had the manners and air, in fact, of
an Israelite—it would
be a pity, a great pity to kill him!
So Saul brought home the best of the sheep, and the beasts, and the cattle. and Agag with them.
But Samuel comes
in, and is in no sweet mood when he hears the bleating of the sheep. He demands of Saul—“Have
you done as God commanded you?” “Yes I have,” said Saul. “Then what mean the bleating of the
sheep, and the lowing of the cattle that I
hear?” “Oh,” said Saul, “I did not slay them all. I thought I had better spare some of the best of
them as an offering unto
God, so I kept them alive, and I have also kept Agag.” What came of it? Did the Prophet spare
the Amalekite? No, truly!
Samuel first told Saul that God had put him away from being king, and then he said, “Bring
Agag,” and Agag came to
him—you can imagine how he would come—and Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is
past.” There he stood,
and I think I see Samuel, getting gray then, very gray and not very fit for such service, but he
looked for the nearest
sword that he could get, and though it is not a Prophet’s work to kill, yet as soon as he could
grasp a sword, he hewed
Agag in pieces! He was not content to cut his head off, but hewed him in pieces, as a man would
chop a block of wood—
to show the anger and detestation which God had towards the most princely sins.
Now, Christian, your business with sin is in the Spirit’s power to serve it as Samuel did Agag—to
hew it in pieces,
and show the utmost hatred towards it. So far from making excuses for it, seek to devise ways by
which you may mortify
it and put it to death.
When the Prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from Heaven had
consumed the sacrifice
in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of
Baal, and, said he, “Let not
one escape.” And he took them all down to the brook Kishon and slew them there. So must it be
with our sins—each one
must die—let not one escape! Spare it not for its much crying. Strike, though it is a darling sin as
dear as an Isaac.
Strike, for God struck at sin when it was on His Son; even so, with stern unflinching purpose,
condemn to death that sin
which may have been the darling of your heart. Spare it not, because it may make sport or be of
use in any way. Remember Samson, how he gathered strength as his locks grew once more, and
how he avenged himself upon his foes. Beware
lest your sins which are only for a while repressed, and not totally destroyed, should rise up
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might should hurl you to the ground, and bury you in the wreck of your noblest hopes and deeds.
You will probably ask
how you will be able to accomplish this work. Why, take the promise we have been talking about
—“The eternal God is
your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” If you would triumph over darkness, set
yourself in the Presence
of the Sun of Righteousness! There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin, and
recovery from its power and
guilt, as the immediate Presence of God. Get into God’s arms, and you will see how to hit at sin,
and will gather strength
to give the final blow which shall lay the monster in the dust. Job never knew how to get rid of sin
half as well as he did
when his eye of faith rested on God, and he abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes.
The fine gold of the Christian is often becoming dim, and the spots will appear upon the surface
showing that we
dwell among the sons of earth in a world which lies in the Wicked One. We need some sacred fire
which shall consume
away the dross, and give us back the brightness we have lost. Go to God, He is a consuming fire,
not to your spirit, but
to your sins. You may so plead the work of Christ, and the Covenant of Grace as to make the
very Nature of God, which
would condemn you out of Christ, to cleanse you, being in Christ Jesus. You will be sanctified by
the God who would
have destroyed you had you not fled for refuge to the hope set before you. You have strength to
overcome sin given you
in the Covenant of Grace; you have strength to drive out your own iniquities; you have strength
to win battles for your
Master, because in Christ Jesus He has promised to be with you even unto the end. May the past
experience stimulate you
to future exertion, and let the goodness of God excite you to a sacred jealousy and to a holy
revenge against those sins
which are hateful in His sight.
May God bless you, Brothers and Sisters, for Christ’s sake.
SPURGEON, UNDERNEITH, “GOD surrounds His children on all sides—they dwell in Him.
The passage before us shows that the Lord is above,
for we read, “There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rides upon the Heaven to help
you, and in His excellency
on the sky.” Assuredly He is around them, for, “The eternal God is your refuge.” And He is
before them, for, “He shall
thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, Destroy them.” Here, according to the text,
the Lord is also under
His saints, for, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” “Lord, You have been our dwelling place
in all generations,” and
by You we are surrounded everywhere, as the earth is by the atmosphere—
“Within Your circling power I stand.
On every side I find Your hand.
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God.”
The verse which contains our text should be interpreted somewhat after this fashion—“The
eternal God is your
dwelling place, or your rest, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” The parallel passage is
that verse in the Song
wherein the bride exclaims, “His left hand is under my head, and His right hand does embrace
me.” The soul has come to
its resting place in God and feels itself to be supported by the Divine strength. The heart has
learned to abide in Christ
Jesus to go no more out, but to lean on His bosom both day and night. It is somewhat in the
condition of Noah’s dove
which, when weary, was about to drop into the destroying waters, but Noah put out his hand and
plucked her to him
into the ark. And when she was all safe, in the hollow of his hands, held by her preserver with a
firm but tender grasp, she
found in that place a refuge which surrounded her and upheld her from below. The hands
covered her on all sides and
came beneath her, too. Even thus, the hand of God sustains all those who dwell in the secret place
of the Most High and
abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I am going, however, to take the words just as they stand in our own authorized version and to
consider them apart
from the context. I ask your most careful consideration of them, for they must be very full of
meaning and very emphatic
in their force. The words are placed at the end of Moses’ song and they are its crown and climax.
He had wound himself
up to the highest pitch of poetic excitement and spiritual fervor—and this passage is the result.
He had spoken grandly,
before, concerning the separate tribes and the words which fell from his lips are unspeakably
rich. But now he is about to
close and, therefore, he pours forth his loftiest strains and utters full and deep meanings—the
ripest and choicest fruit of
a lifetime of communion with God! As our Lord ascended to Heaven blessing His disciples, so did
His servant Moses,
before climbing to Pisgah, pour out a torrent of benedictions, full and deep, inspired by the Holy
Spirit.
It is not possible, therefore, that the language can be too greatly prized. The words mean all that
we can make them
mean! The nectar of their consolation is altogether inexhaustible! May God the Holy Spirit help
us to weigh and measure
them and then distil their inner sense and drink of the spiced wine of His pomegranate.
“Underneath are the everlasting
arms.” I shall handle the text in this fashion. Where? “Underneath.” What? “The everlasting
arms.” When? They are
underneath us now and always and if it is so, what then?
I. First let us attend to the question—WHERE? “Underneath.” Now, “underneath,” is a region
into which we
cannot see. We glance down and the dead cold earth stops our gaze. When we are heavy in spirit
we fix our eyes upon the
ground and look, and look, and look—but even an eagle’s glance cannot see far below. We
scarcely can peer beneath the
thin green sod—the bottom of a grave is well near the full range of mortal vision. The
underworld is mysterious. We
associate the subterranean with all that is dark and hidden and, because of this, it is often
regarded as terrible. A man Underneath Sermon #1413
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scarcely ever fears that which he can see in proportion to his dread of what he cannot see.
Therefore, our alarm at the
“underneath.”
What may be underneath us when we leave this sunlit region for the grave’s overshadowing
vault? What will happen
to us in eternity? Life will soon end—what is death? What is the immediate result of death?
What shall we feel when we
are traversing those unknown tracks and finding our way to the Judgment Seat of God? Not
knowing except that little
which has been revealed to us, we are all too apt to conjecture terrors and invent horrors—and
so to begin trembling
concerning that which we do not understand! What a comfort it is to be told by the Voice of
Inspiration that,
“Underneath are the everlasting arms!”
Poets have usually been in a gloomy humor when picturing the underworld. Imagination is very
apt to spin a black
and tangled thread. You have read of dark caverns where the bodies of men are fast detained, of
which caverns Death has
the key. Of this the grim Anglo-Saxon poet wailed the warning note—
“Loathsome is that earth-house,
And grim within to dwell!
There you shall dwell,
And worms shall divide you!”
You have heard of gloomy ruins where the night raven forever sits and croaks. You have heard
of corridors where
prisoners incessantly rattle their chains to the dolorous music of sullen groans and hollow moans.
We have been afraid of
death because of the horrors with which our ignorance has surrounded it! And we have been
dismayed at the future
because of the mysteries which darken it.
Be comforted! Our text, like a lamp, reveals the abyss of death and lifts up the veil of the future!
Follow its gleam and
you will see how it dispels the darkness! If you are a child of God, you may descend without fear
into the lowest depths—
even if, like Jonah, you had to cry, “I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with
her bars was about me
forever,” yet you need not be dismayed—for, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” If you were
called to take some
such awful journey as Virgil and Dante have fabled in their poems, when their heroes descended
into the dread Avernus,
you need not tremble, though it were said of you as of them—
“Along the illuminated shade
Darkening and lone their way they made.”
If, I say, you were bound to traverse the sepulchral vaults and all the gloomy dungeons of Hades,
yet you need not fear,
for, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Mystery of mysteries! Death, you are no longer terrible to us because the Light of lights is shining
upon you! Depths
unfathomable, we no longer fear to pass through you, for there is One whose love is deeper than
the depths beneath as it
is higher than the heights above! And He has said, “I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring
them up from the depths
of the sea.” We gladly take our journey downward at the call of God! And without fear we pass
through the gates of the
tomb and enter the doors of the shadow of death, for, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
“Underneath”—the word
awakens thought and enquiry. Everything ought to be sound, solid and substantial there.
“Underneath” must be firm,
for if that fails we fail, indeed!
We have been building and our eyes have been gladdened with the rising walk and with the
towering pinnacles. But
what if something should be rotten “underneath?” Great will be the fall then, if we have built as
high as Heaven, if sand
lies underneath, yielding and shifting in the day of flood. “Underneath” is the great matter to
which the architect, if he is
wise, will give his best attention. And truly, Brothers and Sisters, when you and I begin to
examine our Graces and our
professions, that word, “underneath,” suggests many a testing question. Is it all right with us as
to the root of the
matter—“underneath?” If not, the fair flower above ground will wither very speedily. The seed
has sprung up hastily,
but how is the soil underneath? For if there is no depth of earth, the scorching sun will soon dry
up the superficial
harvest.
“Underneath,” though it is mysterious, is also intensely important and, therefore, the great joy of
being able to say
by faith, “Yes, ‘underneath’ is well secured, we have trusted in God and we shall not be confused.
We have relied upon
the eternal promises and they cannot fail. We have rested on the infinite merits of the atoning
Sacrifice of God’s dear Son
and we shall never be ashamed of our hope.” Happy is he who rests upon the Everlasting
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and sure, for with him all is safe underneath! And, though the earth is removed and the
mountains are carried into the
midst of the sea, he need not fear, but may patiently hope and quietly wait for the salvation of
God.
For a period we may be content with superficial pleasures, but there are times of trial when we
have to fall back upon
something deeper and more reliable—earthly props give way, in their season, and we need
superior sustaining power.
The carnal mind meets with an hour when “the proud helpers do stoop under him” and
Believers, too, in proportion as
they foolishly lean upon an arm of flesh, find their confidences departing. Then it is that we feel
the value of Divine
upholding and rejoice that “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Let us look more closely into this most important matter. “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
That is, first, as
the foundation of everything. If you go down, down, to discover the basement upon which all
things rest, you come,
before long, to “the everlasting arms.” The things which are seen are held up by the invisible
God! This outward visible
universe has no power to stand for a single instant if He does not keep it in being. By Him all
things exist. There are no
forces apart from God’s power! No existences apart from His will! He bears up the pillars of the
universe. He, only,
spreads out the heavens and treads upon the waves of the sea. He makes Arcturus, Orion, the
Pleiades and the chambers
of the south. Foolish are those philosophers who think that they can reach the essence and soul
from which visible things
were evolved unless they bow before the invisible God! He is the foundation of creation, the
fountain and source of being,
the root and basement of existence. “Underneath” everything “are the everlasting arms.”
Most true is this with regard to His Church. He chose her and redeemed her to Himself—the
very idea of a Church is
from the Lord alone. As a temple He devised her architecture, saying, “I will lay your
foundations with sapphires.” And
He has built up her every stone by His own power. He sustains her walls against her enemies so
that the gates of Hell
cannot prevail against her, for the foundation of God stands sure. The foundation of every true
Church is the Lord
Himself, the Highest, Himself, establishes her. God is in the midst of her—she shall not be moved.
“Underneath are the
everlasting arms.” Blessed be God, what is true of the Church as a corporate body is true of
every member of the Church!
There abides no spiritual life in the world which is not founded upon the everlasting arms.
Beloved, if the life of God is in you, if you search deep and go to the basis of it, you will find that
your life is staying
itself and drawing its constant nurture, yes, deriving its very existence from the life of the eternal
God. Jesus says,
“Because I live, you shall live also.” Your life is the life of God in you, for the Divine seed is the
foundation of all
spiritual life. Beware, then, of harboring in your heart anything which has not underneath it the
everlasting arms. If
there is any hope, let it be founded on the Everlasting Covenant of God. If there is any joy, let it
well up from the
everlasting love of God. If there is any confidence, let it be stayed upon the everlasting strength of
Jehovah. If there is any
service rendered, let it be according to the everlasting commandment.
If in your soul there is any Divine Grace. If there is any virtue. If there is any praise, suffer none
of these matters to be
superficial or pretentious—the creation of your own native strength—but let them all be founded
upon the work of the
Holy Spirit in your soul. In fact, let it be said of each of them, “Underneath are the everlasting
arms.” Nothing will serve
our turn in the trials of life, the terrors of death, or the solemnities of the Last Great Day, except
that which has
underneath it the everlasting arms! See how the nations reel when God no longer sustains them
—“He removes the
mountains and they know not, He overturns them in His anger.” See how those Churches fly into
apostasy which have
not underneath them the everlasting arms—they are quenched as the fire of thorns and only a
smoke remains!
Did not Jesus say, “Every plant that my Father has not planted shall be rooted up”? See how
hypocritical professors
disappear like the morning mist when the sun rises! Nothing will abide the day of the Lord’s
coming unless its
foundation is laid in the eternal God. The Lord help us to know what this means so that we may
be like the wise man who
dug deep and built his house upon a rock. Again, we may read the words, “Underneath are the
everlasting arms,” in the
sense of being the bottom and end and object of everything. If in faith you search into Divine
Providence, however dark
and trying it may appear, you will soon find that underneath it are the everlasting arms.
Satan may be mining, but God is undermining! Even under the deep devices of Hell the
everlasting arms are to be
found. Satan’s craft is deep to us, but it is very shallow to the Lord, whose wisdom goes far
deeper than all the cunning of
the Prince of Darkness. The evils and errors which are in the world should not cause us to
despair of the ultimate victory
of the Truth of God, for beneath them there is still the immutable decree of the Ever-living and
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that decree shall be accomplished, whoever may oppose it! Has He not said, “I have sworn by
Myself, the word is gone
out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That unto Me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear”?
His purpose shall stand. He will do all His pleasure. He works all things according to the counsel
of His own will.
Trace your present trials below their surface—trace them to the deeps, instead of groaning over
their outward
appearance—and you will find that underneath each trouble there is a faithful purpose and a
kind intent. Yes, beneath
the utmost depths of distress and grief, God is still at work in love to your soul! From seeming
evil still educing good
and, better still—and better still in infinite progression—underneath the best events are the arms
of love to make them
good and underneath the worst that can happen are the same everlasting arms to moderate and
overrule them! As the
design and object of all, “underneath are the everlasting arms.”
I take the text, “Underneath are the everlasting arms,” to mean, next, that the arms of God are
there as the
preservation of His people. His people sometimes appear to themselves to be in very great
danger, but it is written, “He
shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in
their hands, lest you dash
your foot against a stone.” Certain of the saints are set in very high places and their brain might
well be turned so that
they would fall. But they shall not slip with their feet, for God upholds the righteous. If under
deep depression of spirit
and sore travail of heart their feet should be almost gone, what a blessing it is to think that
“underneath are the
everlasting arms.”
Sometimes faith walks upon a very slender thread high up above the ways of common men.
Poising her balancing
pole of experience, she tries to keep her feet—but her satisfaction is that even if she should slip
for a while and her joy
should fail, yet there is a net beneath her which will receive her in her fall so that she shall not be
utterly dashed in pieces.
“I have prayed for you that your faith fail not” is the gracious safeguard of those who fall, as
Peter did, when Satan has
them in his sieve. The people of God must and shall be safe! Satan may cast them down, but God
shall save them before
they fall into Hell. Let us walk carefully, none the less, because of this. Let us watch well our
footsteps as much as if our
preservation entirely depended upon ourselves—but let us always look only to our Lord—
knowing that He, alone,
keeps the feet of His saints.
Holiness, strength of faith and ultimate perfection are the things which we must daily aim at, but
it is a blessed
consolation that when, through infirmity or carelessness, we do not fully maintain our
consecrated walk, we are not,
therefore, cast away forever, for it is written, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the Lord upholds
him with His hand.” “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” That leads me to read my text in
the fourth sense as
teaching us that the everlasting arms are the rest of His people. If these everlasting arms are
always outstretched to
preserve me lest I totter in weakness and fall into destruction, then on those arms let me lean my
whole weight for time
and for eternity! That is the practical lesson of this choice word.
Keep yourselves, Beloved, in those arms which even now are embracing you! Why vex your heart
when you may be
free from care? Underneath everything, your Father’s arms are placed—what, then, can fret
you? Why are you
disquieted when you might dwell at ease and inherit the earth? Are you afraid to rest where the
universe rests? Are not
your Father’s arms a sufficient pillow for you? Do you think that it is not safe to be at peace
when the love and might of
God, like two strong arms, are stretched out to hold you up and the Divine Voice whispers to you
“Rest in the Lord, and
wait patiently for Him”? His own Word to His Prophets is, “Comfort you, comfort you My
people, says your God.
Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem.” Will you not accept the comfort which He sends by His
Spirit and bids His
servants impart to you?
When God Himself does rest in His love will you not rest in it and shall it not, again, be proven
that, “we that have
believed do enter into rest”? Is not the Lord Jesus our peace? Why, then, are we troubled? Well
may you lie down to sleep
in peace when underneath you are the everlasting arms! Well may your spirit be filled with
composure and become
indifferent to outward trials when you are thus held up! Blow, you winds and toss, you waves, the
boat cannot sink, or if
it did sink it could not sink to our destruction—we should only drop into the great Father’s
hands—for underneath
even the sinking vessel are the everlasting arms! Now, let the earth reel with earthquakes or open
wide her mouth to
swallow us up quickly—we need not fear to descend into her dreariest gulf—since underneath us
would still be the
everlasting arms! What a fullness of rest this secures to the believing people of God! Sermon
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I will fetch from the text one more meaning while I am speaking upon the position of these arms.
The text seems to
give us a promise of exaltation and uplifting. We may be very low and greatly cast down, but
“underneath are the
everlasting arms.” The merciful God is great at a dead lift. “He raises up the poor out of the dust,
and lifts the needy out
of the dunghill that He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people.” Who can
tell how high a man may
be lifted up—to what sublime elevations he may safely ascend when the Lord makes his feet like
hind’s feet that he may
stand upon His high places? If still underneath him are the everlasting arms he may safely obey
the word, “Get up into
the high mountains.” He may outsoar the eagle, mounting higher and higher till he has left the
sun like a speck beneath
his feet and still underneath him shall be the everlasting arms. Therefore higher and yet higher
may we hourly ascend in
thought, in joy, in holiness, in likeness to our God!
This is meant to encourage us to rise, since there can be no danger while the arms of God are
underneath. This, then,
my Brothers and Sisters, is where we may expect to find the strength and power of God—it is
underneath us, bearing us
up! We may not always see it, for the underneath is hidden from our sight, but surely as in secret
the Lord upholds the
huge columns of the universe so He bears up all His own servants and their concerns!
“Underneath are the everlasting
arms.”
II. Secondly let us meditate upon WHAT it is which is beneath us. The everlasting arms. What is
meant by this? I
hope the gentlemen who are so ingenious in toning down the word “everlasting” will not meddle
with my text. A new
way of reading the Bible has been invented in these highly enlightened days. I used to get on
exceedingly well with the
Book years ago, for it seemed clear and plain enough, but modern interpreters would puzzle us
out of our wits and out of
our souls, if they could, by their vile habit of giving new meanings to plain words! Thank God I
keep to the old simple
way—but I am informed that the inventors of the new minimizing glasses manage to read the big
words small—and they
have even read down the word, “everlasting,” into a little space of time! Everlasting may be six
weeks or six months
according to them. I use no such glasses! My eyes remain the same and “everlasting” is
“everlasting” to me whether I read
of everlasting life or everlasting punishment. If I clip the word in one place, I must do so in
another. And it will never do
to have a terminable Heaven. I cannot afford to give it up here when its meaning is joyous to the
saint and, therefore, not
there when its sound is terrible to the sinner!
What, then, are “the everlasting arms?” They are arms which always were and always will be.
They are arms which
always were strong and will never grow faint or weary. They are arms which, once outstretched,
will never be drawn
back again. They are arms which, once engaged for the defense of the chosen people, shall never
cease to work for their
good, world without end! Not failing arms, nor dying arms, but everlasting arms are underneath
the saints of God! I
understand the words to mean, first, the arms of everlasting purpose, “according to the eternal
purpose which He
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” His purpose may be called His arms, by which He stretches
out His hands to do His
work and these can never fail, for, “The Lord of Hosts has purposed and who shall disannul it?
And His hand is stretched
out and who shall turn it back?” “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His
heart to all generations.”
“He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, even that He does.”
We have to deal with One whose gifts and calling are without repentance. In the Book of His
purpose it is written
and His Providence and Grace shall tally with the secret decree, “He will have mercy on whom
He will have mercy, and
He will have compassion on whom He will have compassion,” and the everlasting purpose of
Sovereign Grace shall be
carried out to the end. O my Soul, when your poor purposes shift and vanish and you have to
change them 20 times a
day, what a blessing it is to think that the purpose of your God stands fast, and He, Himself, is
without the shadow of a
turning! He has declared that He that believes in Christ shall be saved and so you shall be,
though all Hell assail you!
Come what may, the eternal purpose lies at the bottom of all, and will be the end and result of all,
and so all Israel shall
be saved, for, “underneath are the everlasting arms” of unchanging purpose.
But next we see here the everlasting arms of love. I do no violence to Scripture when I compare
love to arms, for is it
not written, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I
drawn you”? Love has
hands and arms with which it draws us and these are, at this moment underlying all the dealings
of God with us. This
love is everlasting love—without beginning, without variation, without end. Underneath you,
child of God, is the
infinite affection of the Omnipotent God—what, then, can harm you? Underneath Sermon #1413
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Your love? Ah, how it flames forth at times and then how dull it becomes! But your safety comes
from a love which
never varies, which many waters cannot quench and which the floods cannot drown. Look
beneath you and you may see a
depth of love, fathomless and eternal, which may well remind you of what Moses said when he
spoke of “the deep which
lies under.” The strength of love which abides in God, who is Love itself, no mind can conceive!
All this is placed under
you, O Believer, for your succor, support and security. Immovable arches of immortal Love
sustain your soul from fear of
ruin. Rest there and sing unto the Lord your song upon your stringed instrument as long as you
have any being.
But next, these arms may be described as the arms of power. And what says Isaiah the Prophet?
“Trust you in the
Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah there is everlasting strength.” What said Jeremiah? “Ah
Lord God! Behold, You
have made the Heaven and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm and there is
nothing too hard for You.”
Strength is needed to uphold the people of God lest they fall to their confusion and that strength
is always ready, no, it is
always in exercise! Believer, you have been able to stand because the arm of Divine strength has
never been withdrawn.
He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless and He will do it. “O bless our
God, you people, and make
the voice of His praise to be heard: which holds our soul in life, and suffers not our feet to be
moved.” These are the arms
of Immutability, for God abides forever the same. “I am God; I change not: therefore you sons of
Jacob are not
consumed.”
He saved His people “with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures
forever.” They are the arms
of everlasting blessing, for God has determined to make His people happy and happy they shall
be. “Surely,” He says, “in
blessing I will bless you.” “Your blessing is upon Your people.” He gives liberally unto them and
that liberality is never
diminished, nor can it be stopped. Underneath you, Believer, are the everlasting arms, forever
carrying you as a nurse
carries her child, forever gathering up for you innumerable blessings and carrying them for your
provision. He shall
gather the lambs with His arms and with those same arms will He show strength unto His people.
How blest are they who
have such arms beneath them!
I heard of a man who was spending a great deal of money, living in grand style and launching out
in business.
Certain of his fellow tradesmen told me that they could not see a reason for his cutting such a
figure. But said one,
“There is somebody at his back, we are quite sure of that.” And so it is with us—we may well be
strong, we may well be
happy—for there is an unseen power which is at our back—the everlasting arms are underneath
us—and we cannot fail!
Let us be joyous, confident and praise the right hand of the Lord! Yes, though our conflicts
should multiply, let us not
fear, but let us sing unto the Lord, “Your right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power. The
right hand of the Lord
is exalted. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” For this right hand upholds the cause of
His servants.
III. Now, in the third place, let us consider WHEN the everlasting arms are underneath us. The
only answer is now
and for evermore. Now, at this moment, Beloved, the everlasting arms are underneath us! The
life of a Christian is
described as walking by faith and to my mind, walking by faith is the most extraordinary miracle
ever beheld beneath the
sun! Walking on the waves, as Peter did, is a type of the life of every Christian. I have sometimes
likened it to ascending
an invisible staircase far up into the clouds. You cannot see an inch in front of you, but you wind
up towards the Light.
When you look down, all is dark, and before you lies nothing visible but clouds. Beneath you
yawns a fathomless abyss.
Yet we have climbed, some of us, for years up this perpetually ascending stairway, never seeing
an inch before us. We
have often paused almost in horror and asked in wonder, “What next? What next?” Yet what we
thought was cloud has
proved to be solid rock! Darkness has been light before us and slippery places have been safe.
Every now and then, when
the darkness has been denser than usual—a darkness which might be felt, when all the past
behind us has vanished and
nothing has been seen but the one step we stood on—we have said, “How did I get here? What a
strange, mysterious life
mine has been!” We have almost wished ourselves down on the level among the worldlings who
can always see their way
and know what is underneath them. But faith has come to our help, again—we have believed—
and believing we have
seen the invisible and grasped the eternal! And then we have gone on, have put our foot down
again and soon have run
up, with joy, the shining way!
What an ascent we have sometimes made upon that ladder of light so that we have companied
with angels and left the
world far down beneath our feet! Now and then we have enjoyed a glimpse through the thick
darkness of the jeweled
walls of the Eternal City which needs no candle, neither light of the sun. We have seen, I say, its
brightness and
determined, still, to climb the mysterious way. Well, Believer, at this moment, though you cannot
see your way, yet since Sermon #1413 Underneath
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you are walking by faith, “underneath are the everlasting arms.” It is so, though at this moment
you fear that you are
going down into a gloomy glen. You have lost a great deal of money lately and the friend who so
kindly helped you is
taken away, so that you are going down in the world—yes, but underneath are the everlasting
arms.
You are getting nearer to those arms now. Friends and wealth came between you and the
almighty arms—but now
you must lean only on them. The creature fails and you must rest on the Creator! You will have
sweeter fellowship, now,
than you ever had, since there is nothing to come between you and your Lord. “Ah,” says one,
“but I am sinking in
spirit. I am greatly depressed.” Still underneath are the everlasting arms. Your soul is sinking,
like Peter in the waves,
but a hand is outstretched to save you—you cannot sink while your heavenly Father’s hands are
near. Go on sinking, if
the Lord so wills it. Sometimes the greatest sweetness in life is found and intense bitterness. I
never have in my soul a
more solid and real joy than when I have been cast into the dust with fearful depression of spirit.
I stay myself upon my
God and Him, only, and then I touch the confines of bliss, though trembling all the while. I
hardly know how to express
the unrivalled sweetness of resting upon only the Lord!
When you are flung altogether upon God, then does your soul enter into the most Divine peace!
The natural spirits
have gone, everything that sprang from the vigor of youth and the natural elasticity of the mind
has departed—now you
come right upon God and lie naked in His hands. And then there is cast into your cup a foretaste
of Heaven which the
soul sits down and humbly sips to herself, for the secret she can never tell—no ear would
understand her if she did.
“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” And so, dear Friends, if you should sink both in
circumstances and in spirits and
your experience should happen to be a very downcast one, it will still be well. If now you have to
discover the corruption
of your nature, which you knew little of before. If now your experience, instead of being that of
the Brethren of the
higher life, should be one of humiliation, of prostration of spirit, of deep self-loathing—still,
underneath you are the
everlasting arms. If you are not to climb to Pisgah with Moses, but must dive to the bottom of the
mountains like Jonah,
still underneath are the everlasting arms—even at the lowest point of your going down! So it
shall be forever and
forever, for the arms are everlasting in their position as well as their power.
Now you have come to die. You have gathered up your feet in the bed. The death sweat stands
upon your brow. You
are sinking, so far as this life is concerned, among the sons of men, but underneath you shall then
be the everlasting arms!
Beautifully has Bunyan described confidence in death, when he pictures the pilgrims passing the
river. Christian cried out
to young Hopeful, “I sink in deep waters! The billows go over my head! All His waves go over
me.” Then said Hopeful,
“Be of good cheer, my Brother, I feel the bottom and it is good.” Thus, Beloved, shall it be with
you! You shall feel the
bottom of death’s chill river, but you shall say, “It is good,” for underneath are the everlasting
arms!
Then comes the last plunge and we shall be as when a man stands on the edge of a precipice and
leaps over into the
clouds below him. You need not fear to take your last farewell and drop into your Father’s arms,
for underneath you
shall be the everlasting arms! And oh, how sweetly shall you be caught up together with the Lord
in the air, pressed to
the bosom of the great Father and borne upward into the Heaven of heavens where you shall
behold the face of the WellBeloved and find yourselves entranced in His company forever and
forever! O heir of Glory, underneath you there is no
Hell! Underneath you there is no annihilation! Underneath you are the everlasting arms—
therefore commit your spirit
unto your faithful Creator and then welcome life or death, for all is well with you!
IV. Lastly, let us reply to the query, WHAT THEN? If underneath us are the everlasting arms,
what then? First, let
us look underneath. My Brothers and Sisters, you have been going on with great discomfort,
sighing and crying because
your way is rough and because sometimes you think it dangerous and fear that you will slip into
a chasm and perish.
Now, instead of complaining after this fashion, and fearing the road, stop a little and begin to
examine—“What is
underneath me? What is the bottom of my hope?”
You hypocrites dare not examine! You formalists dare not search! You are afraid to ask
questions and to open your
eyes lest you should see too much. But those who are honest and sincere in the way of our Lord
are not afraid to be tested.
You who are under any anxiety will do well to pull right up and say, “I have been troubled with
doubts and fears and I
will no longer endure it. I will know the end of this! I will search myself and know my ways and
pray the Lord to let me
see the worst of my case, for I long to know what there is underneath.” If you are believing in
Jesus Christ with a sincere
heart and resting in the atoning Sacrifice and the Covenant of which His blood is the seal, you
can afford to search
underneath—for you will find all things solid and eternal! Underneath Sermon #1413
www.spurgeongems.org Volume 24
8
8
It is well to look underneath an outward Providence when it frowns darkly upon you, for it
conceals the eternal
purpose of love. The sorrows which you see are but, as it were, a napkin hiding the precious
treasure of eternal Grace
and, therefore, you can say to yourself in all ill weathers, “All is well, for all is well underneath!
The eternal purpose is
working out my lasting good.” Do not be afraid to search underneath, my trembling Brothers
and Sisters. but when you
do so and find the everlasting arms to be there, then sing unto the Lord with all your might!
The next inference is, if underneath us are the everlasting arms, let us lean heavily. We are afraid
to lean too hard on
God. To be careful not to encroach on a friend is a very proper disposition. Do not spoil a
generous friend by drawing
upon him so heavily that he will dread to see you again. I wish some people had a little more of
that disposition, as far as
I am concerned, but this is not a right feeling when you have to deal with the Lord! Never fear
that you will weary your
God! Never say to yourself, “I will ask as little as I can.” Why, He says, “Open your mouth wide
and I will fill it!” Never
say, “I will trust Him a little. I will take Him a part of my cares and rest a portion of my trials
upon Him.” No, lean with
your whole weight!
Do not keep a spare ounce for your own carrying—that will break your back! Bring all the tons
and the pounds and
the ounces and the pennyweights and cast them all on God! He loves His children to treat Him
with entire confidence. All
your weight will not trouble Him. You know Aesop’s fable of the polite little gnat which
apologized to the ox for
burdening him when he lighted on his horn, and the ox replied that he really did not know he was
there. Your God will
not tell you that, for He counts the very hairs of your head, but He will tell you that your load is
no burden to Him.
Why, if you had 50 kingdoms burdening your brain and if you carried the politics of a hundred
nations in your mind, or
were loaded with all the cares of a thousand worlds, you might safely leave them with the
Wonderful Counselor and go
your way rejoicing! Lean hard, Brothers and Sisters! For underneath you are the everlasting
arms!
The next thing is, then, let us rise confidently. Do not be afraid of ascending to heights of love. Do
not be afraid of
having a high ambition for a wholly consecrated life. Be not afraid of high doctrines, or high
enjoyments, or high
attainments in holiness. Go as high as you like, for underneath you are the everlasting arms! It
would be dangerous to
speculate, but it is safe to believe. Some men are always going downward, turning diamonds into
gas and hallelujahs into
howls! They are trying to get rid of precious Truths of God and to substitute some new theories
for them. Let us be brave
in the other direction and seek to comprehend with all saints what are the heights and depths,
and to know the love of
Christ which passes knowledge. You may climb, my dear young Brothers and Sisters, nor fear to
fall even if you reach the
masthead of Truth, for underneath are the everlasting arms!
Once more, let us dare unhesitatingly and be very courageous for the Lord our God—
“Through floods or flames, if Jesus leads,
I’ll follow where He goes”
for underneath are the everlasting arms! Are you called upon to lose everything for Christ? Go
on and leap like Curtius
into the gulf for your Lord Jesus, for underneath you are the everlasting arms! Does your Master
call you to an enterprise
which seems impossible? Nevertheless, if God has called you to it, attempt it, for He renders to
every man according to
his work. Remember what the Negro said—“If Massa Jesus say to me, ‘Sam, you jump through
that brick wall,’ I jump.
It is Sam’s business to jump—it is Massa’s work to make me go through the wall.” So it is with
you. It is yours to leap
forward when the Captain gives the watchword—and in confidence to attempt what mere nature
cannot achieve—for
the supernatural is with us!
The best of all is, God is with us! Underneath us are the everlasting arms! Less reliance upon self
and more reliance
upon God! Less counting of the barley loaves and fishes—and a greater readiness to bring them
to His hands who can
multiply them till they shall feed the thousands—this is what we need! God grant us Grace to
trust in His almighty
power and sing from now on and forever, “underneath are the everlasting arms!”
28 So Israel will live in safety;
Jacob will dwell[f] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.
BARNES, “The fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine - The King James
Version does not preserve the symmetry of the clauses. Render it: “Israel shall dwell in safety;
alone shall the fountain of Jacob be” (compare Psa_68:26; Isa_48:1); “in a land,” etc.
CLARKE, “Israel then shall dwell - alone - This people shall not be incorporated with any other
people under heaven. A prophecy which continues to be fulfilled to the very letter. Every attempt
to unite them with any other people has proved absolutely ineffectual.
The fountain of Jacob - His offspring, shall possess a most fertile land; such was Palestine.
GILL, “Israel then shall dwell in safety alone,.... The Canaanites being thrust out of their land,
and Israel put into the possession of it, should dwell in safety, or "confidently" (l); without fear of
enemies, though surrounded with them on all hands; and though alone, a separate people,
distinct from all others their neighbours round about them; see Num_23:9. So the spiritual Israel
dwell in the eternal God, their mansion, or dwelling place; in Christ, their rock; and in a strong
city, the church, where they are in the utmost safety. God is all around them; Christ is their
refuge, strong hold, and tower; the Holy Spirit in the midst of them is mighty; angels are their
guardians, and the church their strong city, whose walls and bulwarks are salvation: here they
dwell confidently and securely; though they have sometimes their fears, they have no just reason
for them; and when faith is in exercise, are free from them, casting all their care on the Lord, and
having confidence in him; where they are alone, not solitary; all the three divine Persons dwell
with them, and also angels and saints their fellow citizens; but independent of others, having
large provisions in Christ, in the covenant, and in the house of God; and are a separate and
distinct people now, and will be to all eternity; See Gill on Num_23:9,
the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; that is, the Israelites that spring
from Jacob, as streams of water from a fountain; see Isa_48:1; these shall be or dwell upon the
land of Canaan, a land abounding with corn and wine, and all good things, Deu_8:7; or "in" or
"by the fountain of Jacob" (m); in a well watered land, there they should dwell. So the spiritual
Israel of God dwell in and by Christ, the fountain of gardens, the well of living waters, of life and
salvation, in whom all fulness of grace dwells for their supply: or "the eye of Jacob" (n) is or
shall be on a land, &c. that is, the Israelites had their eye on the good land of Canaan, and would
quickly not only be in sight, but in possession of it. Every true Israelite has a spiritual eye, which
is the eve of faith, the evidence of things not seen, which looks to and upon that better country,
the land afar off, heaven and eternal happiness, and expects and waits for the full, enjoyment of
it:
also his heavens shall drop down dew: the heavens over the land of Canaan should drop down
dew upon it, and make it fruitful to bring forth corn and wine, which was Jacob's blessing,
Gen_27:28. Thus the Lord in the heavens drops down the dew of grace, and the blessings of it,
upon his people, which make them revive as the corn, and grow as the vine; and Christ's
heavenly ministers drop the dew of Gospel doctrine upon them, to the great refreshment of them,
Deu_32:3.
HENRY, “
SPURGEON, “Dwelling Safely Apart - Faith's Checkbook
“Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and
wine, also his heavens shall drop down dew.”—Deuteronomy 33:28
THE more we dwell alone, the more safe shall we be. God would have His people separate from
sinners. His call to them is, “Come ye out from among them.” A Christian world is such a
monstrosity as the Scriptures never contemplate. A worldly Christian is spiritually diseased.
Those who compromise with Christ’s enemies may be reckoned with them.
Our safety lies not in making terms with the enemy, but in dwelling alone with our best Friend. If
we do this, we shall dwell in safety, despite the sarcasms, the slanders, and the sneers of the
world. We shall be safe from the baleful influence of its unbelief, its pride, its vanity, its filthiness.
God also will make us dwell in safety alone in that day when sin shall be visited on the nations by
wars and famines.
The Lord brought Abram from Ur of the Chaldees, but he stopped halfway. He had no blessing
till, having set out to go to the land of Canaan, to the land of Canaan he came. He was safe alone
even in the midst of foes. Lot was not safe in Sodom though in a circle of friends. Our safety is in
dwelling apart with God.
SPURGEON, ““His heavens shall drop down dew.”—Deuteronomy 33:28
WHAT the dew in the East is to the world of nature, that is the influence of the Spirit in the
realm of grace. How greatly do I need it! Without the Spirit of God I am a dry and withered
thing. I droop, I fade, I die. How sweetly does this dew refresh me! When once favored with it, I
feel happy, lively, vigorous, elevated. I want nothing more. The Holy Spirit brings me life and all
that life requires. All else without the dew of the Spirit is less than nothing to me: I hear, I read, I
pray, I sing, I go to the table of communion, and I find no blessing there until the Holy Ghost
visits me. But when He bedews me, every means of grace is sweet and profitable.
What a promise is this for me! “His heavens shall drop down dew.” I shall be visited with grace. I
shall not be left to my natural drought, or to the world’s burning heat, or to the sirocco of Satanic
temptation. Oh, that I may at this very hour feel the gentle, silent, saturating dew of the Lord!
Why should I not? He who has made me to live as the grass lives in the meadow will treat me as
He treats the grass; He will refresh me from above. Grass cannot call for dew as I do. Surely, the
Lord who visits the unpraying plant will answer to His pleading child.
29 Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights.”
BARNES, “Be found liars unto thee - Perhaps rather, “cringe before thee.” The verb means to
show a feigned or forced obedience: see the marginal references.
Tread upon their high places - i. e., occupy the commanding positions in their land, and so have
it in subjection.
CLARKE, “Happy art thou, etc. - אשרי ashrey. O the happiness of Israel! it is ineffable,
inconceivable, because they are a people saved by the Lord - have such a salvation as it becomes
the infinite perfections of God to bestow; he is their help - their never-failing strength, and the
shield of that help - he defends their defense, saves them and preserves them in the state of
salvation.
Sword of thy excellency - Or whose sword - his all-conquering Word, is thine excellency, in its
promises, threatenings, precepts, etc., etc. St. Paul, in his exhortation to the Christians at
Ephesus, uses the same metaphor, Take unto you the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.
Thine enemies shall be found liars - Who said thou shouldst never be able to gain the
possession of this good land; for thou shalt tread on - subdue, their high places - even their best
fortified cities.
The blessings contained in this chapter belong also to the spiritual Israel of God, who,
according to the Divine promise, shall have a complete victory over all their spiritual foes, shall
have all their inward enemies, the whole of the carnal mind, destroyed, (for the blood of Jesus
Christ, applied by the energy of the eternal Spirit, shall not only blot out all their sin, but purify
their hearts from all unrighteousness); and thus, being delivered from their enemies, they shall
love God with all their heart, and serve him in righteousness and true holiness, without fear
before him all the days of their life. There are many circumstances and expressions in this ode
similar to several in the prophetical blessing pronounced by Jacob on his twelve sons, Gen. 49,
for the subject is the same in both chapters, the reader is therefore requested to compare the two
places, and to consider the notes on each, as they have some tendency to cast light on each other.
Both these chapters constitute a part of those Scriptures which, according to St. Paul, Rom_15:4,
were written for our learning; and, as to instruct the reader and make him wise unto salvation
was the gracious design of God, we should particularly beg of him “that we may in such wise
hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, by patience and comfort of his holy
word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life which he has given
us in our Savior Jesus Christ” - Collect for the second Sunday in Advent.
GILL, “Happy art thou, O Israel,.... This is the conclusion of the blessing on Israel summed up in
a few words; they having God to be their God, and having so many good things promised them,
and in sight of them; being now got through, the wilderness, and on the borders of the land of
Canaan; as all such must be happy, whose covenant God is the Lord; since they must be beloved
of him, chosen by him, and blessed with all spiritual blessings; and in the faith, hope, and view of
eternal happiness:
who is like unto thee? for an interest in the favour of God, for a share in the blessings of
goodness, for a good God, a good land, and good laws; for wisdom and knowledge, for riches and
honour, for holiness and happiness:
O people saved by the Lord; redeemed by him out of Egypt, preserved in the wilderness, saved
from many dangers and enemies, and now brought near to the land of Canaan. The Targum of
Jonathan is,"saved or redeemed in the name of the word of the Lord:''by whom the spiritual
Israel of God are redeemed from all their sins, from the curses of the law, and out of the hand of
all their enemies; and are and will be completely saved in soul and body, with an everlasting
salvation:
the shield of thy help; that, is, the Lord, by whom they are saved; he is the shield that protects
them; the shield of faith and of salvation, which faith lays hold on and makes use of for its
defence, and who is the help of his people in all times of trouble:
and who is the sword of thy excellency; to destroy their enemies, and whereby they would be
raised to that excellency and glory they were in the land of Canaan:
and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; who threatened what they would do unto them,
but were not able: or "shall lie unto thee" (o), be in such dread and fear as to tell lies to save
themselves, and pretend to be what they were not, as the Gibeonites did, of whom Jarchi
interprets this passage:
and thou shall tread upon their, high places; be possessed of their cities and fortresses, built on
an eminence; see Deu_32:13; all the three Targums, and so Jarchi, interpret it of treading on the
necks of their kings, which was fulfilled, Jos_10:24.
HENRY LAW, “
"Happy are you, O Israel; who is like unto you, O people saved by the Lord, the
shield of your help, and who is the sword of your excellency! and your enemies
shall be found liars unto you; and you shall tread upon their high
places." Deut. 33:29.
Moses thus speaks--and then on earth his lips forever close. Just as his spirit
spreads enraptured wings--just as he enters into perfect light--he seems to
pause, and take a farewell view of Israel's camp. He now must leave the flock,
for which he long had watched--the vineyard, in which he long had toiled--the
children dearer than his very life. But he well knows, that they are God's
especial care--loved above all nations of the earth--bound in the bundle of
distinguishing grace. Hence, joying in their joy, and fervent in their hopes, he
cannot check his overflowing heart. His spirit thus finds vent, "Happy are you,
O Israel; who is like unto you, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of your
help, and who is the sword of your excellency! and your enemies shall be found
liars unto you; and you shall tread upon their high places."
These precious words are obviously, in their first sense, the portion of those
tribes, whose feet now stood on Canaan's confines. But the treasure is not theirs
exclusively. Such thought is far too narrow. Here is each true believer's lot.
This heritage descends to all faith's sons. It may be claimed by all, who to the
end of time, trust in Christ Jesus--bathe in His blood--put on His
righteousness--and are the temple of His Spirit. Happiness--perfect--heaven-
born--heaven-sent--is their sure property. Here are the pastures, in which they
all are privileged to feed. Happy are you, O child of God, who is like unto you!
Believer, you, then, are invited to draw out the fragrance, which these delicious
flowers present, and to luxuriate in these pastures of delight.
What is the first element of this HAPPINESS? What is the richest savor in this
cup? What is the sweetest music in this note? What is the brightest jewel in this
crown? It is salvation--salvation realized. "Who is like unto you, O people
saved." Saved--so that sin can no more injure, and self no more destroy, and
Satan no more claim--saved, so that soul-misery is infinitely distant--saved, so
that God is your Father--heaven is your home--a throne of glory is your high
seat--and hallelujahs are your eternal song. Is not this happiness? This joy at
once uplifts from earth. Let clouds of trial gather--let billows of affliction toss--
let persecution, threats, and sneers assail--the heart, which clasps assurance of
salvation, sits high above all other troubles. There is no darkness, where this
true light shines. "Happy are you, O Israel, who is like unto you, O people
saved!"
But assurance of salvation is not firm, unless it rests upon a mighty rock. This
rock is here displayed. It is the Lord--the Lord Himself. It is Jehovah, strong in
omnipotence--"Saved by the Lord!"
Mark well, salvation is the Father's will. He writes the book of life. He frames
the covenant of grace. He cannot change. He cannot be diverted from His plans.
None can obliterate His fixed decrees. They must be saved, for whom He
purposes salvation. Saved by the Father is sure salvation.
Mark next, salvation is the work of Jesus. He comes, able and qualified to
save to the uttermost. He rescues captive souls from Satan's grasp. By his blood
He puts out the penal flames. By His strength He shatters every fetter. By His
own right hand He tears down the gates of hell--and clears away all hindrance.
He sends His angels to be guards. He causes all revolving providences to bring
good. He never leaves His happy flock, until the crown is won. They must be
saved, for whom He thus works out salvation. Saved by Christ is sure salvation.
"Saved by the Lord." No man could help himself. United companies could
bring no aid. The hosts of the angelic world are vain to take away one sin. Jesus
alone is able to achieve such work. Alone He undertakes. Alone He
consummates. Alone He finishes. Thus the true Israel is "Saved by the Lord."
The eternal Spirit speeds on the wings of love to lend His aid. He opens
blinded eyes to see the glories of the cross. He shows the grace and beauty of
the dying Lamb. He melts the stony heart to love the precious Lord. He makes
the sinner one with Christ by faith, and so an heir of God. Saved by the Spirit is
sure salvation.
This salvation, then, is a sure Rock. Its summit towers above the heaven of
heavens. Its deep foundations cannot be uprooted. It stands secure--complete--
immovable. Nothing can detract from it. More cannot be added. He must be
happy, then, whose feet are set upon this stable ground. The word is brightly
true, "Happy are you, O Israel, who is like unto you, O people saved by the
Lord!"
But perhaps a sigh is heard, 'Will not mighty foes strive to destroy this
happiness?' Foes, indeed, are strong and many. There is SATAN, hating with
terrific hate, and aided with the countless troops of hell. He comes on, armed
with tremendous weapons, each barbed with venom, each directed with
consummate skill, each urged with super human force. Can he be happy, who
hourly stands in such a fight?
There is the WORLD, too, now smiling with seducing arts, now bitter in
sarcastic sneers, now menacing with poverty, contempt, disgrace, and countless
ills.
The FLESH, too, is a restless plague--an Achan in the camp--a viper nurtured in
the breast--a traitor hidden in the recesses of the heart, ever willing to betray--
ever ready to suck life-blood. There must be danger in such a combat-field--and
danger disturbs happiness.
But what, if the defense is so impenetrable--so wide--so near--that none of
these attacks can prosper? What, if a covering shield averts each point? Then
the calm warrior will dwell in blissful peace, fearless of real hurt.
Now view the fact. Is not a shield prepared for every child of faith? And that
shield, is it not the Lord Himself? Yes, the word loudly sounds--He is "The
shield of your help." He screens. He shelters. He protects. He keeps unharmed,
uninjured, and unwounded. Adversaries, therefore, must be infinite in number,
more than omnipotent in strength, before they can prevail.
Believer, realize this sure defense. Go forth, brave to encounter every conflict.
Shielded by God, you are as safe, as if the heaven of heavens were your covert.
Behind this panoply you may smile at the battering rage of the incessant
shower, and sing "Happy am I, saved of the Lord, who is the shield of my
help!"
But Zion's warriors are not happy in security alone. They covet trophies.
Laurels must crown their brow. Now to be conquerors they need offensive
weapons. They must give wounds, and smite, and overthrow. Their hands must
wield a sword.
Happy believer! as you have God for a shield, so, too, a sword is sharpened for
your use. It is not of the earth. It is framed by no human skill. It is from heaven.
Therefore it is resistless. It is the Lord Himself. Therefore it is all-conquering.
He is "the sword of your excellency." Know then your power. Face each
opponent. Advance to the assault. Deal heavy blows. Spare not. The mighty
God strikes with your arm. And when He strikes, each giant-adversary must fall
low.
Happy are you, so screened! Happy are you, so equipped for victories! What,
though hell's troops move on, proud in their boastings, swelling in wrathful
words of menace! It is added, "They shall be found liars unto you." Their
arrogance shall be, as empty bubbles. Their vaunting pride shall pass, as the
passing wind. Their threats shall vanish, as the smoke. They may accuse--they
may insinuate a host of doubts--they may suggest, that God will fail, and your
soul perish, before the conflict end. But these vile whisperings are false. The
fight will gloriously end. Your feet shall crush their necks. The Spirit of truth,
by Moses' lips, sounds these grand words--"Your enemies shall be found liars
unto you, and you shall tread upon their high places."
Reader, I trust, that you now are well taught, where happiness alone can dwell.
Its home is with God's Israel. It is the portion of the chosen race. It is the
heritage of those, who know and love the Lord. Under the shelter of His wings,
His people rest encircled with these joys. Let such open their eyes to view their
happy state. Let them receive with faith the countless pledges of their God. Is it
not said, "He, that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely give us all things!" Rom. 8:32. Is it not said,
"All things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and you are Christ's,
and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3:21-23. Is it not said, "The ransomed of the Lord
shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their
heads--they shall obtain joy and gladness--and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away." Is. 35:10. Only believe, and become happy in this happiness. "Happy
are you, O Israel." Only believe, and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glory. Faith ever sings, and happy is its song.
Reader, this tract would sincerely detain you, while it makes a final effort to
impress your heart. Pause, then, and say, is happiness your lot? Do you arise
with morning light to joy? Do you move joyously throughout the day? Is joy
the hand, which bolts your evening door? Your head hangs down. A sigh tells a
sad tale. Your feet have not attained this happy ground. How is it? You have
sought happiness, but you have sought it, where it never grows. The world,
perhaps, enticed you. It showed a panoramic view of glittering honors--tinsel
wealth--vain titles--empty bubbles of applause--and fading flowers of visionary
peace. You toiled long in the pursuit; and now, wearied--worn-out--desponding,
you confess, the world has been a miserable cheat.
Perhaps a more refined bait has allured. Perhaps science and literature's page
have courted. For a while you have found interesting converse with brilliant
thoughts, and lofty flights of intellect. But still you are not happy. There is a
void. There is distress. Conscience is restless and disturbed. The heart finds no
repose on such a pillow. The bark cannot cast anchor on such sand. "Vanity of
vanities, all is vanity, and vexation of spirit." Alas! you are not happy.
Know, then, you never can be, while apart from God. Listen. Turn not away.
Cast not aside these lines. Is it too late? You live. Jesus still lives. The living
word still cries, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." Be, then, persuaded.
Approach the cross on bended knees--with suppliant lip--in deep humility--with
earnest prayer. Confess your need. Avow your willingness to be Christ's. Place
your whole soul and heart in His redeeming hands. Wrestle with Him. Let Him
not go, until your burdens fall, and peace swells like a rising tide. He can bring
back to God. He can assure of pardon. He can reveal His pierced hands and
side. He can bestow the title-deeds of life. He can admit you, as an adopted
child, to the high family of grace. Then you will fully feel, how true are Moses'
last words, "Happy are you, O Israel; who is like unto you, O people saved by
the Lord, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your excellency! and
your enemies shall be found liars unto you; and you shall tread upon their high
places."
Holy Spirit, use these humble lines as seed of happiness, now and ever, to each
reader's soul!
SPURGEON, “Over Jordan with Singing - Faith's Checkbook
“Thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee.” —Deuteronomy 33:29
THAT arch-enemy, the devil, is a liar from the beginning; but he is so very plausible that, like
mother Eve, we are led to believe him. Yet in our experience we shall prove him a liar.
He says that we shall fall from grace, dishonor our profession, and perish with the doom of
apostates; but, trusting in the Lord Jesus, we shall hold on our way and prove that Jesus loses
none whom His Father gave Him. He tells us that our bread will fail, and we shall starve with our
children; yet the Feeder of the ravens has not forgotten us yet, and He will never do so, but will
prepare us a table in the presence of our enemies.
He whispers that the Lord will not deliver us out of the trial which is looming in the distance, and
he threatens that the last ounce will break the camel’s back. What a liar he is! For the Lord will
never leave us, nor forsake us. “Let him deliver him now!” cries the false fiend: but the Lord will
silence him by coming to our rescue.
He takes great delight in telling us that death will prove too much for us. “How wilt thou do in
the swelling of Jordan?” But there also he shall prove a liar unto us, and we shall pass through
the river singing psalms of glory.
SPURGEON, ““Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!” —
Deuteronomy 33:29 (Morning and Evening)
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter stranger to it. It were
strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of
God. Suppose you that God will give all the happiness to his enemies, and reserve all the
mourning for his own family? Shall his foes have mirth and joy, and shall his home-born children
inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who has no part in Christ, call himself rich in
happiness, and shall we go mourning as if we were penniless beggars? No, we will rejoice in the
Lord always, and glory in our inheritance, for we “have not received the spirit of bondage again
to fear; but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” The rod of
chastisement must rest upon us in our measure, but it worketh for us the comfortable fruits of
righteousness; and therefore by the aid of the divine Comforter, we, the “people saved of the
Lord,” will joy in the God of our salvation. We are married unto Christ; and shall our great
Bridegroom permit his spouse to linger in constant grief? Our hearts are knit unto him: we are
his members, and though for awhile we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even
now blessed with heavenly blessings in him. We have the earnest of our inheritance in the
comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small. Inheritors of joy for ever, we have
foretastes of our portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising. Our
riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side the river; gleams
of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us onward. Truly is it said of us,
“Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?”
SPURGEON, HAPPINESS—THE PRIVILEGE AND DUTY OF CHRISTIANS
THESE are the last recorded words of Moses and they are significant, for they show us that he
found comfort, in his
dying moments, in considering the happiness of the people for whom he had labored all his life.
From the day when, by
God’s power, he led them up out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness, they had never
ceased to lie near his
heart. They had been a very heavy burden to him at times, but with marvelous meekness and
patience he had borne with
their many rebellious provocations and only once spoken bitterly of them. Oftentimes had he
stood in the gap and made
intercession for them, when otherwise they would have been destroyed. He had, for their sakes,
given up the most
glorious prospect that was ever proposed to the mind of man, for the Lord had said to him in
secret, “Let Me alone, that
I may destroy them; and I will make of you a greater nation.”
But no, even such a proposal could not divert him from his patriotic zeal for his people! He loved
Israel, erring
Israel, ungrateful Israel, as a mother loves her child, and family aggrandizement was
relinquished for love of the nation.
Still he continued to instruct, lead and guide the stiff-necked race, having no thought but God’s
Glory in the midst of
Israel, and no ambition but to see the tribes brought, at length, into the promised land. When
about to die, the ruling
passion was strong upon him and from it he draws his consolation. He seems to say to himself, “I
can no more go outand
come in. The Lord has said unto me, You shall not go over this Jordan, but though I must leave
the beloved nation, yet
they are a happy people and are safe in Jehovah’s hands.”
He looks with sparkling eyes at the privileges with which God had enriched them and he feels
that he may quietly go
up to the mountain and fall asleep, for they would be blessed when he was gone, and saved of the
Lord. Ah, my dear
young Friends, you who are children of godly families, you cannot tell what joy you will give to
your parents if you are
converted to God! When they come to die, they will find it one of their sweetest consolations to
see their children
walking in the Truth of God. They have loved you dearly and they will feel a pang in leaving you,
but if they can feel that
God has blessed you and saved you, they will die in peace!
I have heard saints, when dying, say, “There is but one thing that I want and for which I could
wish to be spared a
little longer. I could wish to live to see all my family believing in the Lord. O that all my offspring
were lovers of Jesus.” I
have heard dying saints express themselves in language somewhat similar to that of David—“The
Lord has made with me
an Everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure, although my house is not so with God as
I could desire.” That,
“although my house is not so with God,” has been a thorn in their pillow and they have felt it
painful to quit their
household while yet their children were so unhappy as to be out of Christ and unreconciled to
God. Think of this, dear
young people, I pray you, and, perhaps, natural affection may be blessed in the hand of God to
lead you to seek after
eternal salvation.
Thus you see how Moses consoled himself. But why was not this expression of the great Lawgiver
left as a soliloquy
unrecorded? Moses had cheered himself with this reflection, “Happy are you, O Israel,” what
need to write it down, or to
utter it before the people? It is frequently an unwise thing to tell a man of his propitious
surroundings, for he may
become vain of them. You may commend a man’s estate until he foolishly dreams that you are
commending him. When
you praise a man’s position, it is the next thing to flattering the man, for the most of men do not
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themselves and their condition, but read a commendation of their condition as a commendation
of themselves though it
is not so!
Therefore, one has sometimes to be very leery of calling men happy—and all the more so because
we cannot
generally be sure that they are happy—external circumstances being but a poor means of
judgment. The fairest apple
may be rotten at the core! The finest linen may be a cover for a corpse! Moreover, according to
the truthful rule of the
ancients, no man is to be counted happy till he is dead, seeing that you do not know the whole of
his life and it may
happen that the circumstances which now appear to be the foundation of a happy life may turn
out to be a preparation
for increased bitterness in the later part of existence.
Yet Moses speaks thus openly to Israel without a word of qualification or caution—“Happy are
you, O Israel; who
is like unto you?” Now, we are quite certain that Moses did not err in this. It would be great self-
conceit to imagine such
a thing! We may confide in the clearness of his judgment, in the maturity of his experience and in
the fidelity of his spirit.
We are sure that he did not speak with rashness, for he was of a meek and gentle disposition and
somewhat slow in speech
and, not likely, therefore, to warm into unreasonable enthusiasm and go beyond the sober truth.
Above all, the Holy
Spirit has adopted the Lawgiver’s words, for He had Himself inspired them—and we have them
here in the Infallible
Word of God, so that it is quite certain that Israel was happy, even as our text declares.
The people were favored and it was right for them to be told so. A wise design led to their being
reminded of the
blessed fact. I think that Moses thus eulogized the nation by way of consoling them for his
departure. He did as much as
say, “I climb the mount to go away to God, but happy are you, O Israel! Whether Moses is with
you or not, God is with
you.” No doubt many would say, as the great Lawgiver departed, “My father, my father, the
chariot of Israel and the
horsemen thereof,” but Moses reminds them that the shield of their help and the sword of their
excellency would still be
with them and they would still be a people saved of the Lord. What better comfort can be offered
to bereaved hearts?
I think, also, that he had in his mind’s eye the fact that they were now about to face new
difficulties. Under Joshua
they were to cross the Jordan and fight the Canaanites. They had known occasional brushes in
the wilderness with
Amalek and Bashan, but for the most part they had led peaceable lives. Now, however, each man
was to be a soldier.
From the day in which his foot pressed the promised land, each man was to contend for the
mastery and, therefore, Moses
sustains them with rich and nourishing meat to strengthen them for the new service.
“Happy are you, O Israel; you are about to throw yourself into the midst of ferocious tribes who
will all conspire to
cut you off; but you are a people saved of the Lord; your enemies shall be found liars unto you,
and you shall tread upon
their high places.”—
“My never-ceasing songs shall show
The mercies of the Lord,
And make succeeding ages know
How faithful is His Word.
The sacred Truths His lips pronounce
Shall firm as Heaven endure;
And if He speak a promise once,
The eternal Grace is sure.
How long the grace of David held
The promised Jewish Throne!
But there’s a nobler Covenant sealed
To David’s greater Son.
His seed forever shall possess
A Throne above the skies;
The meanest subject of His Grace
Shall to that glory rise.”
So, then, I gather from the example of Moses that to commend a man’s condition, if you have a
wise motive for it, and
can either console him under trouble or inspire him for future service, is a right thing to do.
This morning we are going to repeat the experiment. Whatever was said about the happy
condition of the natural
Israel is emphatically true of the spiritual Israel! The tribes were our types and what was true of
them is true of us.
Without any sort of wresting of the text, we shall, this morning, apply to all Believers—to all who
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and have no confidence in the flesh—the words of Moses to the tribes, “Happy are you, O Israel;
who is like unto you? O
people saved by the Lord.” We are the true Israel, the spiritual seed of the father of the faithful,
and to us unbounded
happiness belongs. This shall be our point this morning.
First, let us consider the happy condition of God’s people. And then, secondly, let us consider the
result of our fully
realizing this happiness. May the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, fill us with all joy and peace while
we commune upon this
subject. May the blessed God now bless all His children!
I. Let us dwell upon THE HAPPY CONDITION OF GOD’S PEOPLE. The Israelites were so
favored that Moses,
himself, was astonished at the eminently desirable condition in which they were placed. We may
readily imagine that we
see him lifting up his hands with surprise and saying, “Happy are you, O Israel; who is like unto
you?” He considered the
nation to be incomparably favored and, therefore, enquired in astonishment, “Who is like unto
you?” He had seen Egypt
with all its wisdom and its wealth—and the desert tribes in all their rustic simplicity—and
doubtless he knew the
condition of most of the nations under Heaven. But having his eyes upon them all, he,
nevertheless, looks upon the
chosen race which God had brought up out of Egypt and he says, “Who is like unto you?”
Beloved, you who are in Christ are favored by God beyond all others! None in the whole universe
are so happily
placed as you are—“you are a chosen generation, a peculiar people.” If you have been born again
and saved, you are the
pick and choice of all God’s creatures and He has indulged you with a measure of love and
kindness such as He has shown
to none else! I address Believers as a body and I ask you, would you change your estate with the
rich of this world? Would
you barter Grace for gain? Surely not! There is much that is comfortable connected with the
possession of wealth, but if
you look at the opulent, as such, there is no reason to believe that they are the possessors of any
great amount of
happiness.
Gold cannot lighten the heavy heart or cool the burning brow—far more often it cankers the soul
and lies like a
weight upon the spirit. It is a heavy metal and has weighed many down to Hell. You, even though
you are the poor of the
flock, the despised and rejected of men—you are a people infinitely favored beyond those who
possess the treasures of
this fleeting world! Select even a company of princes and let them stand before you in all their
pomp, half worshipped by
their subjects, but they will not excite your envy, for, “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,”
and those who climb to
the high places of the earth commonly confess that there is little peace of mind to be found there.
You who believe in
Jesus are kings of a nobler sort, already, and enjoy honors and blessings which emperors might
covet!
You reign in Christ after a far higher manner than princes and emperors, for you rule in a
superior realm, since the
spiritual far exceeds the material. Who is like unto you, O Believer, among the mighty ones of the
earth? The Lord
Jehovah is your strength and your song, your portion and your praise, your comfort and your
crown! Turn, if you will,
to those who are famous for knowledge, men of skill, wit and research, yet among these there are
none to be found
comparable in happiness to Christians! To know yourself forgiven, to know yourself eternally
saved, to know yourself
ordained unto eternal life—to be assured that you will enjoy unspeakable bliss when yonder sun
turns to a coal and the
moon is black as sackcloth of hair—to know all this is to be unspeakably favored! The utmost
learning cannot compare
with it.
Nor if you take the sons of pleasure with their wine and their music and their sensual joys, can
you find any rivals for
our happiness. Solomon tells us concerning laughter that it is mad and sums up all earthly joy
with—“Vanity of
vanities, all is vanity.” Our consecrated pleasures are not such! Our holy joy has no delusion in it.
It is solid and real and
can never be taken from us and, therefore, those who possess it are a people unparalleled for
blessedness! Wealth, rank,
learning, fame, pleasure and all else that man holds dear, we would gladly renounce for the joy of
our Lord! He has
satisfied us with favor and filled us to the brim with content now that He has given us Himself for
our portion. Blessed
are our very dwellings and the beds we lie upon and the tables at which we sit. “How goodly are
your tents, O Jacob, and
your tabernacles, O Israel!”
Am I speaking to some Believers who are not enjoying this happiness? Is it not strange that men
should be in a
position which angels might envy and yet they fail to realize their blessed estate? Just as some
men with thousands a year
will live like paupers, so are there others who, with a boundless income of eternal love at their
disposal, nevertheless
starve their souls with small delights. Just think for a minute, O downcast Believers, of this
singular fact and chide
yourselves into a more joyful frame of mind. There was a time when you would have given your
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are! Do you remember when sin lay heavy on your conscience and a dread of death and Hell
brooded over you? What
would you have given, then, to have been able to say, “By Grace I am forgiven”?
You know you used to envy the very least and poorest and most afflicted of God’s saints in those
days! And you were
apt to think that if you could lie in a dungeon and be fed on bread and water all your life, yet if
you could but once get
rid of the burden of sin, you would never murmur again! Yet here you are, accepted in the
Beloved and conscious of being
adopted into the family of Heaven—and for all that your joy is at a low ebb! Should it be so? Do
you remember, also, the
time of your espousals, the season of your first love? Why, in those days you wondered how a
Christian could be
unhappy! As for yourself, you were so full of intense delight that when you heard some older
Christian lamenting over
anxiety, doubt, fear and the like, you looked at him as a prodigy—you could not comprehend his
speaking after that
fashion!
You felt that to say, “My Beloved is mine and I am His,” was the very essence of Heaven to you
and you could not
make out how a man could be an heir of Glory and not be as overflowing with delight as you
were! Therefore, I say, chide
yourself to think that you should have fallen from your eminency and come away from those
sweet delights. Beloved, if
we are not as happy as the days are long in these summer months, it is entirely our own fault, for
there is plenty of reason
for being so! Come, Christians, why are you cast down? Why are you so disquieted? Have you
forgotten your
redemption, forgotten your adoption, forgotten your justification and forgotten your safety in
Christ?
Have you not, also, somewhat neglected to survey your hopes? What if you have little of this
world? Look at what is
laid up in store for you hereafter! Within a few years, at the outside, you are to be with the angels
where no dust of toil
shall ever stain your garments! Where no sweat of labor shall stand upon your brow! Where no
care shall scourge the
heart and no sorrow dim the eyes! Grief, loss, bereavement, or need shall never approach you
there! You are of the
imperial blood and you are soon to be acknowledged as a peer of Heaven’s own realm! The day
of your accession to
sacred honors hastens on. It may be but a week or two that the bliss will tarry—even a few hours
may be the only interval
and we shall stand beatified among the perfected ones who see God’s face without a veil between!
We have every reason to be happy and if we are not so, it must be because we fail to remember
the privileges which
our Lord has bestowed upon us. Let me stir you up, my Brothers and Sisters, to happiness this
morning—
“Why should the children of a King
Go mourning all their days?
Come, cease to groan, and loudly sing
A Psalm of gladsome praise.”
What a blessed task is mine—to urge my Brothers and Sisters to be happy! How highly favored
are you to be exhorted to
so delicious a privilege! When happiness becomes a duty, who will not be glad? What a blessed
people are they to whom
to be delighted is but to obey the Divine command to rejoice in the Lord—an obligation as well as
a privilege! My
Brethren, I would urge you to rejoice, this morning, because if you are, indeed, believers in
Christ, you are “a people
saved by the Lord.”
If you only read as far as the word, “saved,” and there pause, what music there is in the words
—“a people saved”!
Not a people who may be saved, who are in process of being saved, but a people saved! He that
believes in Jesus is saved!
The work is done. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”
“Unto us who are saved,”
says the Apostle, not speaking of salvation as a future gift, but as a deed accomplished! It is ours
at this very moment, for
in Christ Jesus we are “a people saved.”
The Israelites were saved from Pharaoh’s domination. With a high hand and an outstretched
arm did Jehovah bring
them forth, even as at this day you and I are saved from the reigning power of sin. We are no
longer held spell-bound by
Satan so that we cannot bestir ourselves and seek after holiness. We are saved from the bondage
of evil, even from the
iron furnace of our ruling passions. The Israelites were saved, also, from the destroying angel. On
that night when the
avenger flew through the land and smote all the firstborn of Egypt, the blood mark on the lintel
saved the families of
Israel and even so are we saved by the precious blood of Christ! No angel of vengeance can smite
the man who is sheltered
beneath the atoning blood! He shall feast securely when Egypt sends up her mighty cry.
The chosen tribes were saved when Pharaoh pursued them and his hosts overtook them at the
sea, even at the Red
Sea. Then came the fiery cloudy pillar between Israel and Egypt, brightness to Israel but
darkness to their foes! They
could not come near them all that night and in the morning Israel was safe, for the Lord’s
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through the Red Sea and saw their enemies no more—they were drowned in the midst of the sea
—for God had saved His
people! Even so has He saved us from being overtaken and overthrown by temptation. He has
rescued us from the
renewed attacks of the old, corrupt Nature combined with the cunning of Satan—He has saved
us up to this hour from
besetting sin and its fierce pursuits!
When the people came into the wilderness they thought they were to perish of thirst, but He
saved them by bidding
the crystal stream leap from the Rock! They were ready to die of hunger, but He saved them, for
the manna fell from
Heaven round about their camp! They were attacked by Amalek when they were weary, but He
saved them, for Joshua’s
sword and Moses’ outstretched hands brought victory for them till their foes were utterly
defeated. Israel knew what it
was to be saved in many ways—and so do we. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in
Christ Jesus, fed with
the Bread of Heaven and made to drink of water from the Rock of Ages. And as for our
adversaries, they have not been
able to harm us, for the Lord has saved us unto this day.
Mark the emphasis which Moses puts here, “A people saved by the Lord.” You and I know that
if we are saved, at all,
it is of the Lord! We cannot talk of merit. We abhor the very word! Nor dare we attribute our
salvation to our own free
will—Free Grace must wear the crown if ever we are saved! I think, Brothers and Sisters, what a
blessing it is to have a
salvation which is altogether Divine! If you had saved yourself, that poor work of yours would,
like all man’s work, one
day pass away! But salvation is of the Lord and, therefore, it will stand forever! It is God that
appointed and arranged it,
even the Father who is the God of our election, it is Jesus who worked it out, even the Son who is
the God of our
redemption! And it is the Holy Spirit who applies it, even the Holy Spirit, who is the God of our
regeneration and our
sanctification.
The Triune God has worked all our works in us and for us, glory be to His name! “Who is like
unto you, O people
saved by the Lord?” I wish I could speak as I feel this morning—I would fire your hearts with
enthusiasm towards Him
who loved you before the earth was—who, having chosen you, purchased you with an immense
price, brought you out
from among the rest of mankind by His power, separated you unto Himself to be His people
forever and who now loves
you with a love that will never weary nor grow cold, but will bring you unto Himself and seat you
at His right hand
forever and ever! You are saved! Remember that, O Believer!
You are not half-saved, but completely saved! You are saved in the Lord with an everlasting
salvation! You shall not
be ashamed nor confused, world without end! Why, that one word, “saved,” is enough to make
the heart dance as long as
life remains. “Saved!” Let us hang out our banners and set the bells ringing. Saved! What a sweet
sound it is to the man
who is wrecked and sees the vessel going down and at that moment discovers that the lifeboat is
near and will rescue him
from the sinking ship. To be snatched from the devouring fire, or saved from fierce disease just
when the turning point
has come and death appears imminent—these, also, are occasions for crying, “Saved!” But to be
rescued from sin and
Hell is a greater salvation, still, and demands a louder joy! We will sing it in life and whisper it in
death and chant it
throughout eternity—saved by the Lord! “Happy, indeed, are you, O Israel”!
Another source of joy for the Israelite is found in the grand Truth of God that the Lord’s
Beloved are, also, shielded
by God—“who is the shield of your help.” God’s people are a warring people and yet a happy
people, for though
dangers surround them, Omnipotence preserves them! No sooner are we saved than we have to
contend with foes. Now,
these foes are very good at warfare and ready to smite us even to the death. Therefore the
necessity for this blessed word,
“The shield of your help.” The sword shall be lifted against you, but God, Himself, will interpose
between you and that
sword! The arrows shall fly winged with malicious design, but God shall hold His sacred
protection over you and protect
you from even the thought of harm! He is “the shield of your help.” Think of this and rejoice!
Many evils would injure you and even destroy you, if they could, but Jehovah Jesus interposes
between you and
them—
“Many times since days of youth,
May Israel truly say,
Foes devoid of love and truth
Afflict me day by day.
Yet they never can prevail,
God defends His people still!
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To save from all that’s ill.”
See how the Lord our God has interposed, already, on innumerable occasions. We have been laid
low by sickness, but it
has worked our spiritual health. We have experienced losses, but we have been enriched by them
in the highest sense. We
have even endured calumny, but our character is still as bright as ever through the gracious
protection of our God. We
have been assailed by temptation, but the evil influence did not enter our spirit, so as to pollute it,
for just then Divine
Grace came in to prevent our yielding to the vile suggestion. We have been the subjects of much
doubt and skepticism,
but always, when these have flown at us like vultures, God, Himself, in infinite love, has turned
aside their fierce attacks.
We have been preserved in Christ Jesus, for He is our shield. We have been strengthened by
Him, for He is our help.
And being helped, we have escaped every assault, for He is our help and our shield. Brothers and
Sisters, you shall be
shielded throughout the entire battle of life. If all the quivers of Hell are to be emptied out against
you, behold, the Lord
God is your salvation! You may trust and not be afraid, for the Lord says to each one of His
chosen, even as unto
Abraham, “Fear not, I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” This, also, is true
today. As you have been
protected, so are you now shielded by the Lord. Your present troubles are only like a shower
rattling upon the window
pane—you shall not so much as be dampened by them.
Your adversaries appear to be let loose against you, but their fiery darts will stop short upon that
wondrous shield
of God which will blunt their points. “Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah there is
everlasting strength.”
“No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises against you in
judgment you shall
condemn.” “He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings shallyou trust. His truth
shall be your shield and
buckler.” Will you not be happy after that? As you cower down beneath those mighty wings,
even as the little chickens
shelter under the hen, are you not happy? As you hide behind that mighty shield, do you not feel
restful and content? If
not, pray that you may be, for so you ought to be!
Besides defensive armor we need offensive weapons and we ought to be happy, in the next place,
because we are
divinely armed—“Who is the sword of your excellency!” This wondrous Word of God, when
blessed by the Holy Spirit,
is our sword with which to fight the battles of life! Does sin invade us? The precept smites it and
the story of Calvary slays
it! Does the flesh rebel? The Word of God smites the flesh and helps us to mortify it! Does Satan
come against us? With,
“It is written,” we meet him as our Master met him in the wilderness of old! There is no weapon
like the Word of God!
This is the true Jerusalem blade that will cut through bone and marrow! It has never been
known to bend or break, yet,
in the hour of conflict. Take good heed that you have it by you. Gird it on your thigh and wield it
well, for victory
always goes with it.
We are armed with the Word of God, not only that we may smite our own spiritual foes, but that
we may win men
for Christ. As the Israelites had to conquer Canaan, so have we to conquer the world for Jesus!
Go up against the
ramparts of error! Go up against the hosts of evil with no weapon in your hand but the story of
the Cross, the Revelation
of the Most High, the declaration of the Gospel of Jesus—for by this sign we conquer—it is
impossible that we should
fail with the Gospel in our hands. How happy God’s people ought to be when they think of this!
Armed with an
invincible weapon, ought we not to rejoice in anticipation of victory?
A man who has a Bible of his own—I mean not the paper and the letterpress, but all that is in
the Inspired
Volume—is there anything more that he can desire? He finds, from Genesis to Revelation, every
promise his, every dear
assurance of almighty power and love all his own—what more does he need? He who can use this
two-edged sword may
defy doubt, fear, anxiety, care, temptation, worldliness—yes, death and the devil! At the very
sight of this sword our
adversaries tremble, for it cuts through joints and marrow and leaves a deadly wound wherever
it cuts. Be happy,
Christian! May the Lord help you to be happy as you see this sword of the Spirit to be yours.
The fourth thing which is mentioned as a great privilege is that we have security of victory
—“Your enemies shall be
found liars unto you.” Now Iask any Christian of experience here whether he has not found this
true? What a shameless
liar the devil is! “Ah,” he says, “in this trouble the hand of the Lord has gone out against you! He
has forsaken you and
He will be gracious no more. He has deserted you as He did Saul the king, and from now on dark
and brooding thoughts
will overshadow you which no musician’s hand shall be able to charm away. The Lord will no
more answer you from His
holy oracle, for behold, He has cast you away!” Sermon #1359 Happiness—the Privilege and
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But, Brothers and Sisters, we are not deserted, after all, for here we are, this morning, to sing of
Divine loving
kindness and to tell of all our past troubles as trials and proofs of eternal faithfulness! We are not
in the asylum, nor the
prison, though the arch-enemy has threatened us with the one or the other. God has enabled us to
triumph over all
difficulties, though the enemy has predicted our utter defeat. The devil came to us once, and he
said, “Now you will
assuredly fall! Already your heart is beginning to go back to sin. You are not faithful. You have
been treacherous in your
inmost thoughts and you will apostatize, altogether, and bring great disgrace upon your
profession. You are a fool to
have ever joined the Church—there is no stability about you. You are a mere flash in the pan.
You blazed like a
firebrand, but you will die out into black ashes.”
But, Beloved, we have not died out yet, blessed be Jehovah’s name! Year after year has passed
and the faint are still
pursuing, the feeble still hold on their way and utter weakness still triumphs over strong
temptations! Satan has been a
liar to us and so has that wicked unbelief of ours, which is rather worse than the devil, for, at any
rate, it has less excuse
for its existence. Unbelief has whispered a thousand accursed falsehoods in our ears—this labor
was to be too difficult,
that trial was to consume us—that adversary would swallow us up! Nothing of the kind has
happened, but so our
enemies said and they have all been liars! What fools we were to have believed them and what
greater fools we shall be if,
in days to come, we shall lend an ear to them. Let us not listen to anything which opposes itself to
the sure Truth of God.
He cannot forsake us. Leave His chosen to perish? Cast away the people whom He foreknew?
Renounce the purchase
of His blood, the darlings of His heart? Impossible! He may sooner cease to be than cease to be
the Father of His ownbegotten! He may sooner quench the sun and moon, and bid the whole
universe pass away as the withered leaves fall from
the forest trees, than He can ever say unto His children, “ I have loved you, but not now. I have
chosen you, but have cast
you away. I have brought you thus far to put you to shame.” No, Beloved, His mercy endures
forever and never does He
turn from His Covenant! What a God you have to deal with! There is none like unto the God of
Jeshurun!
In the chapter from which our text is taken we see a singular God and a singular people. There is
none like Jehovah
and none like His people. He is blessed forever and they are blessed forever in Him and by Him.
Therefore let us be happy
this morning! O you mourners, take down your harps from the willows and tune them afresh!
Put away the harp and take
the dulcimer and upon an instrument of ten strings praise the Lord. Let your heart be glad in His
name and rejoice, yes,
exceedingly rejoice!
II. Secondly and briefly, LET US CONSIDER THE RESULT OF REALIZING OUR BLESSED
ESTATE. Upon
this subject there ought to be no need to dilate, for each heir of Heaven should live in the hourly
enjoyment of his Divine
inheritance, but, alas, few are doing so! Surely spiritual blessings are the only ones which men
decline to enjoy! Bring a
thirsty man near a brimming cup and see how long he will linger. See how he hastens to enjoy the
draught! Bring a poor
man near an estate and tell him that he has but to sue the court to gain it and tomorrow morning
he will be asking where
he has to go! Alas, Christian people seem to be stupid about their privileges! They are not so wise
as the ass which knows
its master’s crib. They have great blessings, but they do not always enjoy them. The good which
the Lord provides is set
before them, but they do not grasp it as they should. May the Holy Spirit teach us wisdom!
Now, there are many reasons why you should enjoy your privileges and be happy. The first is
because it tends to keep
our allegiance to God unshaken. Israel would never seek after another god while she knew that
none could bless her as
Jehovah had done! Those who were happy with Jehovah would not be likely to wander off to
Baal. God’s people will not
go astray from Him when their hearts are thoroughly happy with Him. It is because you lose the
sweet flavor of the
waters of the flowing fountain that you dabble in those muddy, stagnant gatherings which linger
in the broken cisterns.
If you would delight yourself in the Lord, all the world could not tempt you from Him.
A man will never be dazzled with gold who has his heart satiated with God. Unhappy Christians,
when tempted, are
very apt to seek pleasure away from the Lord. But those who rejoice in the Lord always shall find
the joy of the Lord to
be their strength, for it shall be cords of love and bands of a man to hold them fast to their King.
When your joy begins
to slacken, say to yourself, “There is something wrong here. I must get back to where I was in my
earlier days. I must
return to my God and to the sunlight, for now that I am in the cold shade, my love may soon
cool.” Beloved, if you will
be happy, it will create warm enthusiasm and a grateful love within your bosom.
Have you begun to be lukewarm? Has your heart declined in affection? Nothing can make your
soul return to its first
love like the Lord’s return and the restoration of the old happiness. Yes, I am saved. Yes, I am
shielded. Yes, I bear His Happiness—the Privilege and Duty of Christians Sermon #1359
www.spurgeongems.org Volume 23
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sword with which to smite my foes. Yes, I shall triumph through the blood of the Lamb and there
is a portion for me at
His right hand. Well, then, the next thought is therefore blessed be His dear name, I do love Him!
I thought I did not, but
when I begin to see what He has done for me and what He has given me and provided for me, I
find my sluggish heart
beating at a quicker rate—
“Yes, I love Him and adore,
Oh for Grace to love Him more.”
That is a good result to come of being happy. “Therefore comfort you, comfort you My people,
says the Lord; speak you
comfortably unto Jerusalem.”
Joy, also, will have another effect. It will give you confidence to expect other blessings. Because
God has dealt so well
with us in the past, we are persuaded that goodness and mercy will follow us all our days. If now,
today, Beloved, you
will survey the goodness of God to you in the past, you will feel confidence that when new
troubles arise you will be
helped in them and when new mercies are needed, they shall be supplied, “new every morning.”
Gratitude for the past
inspires us with courage for the future. And so, too, you will gain strength for bearing all your
burdens and courage for
facing all your enemies. Has the Lord done so much to make us happy? Then He will not deny us
anything! He who has
given us so much, already, will be sure to sustain us and supply our needs out of His all-
sufficiency until we have trampled
down every foe and shall rest forever at His right hand.
Lastly, for Christians to be happy is one of the surest ways to set them seeking the salvation of
others. If we found
religion to be a bondage and a deception, we should be inhuman if we wished to introduce others
to it. He who enters
upon a tyrant’s service, with little food and no pay and much misery, ought not to stand at the
door and invite others to
come in! He should, rather, warn them to seek some happier service. Now, we have found
religion to be true happiness. I
am sure I speak the sentiments of all here who know the Lord when I say that if we have not been
perfectly happy it has
not been the fault of God’s Grace, but entirely our own, for had we lived up to our calling and
our privileges we should
have been as happy as the birds of the air and our lives would have been one perpetual song!
Despite our shortcomings, blessed be God, we have been supremely happy. If we could begin life
again we would only
ask to begin it with Jesus, by the power of His Spirit. If we had our choice of all the various
positions and conditions of
our fellow men, we do not know one that we prefer to our own, so long as we can say, “Christ is
mine.” Because we have
found this honey, we desire our friends and kinsfolk to partake of it. Oh, my Hearers, I would
you were all happy! I
would you were, every one of you, supremely happy! And especially I wish it for some of you into
whose faces I have
looked these many years and see that you are still not clear of your anxieties. I see that you are
not sure about your souls
yet, and you still hesitate and linger in the border land.
O come and rest where God has provided rest for sinners’ souls! Beloved, trust in Jesus Christ
this morning! Make no
more delay! May His Divine Spirit enable you to do so—then shall your peace be like a river and
you shall confess that
we did not deceive you. You will cry, “The half has not been told me,” when you perceive the
deep peace, the holy calm,
the blessed restfulness and sometimes the ecstatic, overflowing delight which is the portion of the
child of God! If I had to
die like a dog and there were no hereafter, I would still choose to be a Christian, for of all lives
that can be lived there is
none that can compare with this! We drink the wine on the lees well-refined and are satisfied
with marrow and with
fatness!
But as for worldlings, they desire the husks that swine eat, with which their bellies cannot be
filled. The Lord grant
His people Grace to be happy in Him and may He also bring in the wanderers, for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
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