to; p e r p e t u a te t he divine o r d i n a n ce a s i n- s t i t u t ed in t he b e g i n n i n g; t h ey would n ot be' h a l f - h e a r t e d, or negligent in religious duties. III. REBUILDING T HE TEMP LE. 1. "From the first . . . began they to offer . . . but the foundations of the temple were not yet laid." Altar, a nd s a c r i- fice long a n t e d a te temples. A d a m, A b r a- h a m, Moses, h ad t h e ir a l t a rs before e i t h er saored t e nt or temple stood. N ot t he build- ing, b ut "the blood"; not t h e house, b ut t h e h e a rt is the. essential. No b e t t er w o r s h ip h a s ascended in Am e r i ca t h an t h a t of t he P i l g r i ms on bare, bleak P l y m o u th Rock. 2. "They gave money." Money is t h e m a n. It s t a n ds for his mind, muscle, time, a nd o f t en his h e a r t. .Hard, cold, it m a y glow w i t h devotion a nd charity, t he mo st spiritual symbol. God can build t e m p l es a s easily a s worlds, a nd f e e d. m i n i s t e rs a nd m i s s i o n- aries as easily a s s p a r r o w s. H e a c c e p ts our g i f ts b e c a u se o ur silver is ourselves. 3. "To the carpenters and masons." W o r k m en a r e w o r t hy their hire . ( L u ke 10:7). T h ey m u s t be paid, should be well paid, if t h ey w o rk well; no m e c h a n i c 's lien should e v er dishonor God's house; N or should m a s o ns or c a r p e n t e rs he expected to w o rk on . it w i t h o ut pay, b e c a u se t h ey a re c h u r ch m e m - bers, save as t h ey freely will. ' 4. "They gave meat and drink and oil" to Zidon a n d T y re for c e d a rs of L e b a n on r a f t ed to J o p p a. Thi-y would n ot h a ve to- do w i th " t he people of t hè l a n d" (1:4), b u t could not "altogether" do w i t h o ut "the fornicators of this world," "for then they must needs go out of the world" (1 Cor. 5:9, 10). 5. Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the priest . . . and all," even y o u ng m en of "twenty," joined "as one," u n a n i m o us to f o r w a rd t h e w o r k. 6. T h ey celebrated the. l a y i ng of t h e f o u n d a- tions. A b r i g ht a nd a n i m a t ed occasion-— priests in "robes of glory and beauty;" T,evit.es w i th flashing a nd r e s o u n d i ng t r u m - p e ts a n d cymbals, and, no doubt, "all kinds of music" (.Dan. 3:4, 5), t h ey did not leave all this to S a t a n. Singers f r o m exile- (2:65), " m e n a nd w o m e n ," took t h e ir h a r ps f r om t h e willows ( P s a. 137:4) w h en t h ey left Babylon, a nd Zion echoed t h e ir " p s a l ms a nd h y m n s a nd spiritual s o n g s" ( E p h. 5:19) to h u m a n ears, while t he Lord h e a rd t he "mel- ody in their hearts to Him." T h ey h ad r e a- soh to sing "because He Is good and His mercv endureth forever." W e a r e n e v er I. "SPIRITUAL SONG." 1. The gift of song Is o n e ' of "the best gifts" (1 Cor. .12:31). T he P s a l m s, t he h y mn book of Old. T e s t a m e nt s a j n t s, is t he in- s p i r a t i on a nd mould of all t r ue h y m n o d y. " T h e re a re no songs like t he songs of Zion." T h ey s p r i ng f r om d e e p er depths, rise to loftier heights, a nd r a n ge at b r o a d er expanse, of t h i n gs h u m an a nd divine, t h a n all t he p o e ms of p u re intellect t h at ever w e re w r i t- ten. Song is power. God m a de it so; t he songs rf salvation a r e a p o w er of salvation, t h e u t t e r a n ce of "meiodv in the heart to the heart to the Lord", ( E o h. 5:19), a nd givè Him m o re d e l i g h t - t h an all "the music of the spheres." T h ev s i ng our adoration, o ur t h a n k s g i v i n gs "and confe?sions; our petitions, resolves', , exhortations, a nd our convictions.
h a p p i er t h a n w h e n this s o ng s p r i n gs f r om t h e h e a r t. B e c a u se of this t h e h a r p e rs shall h a r p on M o u nt Sion w b e n "the Lord brings" a g a in t he c a p t i v i ty of Z i o n" (Rev. 14:1-3). 7. "They all shouted with a great shout." B u t s o me soon fell to weeping. T he old m e n w h o h ad seen t he f o r m er t e m p le so "mag- nificai"; w i th its a r k, a n d c h e r u b i m, a nd U r i m a nd T h u m m i m; a nd t he visible cloud of J e h o v a h 's Glory, m o u r n ed so loud t h a t t h e "noise of weeplna" could n ot be dis- tinguished f r om t he "shout of Joy." If all t h e s i g h i ng a n d c r y i ng t o d ay w e re u t t e r ed in public we f e ar it would d r o wn out t he rejoicing. B u t t h ey t h a t l a u g h ed t h a t d ay h a d t h è b e st of it. It is useless to m o u rn t he past, it is good to "Count your blessings" today, a nd b e st in s y m p a t hy to w e ep w i th t he weepers, a n d joy w i th t he rejoicing (Rom. 12:15). IV. A P AR T N E R S H IP RE FU S ED. 1. On t he fall a nd d e p o r t a t i on of t he N o r t h e rn K i n g d om, t he c o n q u e r o rs peopled t h e ir t e r r i t o ry w i th v a r i o us foreign s u b j e c ts (2 Kgs. 17:24-33). T h e ir m o n g r el d e s c e n d- a n t s n ow s o u g ht a m a l g a m a t i on w i th Judah; " L e t us buiid w i th y ou for we seek y o ur God, a s ye do." " Ye h a ve n o t h i ng to do w i th us, to build a n house u n to o ur God," w a s t h e a n s w er of t he J e w s. Mo d e rn c o m- m e n t a t o r s, careless t h e m s e l v es of t he letter of Scripture, c h a r ge t h e m w i th bigotry for this refusal. B ut t h ey w e re a b i d i ng by t he law, j u st w h e re t h e ir f a t h e rs w e nt a s t r ay (Ex. 7:-2-4; J d g. 2:2). S e p a r a t i on w a s t h e ir salvation. And this is N e w T e s t a m e nt t e a c h- ing. "Evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33). "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6: 14, 15; 1 Cor. 5:11). E v en t he t y p es t e a ch this, "Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass," n or w e ar "wool and linen" (Deut. 22:10, 11). M a ny religious a n d ethical so- cieties—ists a nd i s m s—p r o f e ss to w o r s h ip God as we do. T h ey claim to revere t he Bible, and all to be w o r k i ng t o w a rd t he s a m e end w i th evangelical Christians, a nd w e a re u r g ed tò join h a n ds w i th t h e m, b u t t h ey "have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God;" our w o r s h ip h a s a bloody altar, t he Cross; o ur t e m p le is f i l ed w i th t he Personal Holy Ghost, a nd a s its peculiar glory Immanuel God is w i th us, t h e God w ho wefs m a de flesh a n d is b o th God a nd Man. a n d t h e- ology t h an a ny others. The 7 h e a rt is an i n- s t r u m e nt of m a n y s t r i n g s: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy Name, O Most High: to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound" ( P s a. 92:1-3). O ur h e a r ts a r e h a r ps t h a t should be well t u n ed to t he w o r ds of our lips, while u n d er t he w i n d o ws of h e a v en by early mo r n i n g, a nd bv night, we m a k e "melody in our hearts to the Lord." Do you e v er t h i nk t h a t »oiir s i n g i ng is to m a k e s w e et melody f or H is delight? And t h e se s o n gs of Zion a re t h e m s e l v es f a m o us t u n e rs a re more. , a p t to be sound Spiritual s o n gs a re spiritual sermons,
A SONG OF SALVATION. Lesson V—October 29. Psalm 85.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs