Part 11

“Behold, I have received commandment to bless; And He hath blessed, and I can not reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel; The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.... Surely there is no enchantment against[253] Jacob, Neither is there any divination against[253] Israel; Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!”

“He saith, which heareth the words of God, [Sidenote: “_The Vision of the Almighty_”] Which seeth the vision of the Almighty: ... How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel! As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the riverside, As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, As cedar-trees beside the waters.”

“He hath said, which heard the words of God, And knew the knowledge of the Most High: ... I shall see Him, but not now; I shall behold Him, but not nigh; There shall come a Star out of Jacob, And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.... Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion.”[254]

* * * * *

[Sidenote: _Sacred Song_]

The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; and when heaven comes in touch with the earth, there is music and song,—“thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”[255]

Above the new-created earth, as it lay, fair and unblemished, under the smile of God, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”[256] So human hearts, in sympathy with heaven, have responded to God’s goodness in notes of praise. Many of the events of human history have been linked with song.

The earliest song recorded in the Bible from the lips of men was that glorious outburst of thanksgiving by the hosts of Israel at the Red Sea:—

[Sidenote: _At the Red Sea_]

“I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, And He is become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

“Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power, Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

“The Lord shall reign forever and ever.... Sing ye to Jehovah, for He hath triumphed gloriously.”[257]

* * * * *

Great have been the blessings received by men in response to songs of praise. The few words recounting an experience of the wilderness journey of Israel have a lesson worthy of our thought:—

[Sidenote: _Unsealed by Song_]

“They went to Beer; that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”[258] “Then sang Israel this song:—

“Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it: The well which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the scepter, and with their staves.”[259]

How often in spiritual experience is this history repeated! how often by words of holy song are unsealed in the soul the springs of penitence and faith, of hope and love and joy!

[Sidenote: _With Praise_]

It was with songs of praise that the armies of Israel went forth to the great deliverance under Jehoshaphat. To Jehoshaphat had come the tidings of threatened war. “There cometh a great multitude against thee,” was the message, “the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside.” “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” And Jehoshaphat, standing in the temple-court before his people, poured out his soul in prayer, pleading God’s promise, with confession of Israel’s helplessness. “We have no might against this great company that cometh against us,” he said; “neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee.”[260]

[Sidenote: “_The Battle Is Not Yours_”]

Then upon Jahaziel a Levite “came the Spirit of the Lord; ... and he said, Harken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord.... Fear not, nor be dismayed; to-morrow go out against them; for the Lord will be with you.”[261]

[Sidenote: _Victory_]

“And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa.”[262] Before the army went singers, lifting their voices in praise to God,—praising Him for the victory promised.

On the fourth day thereafter, the army returned to Jerusalem, laden with the spoil of their enemies, singing praise for the victory won.

Through song, David, amidst the vicissitudes of his changeful life, held communion with heaven. How sweetly are his experiences as a shepherd lad reflected in the words:—

[Sidenote: _The Shepherd Psalm_]

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.... Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”[263]

In his manhood a hunted fugitive, finding refuge in the rocks and caves of the wilderness, he wrote:—

[Sidenote: “_In the Shadow of Thy Wings_”]

“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee; My soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is.... Thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.”

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; For I shall yet praise Him, Who is the health of my countenance, And my God.”

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”[264]

The same trust is breathed in the words written when, a dethroned and crownless king, David fled from Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom. Spent with grief and the weariness of his flight, he with his company had tarried beside the Jordan for a few hours’ rest. He was awakened by the summons to immediate flight. In the darkness, the passage of the deep and swift-flowing stream must be made by that whole company of men, women, and little children; for hard after them were the forces of the traitor-son.

In that hour of darkest trial, David sang:—

[Sidenote: _Songs in the Night_]

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice, And He heard me out of His holy hill.

“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, That have set themselves against me round about.”[265]

After his great sin, in the anguish of remorse and self-abhorrence he still turned to God as his best friend:

“Have mercy upon me, according to Thy loving-kindness; According unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”[266]

[Sidenote: _Yearnings for Home_]

In his long life, David found on earth no resting-place. “We are strangers before Thee, and sojourners,” he said, “as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.”[267]

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”

“There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, at the dawn of morning.... The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.”

“This God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even unto death.”[268]

With a song, Jesus in His earthly life met temptation. Often when sharp, stinging words were spoken, often when the atmosphere about Him was heavy with gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear, was heard His song of faith and holy cheer.

[Sidenote: _The Saviour’s Song_]

On that last sad night of the Passover supper, as He was about to go forth to betrayal and to death, His voice was lifted in the psalm:—

“Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same The Lord’s name is to be praised.”

“I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.

“The sorrows of death compassed me, And the pains of hell gat hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful.

“The Lord preserveth the simple; I was brought low, and He helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.”[269]

* * * * *

[Sidenote: _In the Last Crisis_]

Amidst the deepening shadows of earth’s last great crisis, God’s light will shine brightest, and the song of hope and trust will be heard in clearest and loftiest strains.

“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”[270]

* * * * *

[Sidenote: “_With Singing unto Zion_”]

“The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”[271]

“They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord; ... and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.”[272]

* * * * *

The history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to the uses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul.

[Sidenote: _Power of Song_]

As the children of Israel, journeying through the wilderness, cheered their way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His children to-day gladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort.

[Sidenote: _A Means of Education_]

It is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some word of God’s,—the long-forgotten burden of a childhood song,—and temptations lose their power, life takes on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other souls!

The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure, and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another.

As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. If the child is taught to realize this, he will think more of the meaning of the words he sings, and will be more susceptible to their power.

[Sidenote: _The Angels’ Song_]

As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the angels’ song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven’s communion begins on earth. We learn here the keynote of its praise.

_Mysteries of the Bible_

“CANST THOU BY SEARCHING FIND OUT GOD?”

[Sidenote: “_Canst Thou Find Out God?_”]

No finite mind can fully comprehend the character or the works of the Infinite One. We can not by searching find out God. To minds the strongest and most highly cultured, as well as to the weakest and most ignorant, that holy Being must remain clothed in mystery. But though “clouds and darkness are round about Him, righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.”[273] We can so far comprehend His dealing with us as to discern boundless mercy united to infinite power. We can understand as much of His purposes as we are capable of comprehending; beyond this we may still trust the hand that is omnipotent, the heart that is full of love.

[Sidenote: _Ground for Trust_]

The word of God, like the character of its Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. But God has given in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine authority. His own existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. True, He has not removed the possibility of doubt; faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration; those who wish to doubt have opportunity; but those who desire to know the truth find ample ground for faith.

We have no reason to doubt God’s word because we can not understand the mysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then be surprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries that we can not fathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind.

[Sidenote: _Mysteries Evidence of Divinity_]

The mysteries of the Bible, so far from being an argument against it, are among the strongest evidences of its divine inspiration. If it contained no account of God but that which we could comprehend; if His greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not, as now, bear the unmistakable evidences of divinity. The greatness of its themes should inspire faith in it as the word of God.

[Sidenote: _Simplicity and Adaptation_]

The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and an adaptation to the needs and longings of the human heart that has astonished and charmed the most highly cultivated minds, while to the humble and uncultured also it makes plain the way of life. “The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.”[274] No child need mistake the path. Not one trembling seeker need fail of walking in pure and holy light. Yet the most simply stated truths lay hold upon themes elevated, far-reaching, infinitely beyond the power of human comprehension,—mysteries that are the hiding of His glory,—mysteries that overpower the mind in its research, while they inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith. The more we search the Bible, the deeper is our conviction that it is the word of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation.

[Sidenote: _Limit to Comprehension_]

God intends that to the earnest seeker the truths of His word shall be ever unfolding. While “the secret things belong unto the Lord our God,” “those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children.”[275] The idea that certain portions of the Bible can not be understood has led to neglect of some of its most important truths. The fact needs to be emphasized, and often repeated, that the mysteries of the Bible are not such because God has sought to conceal truth, but because our own weakness or ignorance makes us incapable of comprehending or appropriating truth. The limitation is not in His purpose, but in our capacity. Of those very portions of Scripture often passed by as impossible to be understood, God desires us to understand as much as our minds are capable of receiving. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” that we may be “thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”[276]

[Sidenote: _Inexhaustible Riches_]

It is impossible for any human mind to exhaust even one truth or promise of the Bible. One catches the glory from one point of view, another from another point; yet we can discern only gleamings. The full radiance is beyond our vision.

As we contemplate the great things of God’s word, we look into a fountain that broadens and deepens beneath our gaze. Its breadth and depth pass our knowledge. As we gaze, the vision widens; stretched out before us we behold a boundless, shoreless sea.

Such study has vivifying power. The mind and heart acquire new strength, new life.

[Sidenote: _Tested by Experience_]

This experience is the highest evidence of the divine authorship of the Bible. We receive God’s word as food for the soul, through the same evidence by which we receive bread as food for the body. Bread supplies the need of our nature; we know by experience that it produces blood and bone and brain. Apply the same test to the Bible: when its principles have actually become the elements of character, what has been the result? what changes have been made in the life?—“Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”[277] In its power, men and women have broken the chains of sinful habit. They have renounced selfishness. The profane have become reverent, the drunken sober, the profligate pure. Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan, have been transformed into the image of God. This change is itself the miracle of miracles. A change wrought by the word, it is one of the deepest mysteries of the word. We can not understand it; we can only believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”[278]

A knowledge of this mystery furnishes a key to every other. It opens to the soul the treasures of the universe, the possibilities of infinite development.

[Sidenote: _Pledge of Eternal Growth_]

And this development is gained through the constant unfolding to us of the character of God,—the glory and the mystery of the written word. If it were possible for us to attain to a full understanding of God and His word, there would be for us no further discovery of truth, no greater knowledge, no further development. God would cease to be supreme, and man would cease to advance. Thank God, it is not so. Since God is infinite, and in Him are all the treasures of wisdom, we may to all eternity be ever searching, ever learning, yet never exhaust the riches of His wisdom, His goodness, or His power.

_History and Prophecy_

“WHO HATH DECLARED THIS FROM ANCIENT TIME? HAVE NOT I THE LORD? THERE IS NO GOD ELSE”

[Sidenote: _The Earliest of Annals_]

The Bible is the most ancient and the most comprehensive history that men possess. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and throughout the ages a divine hand has preserved its purity. It lights up the far-distant past, where human research in vain seeks to penetrate. In God’s word only do we behold the power that laid the foundations of the earth, and that stretched out the heavens. Here only do we find an authentic account of the origin of nations. Here only is given a history of our race unsullied by human pride or prejudice.

[Sidenote: _Philosophy of History_]

In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counter-play of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.

[Sidenote: _Distribution of Races_]

The Bible reveals the true philosophy of history. In those words of matchless beauty and tenderness spoken by the apostle Paul to the sages of Athens is set forth God’s purpose in the creation and distribution of races and nations: He “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him.”[279] God declares that whosoever will may come “into the bond of the covenant.”[280] In the creation it was His purpose that the earth be inhabited by beings whose existence should be a blessing to themselves and to one another, and an honor to their Creator. All who will may identify themselves with this purpose. Of them it is spoken, “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.”[281]

God has revealed in His law the principles that underlie all true prosperity both of nations and of individuals. “This is your wisdom and your understanding,” Moses declared to the Israelites of the law of God. “It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life.”[282] The blessings thus assured to Israel are, on the same conditions and in the same degree, assured to every nation and every individual under the broad heavens.

[Sidenote: _National Prosperity_]

The power exercised by every ruler on the earth is Heaven-imparted; and upon his use of the power thus bestowed, his success depends. To each the word of the divine Watcher is, “I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me.”[283] And to each the words spoken to Nebuchadnezzar of old are the lesson of life: “Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.”[284]

[Sidenote: _The Source of Power_]

To understand these things,—to understand that “righteousness exalteth a nation;” that “the throne is established by righteousness,” and “upholden by mercy;”[285] to recognize the outworking of these principles in the manifestation of His power who “removeth kings, and setteth up kings,”[286] —this is to understand the philosophy of history.

In the word of God only is this clearly set forth. Here it is shown that the strength of nations, as of individuals, is not found in the opportunities or facilities that appear to make them invincible; it is not found in their boasted greatness. It is measured by the fidelity with which they fulfil God’s purpose.

[Sidenote: _Object of Government_]