An Exceeding Good Land
And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, sayings The land which we passed through to search it is an exceeding goo ’ land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will hrinfi” us into this land, and give it us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. — Numb. xiv. 7, 8.
When the children of Israel arrived at the border of the promised land, Moses, at the command of God, sent twelve men to spy out the good land. They searched it for forty days from the one end to the other, and then returned, bringing a bunch of grapes, borne between two, on a staff, from the fruitful Valley of Eshcol. But ten of the spies brought an evil report of the land. The land, they said, was good; but the inhabitants were giants, and the cities walled up to heaven; and the conclusion they came to was:” We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’* — Verse 31.
Joshua and Caleb alone tried to still the people. They did not deny that the men were tall, and that the cities were walled; but they pointed to the pillar-cloud to answer all objections: The Lord is with us,” and we shall subdue the people as easily as we eat bread. The land which we passed through to search it is an exceeding good land.”
Doctrine. — If God delight in a soul, he will bring it into the good land.
I, Show who they are that God delights in.
1. God has no delight in a natural soul. ‘’ If thou shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? “^^ Thou art not a God that delighteth in wickedness; neither shall jTil dwell with thee.” Thou art of purer eyes than to 3ehold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.” ^’ Surely thou B?ilt slay the wicked, O God,” Eli’s sons hearkened not unto the voice of their father; for the Lord would slay them, [t is God’s very nature to loathe and turn away from that which is sinful. A person with a fine ear for music cannot delight in a jarring discord. It is impossible in his very Qature. So it is impossible in God to delight in a naked sinner. A person covered with sin is quite contrary to God’s nature; and therefore, when naked sinners and God meet in the judgment, God will have no mercy, neither will his eye spare. He will say: ^’ Bind them hand and foot, and cast them into outer darkness.”
Oh you that are covered over with sin, think of this. You that are uncovered in the sight of God, prepare to meet your God. How will you come into the presence of one who abhors sin, when he puts your most secret sins in the light of his countenance-^when he brings to light all the hidden works of darkness — when you shall give account of every idle word? Ah! where will you appear?
2. Jffe delights in one sprinkled with the blood of Christ. When a hell-deserving sinner is enlightened in the knowledge of Christ — when he believes the record that God hath given concerning his Son, and joyfully consents that the Lord Jesus be his surety, then the blood of Christ is, as it were, sprinkled over that soul. When Aaron and his sons were set apart for the priesthood, the blood of the ram was put upon the tip of their right ear, and the thumb of their right hand, and the great toe of their right foot, to signify tnat they were dipped in blood from head to foot; so when God looks upon a soul in Christ, he sees it dipped in the blood of the Saviour. He looks upon that soul as having suffered all that Christ suffered; therefore he delights in that soul. His sense of justice is pleased. God has an infinite sense of justice. His eyes behold the things that are equal; now when he sees the blood of his Son sprinkled upon any soul, he sees that justice has had its full satisfaction in diat soul — that that man’s sins have been more fully punished than if he had borne them himself eternally.
His sense of mercy is pleased. He delighteth in mercy. Even when justice was crying out, “Thou shalt surely slay <he wicked,” his mercy was yearning over sinners, and he povided a ransom. And now when the sinner has laid hold on the ransom, mercy is poured down is forgiveTxe.
God delighteth in mercy; he delights to foigiye the s<ml« It is sweet to notice how Jesns loves to fbigiye sins. In the woman that washed his feet, how he seems to dwdl on it! ‘’Her sins, which are many, are forgiven.’’ And again he said unto her: “Thy sins are foigiven thee;” and again, a third time: ‘’Go in peace.” And so God loves to forgive: “There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.”
Invite trembling sinners to come to Jesus, Some of you are tremhling under a sense of being exposed to Gkid’s wrath. Which of his commandments have you not broken? Your case is, indeed, a dismal one — your fears are most just and reasonable; and if you saw your condition fidly, they would be ten thousand times greater. Yet here is a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness. If only you are willing to come to the Lord Jesus, you do not need to remain another moment out of God’s favour. You see how completely safe you would be, if you would take this blood. A just and merciful God would rejoice over you to forgive you. It is all in vain that you try your own righteousness * — it will never make God delight in you; for it is filthy rags in his sight. But the blood of atonement — the blood of the Lamb — -speaketh peace.
3. Goa delights in the sanctified* You remember, in the Book of Revelation, how often Jesus says, “I know thy works.” He says it with delight in the case of Smyrna: “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty; but ihou art rich.” When God brings a soul into Christ, he makes him a new creature; then God loves the new creature. Just as when God made the world, he saw oU. that he had made, and smiled, for all was very good; so, when Gkpd makes a new creation in the heart, God de%hts in it. He says it is all very good.
Obf, My graces are all imperfect. They do not please me — how can they please God? I cannot do the things that I would.
Ans. All true; yet Grod loves his own workmanship in the soul. His Spirit prays in you — lives in you — walks in you. €kpd loves the work of his own Spirit. Just as you love flowers of your own planting — as you love a spot that you have laid out much on; so God loves his diildren, not for anything of their ovm, but for what he has done for them, and in them. They are dear-bought — he has bought them with his own blood. He waters them eveiy moment, lest any hurt them; he keeps them by night and by day, and how can he but love them? He loves the place where his Spirit dwells.
Just as Grod loved the temple: “This is my rest; here will I dwell, for I have desired it,*’ not for any good in it, but because it was the place of his feet — because he had done 80 much for it; so God loves his Christians, just because he dwells in them, and has done so much for them. Just as it was with Aaron’s rod: it was a dry stick, like any other rod; but God made it bud forth, and bloom blossoms, and bear ripe almonds; and therefore he caused it to be laid up in the holiest of all. So is a Christian — a dry tree; but God makes him bear fruit, and loves the work of his own hands. Dear Christians, walk after the Spirit, and please God more and more. He saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. His countenance doth behold the upright: “I loye them that love me.”
n. God will bring all his people to glory. There are many difficulties in the way. !• So it was with IsraeL The cities were walled, and very great; the inhabitants were gantic and strong: they felt before them like grasshoppers. 2. So it is with God’s children: they have many and great enemies — the devil, and his angels, once the brightest and highest of created intelligences, now the great enemy of souls. He is against the Christian. The world is full of giants, dl opposing God’s children. The persecutions of the ungodly — the allurements of pleasure — these are great enemies in the way. There are giant lusts in the heart: the lust of praise — the lust of the flesh — the lust of the eye — - the pride of life. Before these the soul feels like a grasshopper, without strength: “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Arg, If he delight in us, he will bring us into this land.
He is able: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” 1. God is stronger than Satan. Satan is nothing in his hand. It is easier for God to crush Satan under our feet, than for you to crush a fly. God is infinitely stronger than Satan. Satan can no more hinder God from carrying us to glory than a little fly can, which you crush with your foot. He shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.* Submit youiselyes to God — resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 2. Stronger than the world. The world often comes against us like armed men; but, if God be for us, wh.0 can.
be against us? ‘^ The people shall he like bread.” It is as easj to overcome all opposition when God is with us, as for a hungry man to eat bread. It was God that girded Cyrug, though he did not know him. So he does still: worldly men are a rod in God’s hand. God puts it this way or that way, to fulfil all his pleasure; and when he has done with it, he will break it in pieces, and cast it into the fire. “So fear not them that kill the body, and afiter that, have no more that they can do.” Oh! Christian, if you would Ktc by faith, you might live a happy life! 3. Stronger than our own heart. There is many a Jericho in our own heart walled up to heaven — many a fortress of sin — many giant lusts, which threaten our souls. “O ynretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” ‘^ If the Lord delight in us, he will bring us into the good land.” By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days. God made the walls of Jericho fall flat, by a mere breath of wind — a noise; so he is able still. Settle it in your hearts: there is no Jericho in your hearts which God is not able to make fall in a moment. You have seen a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulder; he meets with many a stone on the way — many a thorn — many a stream; yet the sheep feels no difficulty; it is carried above all. So is it with every soul that yields itself to God; the only difficulty is to lie on his shoulder.
Apply to young” Christians. Learn where your sanctification lies — in God: “With thee is the fountain of life.** “Your life is hid with Christ in God.” Your holiness does not depend on you, but on him. It is a hard lesson to learn, that you cannot sanctify yourself — that you cannot overcome these giants, and scale these wsdls. You have learned one humbling lesson, that you have no righteousness — that nothing you have done or can do will justify you. Now, learn another humbling lesson — that even when pardoned you have no strength. It is the most humbling of all things to lie like a sheep on his shoulders; but, oh! it is sweet. Be like Aaron’s rod-r-a dry stick in yourself, till he shall make you bud, and blossom, and bear fruit. Say like Ephraim: ^’I am a green fir tree;’’ and hear God say: “From me is thy fruit found.”
To fallen Christians, Some of you may have fallen into sin. The reason was just this i you forgot where your strength lay. It was not the force of passion, nor the power
SERMON xvn. 117
of Satan, nor the aUorement of the world that made you fall — it was unbelief; you did not lie in his hand.
To aged Christians, You have come to the border of the promised land, and still your enemies seem giants, and the cities walled up to heaven, and you feel like a grasshopper. Still, if the Lord delight in you, he will keep you in the love of God. He that saved you out of the mouth of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, will save you out of the hand of this Philistine. Trust God to the end.
Even in the valley of the shadow of death, look back over all your deliverances; look over all the Ebenezers you have raised, and say: —
After so much mercy past.
Canst thoa let me sink at last?