Rimmon-Parez
“And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon-parez.”
The children of Israel had been already about twd years on their journey to a country, which they might have reached with less trouble in as many weeks, had they been permitted to choose their own way, according to the dictates of human reason, and had not followed the direction of the cloudy pillar. They would not then have so easily had to suffer from hunger and thirst; bread from heaven would not then have been rained down upon them, nor water have been given them by a continued miracle from the smitten rock. It would not then have been necessary to live in such entire dependance upon God, neither would they have become so well acquainted with him or themselves. They would not then have received so many a castigation as was now the case with them, nor. would a thousand divin.e purposes have been’ accomplished, several of which are mentioned in the chapter above quoted. But however strange and contrary to reason was their path, yet the occasion of it was thus mentioned by the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, He led Israel about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth theip on her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him.”
The Israelites were still very near the borders of Canaan, and this fifteenth station, together with the sixteenth, and Rithmah the fourteenth, lie at an equal distance from the promised land, and each of them is only a few miles remote from the other. Do we ask, what great benefit, or what important objects were to be attained by such short removals, since the smallest change of place was a cause of very great trouble, on account of the taking down and re-fixing of the encampment? we are obliged to content ourselves with Elihu’s answer, “He giveth no account of any of his matters.” Love alone is our guide, which leads us first in one way, and then in another. It cannot fail to lead aright, and bring every thing to a blessed termination.
With Canaan constantly in view, they cherished the hope that the pillar of cloud, by a slight deviation to the right, would bring them entirely into the promised land. The path of the Christian also seems often to lie on the borders of Canaan. He enjoys, at such times, unspeakable communications of divine influence. A light shines upon him, in which he feels he is saved. The peace of God pervades him, which passeth all understanding, and keeps his heart and mind in Christ Jesus. He feels such an agreement and unison with God, that his whole soul assents to every thing, and lies like an infant in his arms, and lets him bear and
p3 carry it. He possesses a faith and confidence in God through Christ, which nothing seems able to shake. Every shadow of doubt is dispelled by the light in which he walks, and heavenly-mindedness is the predominant feeling of his bosom. Love, like a mollifying oil, pervades his whole mind, and manifests its gentle and mighty influence in expelling every thing of an opposite nature. It forgives, and bears all things. If he be in a state of suffering, the heart submits to every thing with amiable resignation. Jesu’s whole yoke is easy and his burden light. The world, with all it contains, becomes utterly insignificant, but intense the longing to be entirely present with the Lord.
Such is frequently the case, not only with the piou*s sick, but also with such as are well. The former ardently expect their probable dissolution. They rejoice in the prospect of soon terminating their pilgrimage, and of laying aside their clayey tenement, which burdens them in such a manifold manner, so that they may at length exclaim, “The snare is broken, and we are escaped.” When lo! instead of the wished-for termination, they are called back again into life. Health returns, and they must again mingle with the world and its affairs, and again buckle on their armour for the fight. It seems hard to them to have been so near to Canaan, and yet compelled to leave it again; to have arrived at the entrance of the harbour, and yet be beaten back into the stormy ocean. And those in health who were thus so richly comforted, and who had thought they had found an house like the swallow, and like Job, expected to die in their nest — that now their peace would flow as a river, and their righteousness as the waves of the sea — are frequently again driven back under the law, into repentance and into poverty, whilst they calculated on proceeding unremittingly forward from faith to faith, and from strength to strength. Nevertheless, it is in reality no retrograde movement. Decreasing is increasing. When weak, we may increase in strength. The entrance into Canaan is at a very different place to what they. supposed, and very different events occur to those which they anticipated.
Such was the case also with the children of Israel, and during the thirty-five subsequent years, until their entry into the promised land, scarcely any thing is mentioned but the names of their places of encampment. The people, by the dreadful events at Rithmah, where the earth opened beneath the feet of the rebellious party, were intimidated and humbled for along period. The manna continued to fall every day from heaven as usual, and was no longer any thing uncommon to them; the water constantly followed them from the rock, which was Christ, and they no longer wondered at it, even as the divine favours we daily enjoy, are of little value in our estimation. Their shoes did not wear out, nor their clothes grow old. Their manner of life had great uniformity and sameness, and they contented themselves with it as well as they were able. They were indeed obliged, from time to time, at the intimation of the pillar of cloud and of fire, to strike their tents, change their place of encampment, and erect their tabernacles again, without knowing why or wherefore, and without knowing whether they were approaching nearer to or removing further
p 4 from Canaan. They were to be wilhout will, without choice, and without any knowledge of their path, to settle themselves no where, nor to hasten forwards, but live and rest in continual dependance, and go or stay as the Lord pleased, and thus serve the Lord according to his good pleasure, and not according to theirs.
We remark upon this, first, that believers seem occasionally as if they were forgotten, either by other Christians, who no longer visit them nor regard them, and who show them no sympathy nor compassion, and this is painful to them — or else they feel solitary, because they find no one to whom they could fully disclose themselves. But still more painful is it, when the Lord seems to have forgotten us; of which we find many instances in the Psalms. But the Lord says,’ “Can a woman forget her child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, she may forget! yet will I not forget thee. I have graven thee on the palms of my hands.” In due time the Lord remembers us, as Moses says in Deut. ii. 7, “The Lord knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the Lord thy God has been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”
Secondly, Many pious individuals, until a certain period, are able circumstantially to relate and describe every thing which passes in and with them, andean recount their guidance from step to step, for the instruction and edification of others. They are able to detail their struggles, conflicts, labours, victories, consolations, and mistakes as they occurred. But the facility to do this frequently disappears in the sequel; they arrive at Rimmon-parez, where little to be related occurs, and multiplicity assumes a more simple form; it is either no longer so striking, or else more spiritual. They begin to regard many things in a very different light.
Thirdly, in time, certain gifts also disappear, with which the Christian was previously clothed; as, for instance, the ability of remembering and communicating, by which some have it in their power to retain whole sermons and recapitulate them in a pleasing manner; a peculiar animation, by which every thing received an interesting, lively, and striking form, either mournful or pleasing, by which the mind was powerfully excited, so that either the countenance shone with cheerfulness, or love to the Lord frequently vented itself in gentle tears. The reading or hearing the Word of God, the reception of the sacrament, the consideration of the sufferings of Christ, or prayer, are able to place the soul in a species of ecstasy, so that it almost might say with John, *’ 1 was in the spirit on the Lord’s day.” But all this may lose itself, so that the individual has no longer the ability, or enjoys it no more in such a manner as before, or even finds no longer such a relish for it, and becomes less susceptible. But “my grace is sufficient for thee; my strength is mighty in the weak.” Jesus desires to reign alone. Nor does he withdraw any thing, without afterwards restoring it ennobled. We are easily pleased with ourselves in the possession of these gifts, unmindful of the giver. Israel travelled through the desert without provisions. But the Lord was instead of every thing else, and thus they never suffered want, or if this was ever the case, it was only that they might have new proofs of the Lord’s all-sufficiency.
No further mention is now made of the history of the children of Israel. We have nothing but the names of their various places of encampment until they reach Kadesh. I cannot, however, abstain from its further consideration, although’ the latter must be confined to a single word and its signification. May the words of our mouths be acceptable in the sight of the Lord, and may he bless it to our further edification!
This fifteenth station, near the borders of Canaan, is called Rimmon-parez, the divided pomegranate. This latter is a fruit which flourishes only in warmer climates than those which we inhabit. We have already described it as of the size of a large apple, with a thick and hard shell, of a greenish and yellowish colour, filled with deep-red juicy berries, which, being pressed out, afibrd a pleasing, cooling, and refreshing aliment, both to the sick and those in health. When ripe, these berries show themselves through a rent, which has a very pleasing appearance. Pomegranates were interwoven into the robe of the High Priest, with golden bells between, which emitted a sound as he walked into the sanctuary, that the people might be favourably remembered before the Lord. A striking emblem, therefore, of the rent veil of the Redeemer’s flesh, through whose bleeding wounds the infinite love and tender compassion of his heart are seen by the eye of faith, and all the blessings purchased by his death, as well as a freedom of access into the holy place, the innermost sanctuary, the immediate habitation and throne of the Most High.
Pomegranates are a delicious and desirable fruit; hence the spies brought them with them from the land of Canaan, together with the grapes from Eschcol, for the purpose of exhibiting them to the children of Israel as a proof of the richness of the soil. There are seasons also in the experience of the Christian, when the blessings of the promised land of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost are presented in a more than usually lively manner to his soul; when he sits under the shadow of the beloved of his soul, with great delight, and his fruit is sweet, unto his taste. Then it is that he exclaims with the bride in the Song of Solomon, “Stay me with apples, comfort me with flaggons, for I am sick of love!”
May this be the experience of every weary pilgrim to the promised land, so that his thirst being assuaged and his powers invigorated, he may go on his way rejoicing! Amen.