The Man with the Measuring Line
Zechariah ii.
A third vision was granted to Zechariah. “J lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.”
It was natural enough. We dream of what occupies our waking thoughts; and probably Jerusalem was full of surveyors, engaged in mapping out the new streets and walls.
Some feeble attempts had already been made towards rebuilding; but as yet the ancient sites were principally distinguished by blackened walls and heaps of ruins. The walls of the city, especially, resembled the rubble of a quarry. At last, however, the national pride was awakening the common interest of citizens for their city, of patriots for their fatherland; and the young man with the measuring line in his hand was the fitting embodiment of this new spirit which was breathing throughout the nation.
“Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.” It was as though he were defining the limits of the oo “never exceed this.
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erm future city, indicating the direction the walls should take, and where they should stay. “Thus far,” he kept saying to himself. “The city will never get beyond this boundary line. Grow as it may, it will” How apt we aretodothis. We are all given to forecasting the future, and place limits, which God has never designed, on the growth of the City of God.
The Sacramentarian comes with his measuring line, and insists that Baptism, however administered, and by whomsoever, is the limit; and that all the baptized, Protestants, Roman Catholics, or of the Greek Church, are included in God’s City; but he refuses to include the member of the Society of Friends, or the adherent of the Salvation Army. Slightly modifying the ancient challenge, he says, ““Except ye be baptized, ye cannot be saved.”
The Pessimist comes with his measuring line, and draws the plan of the City within the narrowest possible boundaries. He justifies his forecast by quoting such a text as “Fear not, little flock”; or “Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ Sometimes he fears that he will not enter; at other times he doubts all others but himself. It may be that depression of
spirit, or long removal from contact with the manifold activities of God in the world, induce these morbid views — as with Elijah, who thought that he only was left.
The Bigot comes with his measuring line and insists that the City walls must coincide with his shibfy Pe dbtotltboleth, and follow the tracings of his creed. We have known men much given to splitting hairs, and making minute and often imaginary distinctions, who have excommunicated all who did not exactly agree with them. Very narrow is the enclosure they mark out for future populations, and very scant their acreage of the Holy City.
The Experimentalist is apt to refuse to consider as Christians those who have not experienced exactly the same doubts, fears, ecstacies, deliverances, and cleansings, which he himself has felt. Before a man may be included in his city, he must have gone through a series of defined and successive steps or chambers in the divine life.
The Universalist goes to the other extreme, and practically builds his walls around the entire race of man, including within their circumference every member of the human family.
It is not for us to fix the boundaries, or insist on our conceptions. These are secret things which belong to the Lord our God. On the one hand, He only knows if those who call themselves and are considered Christians are really so; and He only can detect the seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal or kissed his image. “Lord,” said the apostles on one occasion, “are there few that be saved2” And the Master made answer, as though to turn away their inquiry, “Strive ye to enter ine” It is not for us to measure the city, but to be sure that we have entered in.”
“Run,” said another angel to the prophet’s angel-guide, “speak to this young man (1.e., who had the measuring line) saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, by reason of the multitude of men and cattle therein.” It was useless to mark out boundaries, because the city was destined to exceed all ordinary dimensions, and become so great that no walls would be capable of containing or keeping pace with it. The mighty populations that would congregate at that sacred center would overflow all limitations, as London had radiated to every point of the compass beyond the narrow enclosure of its ancient walls. It is hard to imagine the time when our own metropolis was contained between London Wall and the Thames.
So shall it be with the saved. We have no right to include in their ranks any who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, who have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. But apart from these, these will be a multitude which no man can number, out of every nation and of all tribes, and peoples, and tongues; as stars in the midnight sky, or the sand-grains on the seashore; enough to compensate for the travail of the Redeemer’s soul, and to satisfy the yearning love of God. But here an objection might be raised. If the Holy City was to be without walls, would it not be open to every assailant? What would there be to afford a cover for the soldier, or hinder the advance of the spoiler? Supposing that the enemy should say, “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at quiet, that dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates; to take the spoil, and to take the prey”’( Ezek. xxxviii. 11)! How then would Israel fare? No sooner is the suggestion made than it is met. “I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.”’ The image is probably borrowed from the camp-fires with which hunters surround themselves at night to scare off the beasts of prey. Imagine what that means! Just as no pestilence, and certainly no intruder, could break through a cordon of flame, so the unseen but almighty presence of God would be a bulwark on which all the powers of earth and hell would break to their own undoing.
This is what every congregation of believers may perpetually enjoy. They may be situated in the midst of the ancient civilization of China, or the rude heathenism of West Africa; no walls of wealth, or worldly influence, or prestige may engird them; but they will be absolutely safe, because that cordon of Divine and inviolable protection will enclose them on every side. God will be to them all that walls can be, and more. Indeed, it is better to dwell in an undefended, unwalled city; because we are made more conscious of, and more dependent upon, the environing presence of the Eternal. Surely, the same thought was in the apostle’s mind when he gloried and took pleasure in weaknesses, injuries, necessities; persecutions, distresses for Christ’s sake; because, when he was weak, then he was strong.
as Are you like an unwalled town, with nothing between you and the attacks of poverty, misfortune, godless fellow-workmen, and false brethren? Do not lose heart! you may yet dwell within the devouring fire of God’s presence, and be surrounded by the — everlasting burnings of his protection (Isa. xxxiii. 14). He hath declared: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise in judgment against thee thou shalt condemn.” Such an one may well exclaim with David, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of the people that have set themselves against me round about; for Thou, Lord, art a Shield for me, my glory, and the Lifter up of mine head.”” Remember to realize God as between you and everything. Some put circumstances between them and God; it is far wiser to put God between oneself and circumstances. Yes, we are as safe, stretched on the bare earth with no covering but the fall of night, as when engirt by massive walls and palace doors. Nay, it is even a blessed thing to be deprived of all that men are so prone to magnify, that we may be thrown back absolutely on
God. We never discover how much He can be to the
VY + soul until we have no other resource.
Three appeals follow : — One to the exiles (6, 7). There were still vast numbers of Jews in Babylon, and to these an earnest invitation was addressed: “Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord! Ho, Zion, escape thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon!’ And this invitation was backed by two considerations. On the one hand, safety is assured to them if they return. God would be as quick to protect them as a man to raise his arm when injury is threatened to his eye. On the other hand, they are warned of the certain danger they incur by lingering in Babylon. God was already shaking his hand over that guilty city, as a signal to the nations she had oppressed to gather to her overthrow, and to share her spoils.
Ah, Christian soul, art thou still sojourning in Babylon, conforming to the conventions of the world, molded by the spirit of the age? Heed the Divine summons to arise and depart. This cannot be thy rest. And flatter not thyself that thou canst do as the world does, and yet enjoy immunity from its destruction. The conquering troops would make no nice distinctions between Jews and Babylonians, but would slay indiscriminately; and the recoil of natural law, violated by the professing Christian, will be as sharp and inevitable as on those who do not assume to be other than men of the world. Thou mayest bea child of God; but if this do not prevent thee from behaving as a child of this world, it will not prevent thee from suffering as the children of this world suffer when inevitable retribution befalls.
How comforting it is to know that our souls are as safe and dear to God as the apple of his eye! for there is no part of the body so safely guarded as the eye. The strong frontal bones, the brow or eyelash to intercept the dust, the lid to protect from scorching glare, the sensitive tear-glands incessantly pouring their crystal tides over its surface — what a wealth of delicate machinery for its safety and health! We have all these in God. He is always on the alert to warn, defend, and cleanse us. “I, the. Lord, do keep it; I will water it every moment! Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.”
An Appeal to Zion (10). The daughter of Zion might be a scattered remnant, settled amid the blackened ruins of the city; but she might well sing and rejoice, since God declared his willingness to come and share her humble lot, helping her children in their toils, and attracting many nations to Himself. “Lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.” She might well dispense with walls and bulwarks, with splendid buildings and holy fanes, since God was in the midst of her. When the tabernacle of God is with men, and He dwells with them, wiping away all tears, there is neither mourning nor crying nor tears; but the mouth 1s filled with laughter, and the tongue with singing. Sometimes the Chris- (tian gets a vision of this. He realizes that since God has come into the midst of his work, it is no longer nis, but God’s; he is only the agent and errand-lad. God comforts and teaches the people; God restores the ruins; God builds the walls of Jerusalem; God does good in his good pleasure to Zion; God attracts) the people, who join themselves not to a congrega- j ’
(tion, a church, or a minister, but to the Lord, and be- W come his. He is not only a wall of fire round about, ) but the glory in the midst.
An Appeal to all Flesh (13). In the bold imagery of Scripture, God is sometimes represented as sleeping (not that there is any weariness or indifference in the Divine nature, for He that keeps us neither slumbers nor sleeps), but to account for his apparent apathy. Such times are always those in which Zion herself slumbers in Sleepy Hollow. There never can be any change in his power or tenderness; but the exertion of his energy is often arrested through the indifference and unbelief of his people.
When the Church awakes to repentance, humiliation, and prayer, God is said to*awake. The stir among the restored exiles, in consequence of the preaching of Zechariah and Haggai, is here described his awakening — not, however, that He had ever slept.
When God arouses Himself, let all flesh be silent before Him. Let there be the silence of reverence, of eager expectancy, of humble obedience, of wistful desire. “Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for He is raised up out of His holy habitation.” “My soul, be silent unto God, for my expectation is from Him.”