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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
THE BEAUTY OF JEHOVAH IMPARTED TO HIS PEOPLE
IT is pleasing to think that in every age the Lord has many “hidden ones:” even as in the days of Elijah, who thought himself the only worshipper of Jehovah, whilst there were in reality “seven thousand men who had not bowed their knee to the image of Baal.” It is not every one who dies apparently under the displeasure of God, that will be visited with his judgments in the world to come. Many “are judged of the Lord now, in order that they may not be condemned with the world hereafter [Note: 1Co_11:32.].” Amongst those who died in the wilderness for their transgressions, we know, infallibly, that some were received to mercy. We have no more doubt of the salvation of Moses and Aaron than we have of any saint from the foundation of the world. And we think that there is evidence in the psalm before us, that many repented in the wilderness, and that though “they were delivered, as it were, to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, their spirit will be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus [Note: 1Co_5:5.].” When they found that the sentence passed against them could not be reversed, they humbled themselves before God for their iniquities; and in consequence thereof they found favour in his sight, passing their remaining days upon earth in some measure of peace, and enjoying a hope, that, though they were never to possess the earthly Canaan, they should be admitted to the enjoyment of a heavenly inheritance. Their supplications for mercy were such as God never did, nor ever will, reject. “O satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children: and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:” that is, Let us have such tokens of thy love, and such communications of thy grace, as may carry us forward with comfort, and prepare us for thy more immediate presence.
For the further elucidation of my text, I will endeavour to shew,
I. Wherein the beauty of the Lord our God consists—
But in attempting to speak on such a subject, I feel that I shall only “darken counsel by words without knowledge:” for “we cannot by searching find out God, we cannot find out the Almighty to perfection.” Yet, as we are able, we must declare him unto you, and set forth his perfections,
1. As existing in himself—
[We need only open our eyes and survey the visible creation, to be assured of his eternal power and godhead. In this respect the most stupid heathens, in neglecting to worship him, are without excuse. The magnitude and number of the heavenly bodies, all moving so exactly in their respective courses, and fulfilling the ends for which they were designed; and the variety and beauty of the things existing on this terraqueous globe, all so adapted for their respective offices and uses, and all subservient to one great design, the glory of their Creator; evince that his wisdom and goodness are equal to his power. I am not aware that philosophers have any advantage over those of less intelligence in things which are known only by revelation: because those things can be known only by the teachings of God’s Spirit; and the Holy Spirit can instruct one as easily as another, and does often “reveal to babes what is hid from the wise and prudent:” but in the things which are obvious to our senses they have a great advantage, because by their proficiency in different sciences they attain a comprehensive knowledge of many things, of which the generality of persons have no conception; and consequently, they can discern traces of divine wisdom, and goodness, and power, which can never come under the view of one that is illiterate and uninformed.
If from the works of creation we turn our eyes to the dispensations of Providence, we shall see all the same perfections illustrated and displayed to yet greater advantage; because they; shew how entirely every created being, however unconscious, or however adverse, fulfils his will, and executes hit designs — — —
But it is in the work of redemption that the perfections of God must be chiefly viewed; because in that are displayed his justice, his mercy, and his grace: for the exercise of which there is, in the works of creation and of providence, comparatively but little scope.
But, to discover these, we must view them,]
As displayed in the person of his Son—
[The Lord Jesus Christ is called “the image of the invisible God [Note: Col_1:15.]” because in him Jehovah, “who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see [Note: 1Ti_6:16.],” is rendered visible to mortal eyes; so that in him we see “the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express imago of his person [Note: Heb_1:3.].” We know that “in his face all the glory of the Godhead shines;” and that on that account the god of this world is so anxious to blind our eyes, and to hide him from our view [Note: 2Co_4:4.]. See then in him, and in his cross, not some perfections only, but all, even all the perfections of the Godhead shining in their utmost splendour. Draw nigh to the garden of Gethsenane, or to Mount Calvary, and there take a view of your adorable Saviour. How awful does the justice of the Deity appear, when not one sinner in the universe could be received to mercy, nor one single transgression of God’s law be pardoned, till an atonement should be offered for it, not by any creature, but by the Creator himself, whose blood alone could expiate our guilt, and whose righteousness alone could serve as a sufficient title for our acceptance before God. And how bright does mercy appear, in that, rather than man should perish after the example of the fallen angels, God vouchsafed to give his only dear Son to die for us, and to effect our reconciliation by the blood of his cross! What wisdom too is displayed in this way of making the truth of God, which denounced death as the penalty of sin, to consist with the happiness and salvation of those who had committed it! as the Psalmist says, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other [Note: Psa_85:10.].” To make these perfections unite in the salvation of men, and to bring to every perfection far higher glory than it could have had if it had stood alone; (for whilst each shines in its own proper glory, each has a tenfold lustre reflected on it by the opposite perfection with which it is made to harmonize;) this required the utmost possible effort both of wisdom and grace; and to all eternity will it form the chief subject of adoration and praise amongst all the hosts of heaven. Here is God seen as “forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, whilst he by no means clears the guilty [Note: Exo_34:6-7.];” because their guilt has been expiated, and a righteousness has been wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ, so that God is “a just God, and yet a Saviour [Note: Isa_45:21.],” and is no less just than he is merciful, in every exercise of his pardoning love, and in every blessing which he bestows on his redeemed people [Note: 1Jn_1:9.].]
The petition offered respecting this, leads us to inquire,
II. In what respects we may hope that “this beauty shall be on us”—
Had the prayer been offered by Moses alone, like that, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory [Note: Exo_33:18.],” we might have supposed, that it was a peculiar favour, which other saints had no right to expect. But the prayer was uttered by multitudes, even by the great mass of those who repented in the wilderness: and therefore it may be poured forth by all true penitents amongst ourselves, who may expect that “the beauty of the Lord shall be upon them:”
1. By an outward manifestation of it to our minds—
[To the Corinthian Church was this honour vouchsafed: for “God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness at the first Creation, shined into their hearts, to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ [Note: 2Co_4:6.].” Such manifestations therefore may we also expect. The Lord Jesus Christ has expressly promised, that he will manifest himself to us, as he does not unto the world: and with such convincing evidence will he shew us his glory, that we shall differ from those around us, as Paul at his conversion differed from his attendants: they heard a voice as well as he; but he alone was favoured with the sight of the Lord Jesus Christ himself [Note: Act_9:7. 1Co_9:1; 1Co_15:8.]: so that the words which we hear or read may be heard or read by thousands; but to us only, that is, to those only who are truly penitent and believing, will he “manifest forth his glory,” so as to constrain us to cry out, “How great is his goodness! how great is his beauty [Note: Zec_9:17.]!”
It is by the public ordinances chiefly that he will make these revelations of himself to us: and hence it was that David so exceedingly delighted in the house of God, saying, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the fair beauty of the Lord [Note: Psa_27:4.].” If only we come up to his house with raised expectations, and a humble mind, he will reveal himself to us, and lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and shew us “his power and glory so as he is accustomed to display them in his sanctuary [Note: Psa_63:2.].”]
2. By an inward communication of it to our souls—
[“God originally made man after his own image [Note: Gen_1:26-27.]:” and after the same image will he create us anew “in righteousness and true holiness [Note: Eph_4:24.].” It is for this very end that he so reveals himself in his ordinances; namely, that, by communing with him there, our faces may be made to shine, as the face of Moses did [Note: Exo_34:29-30.]; and that “by beholding his glory we may be changed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of our God [Note: 2Co_3:18.].” In this sense the beauty of the Lord our God shall be upon all his children, according as it is written, “He that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure [Note: 1Jn_3:3.].” No inferior standard will they aim at: they know their duty; and they know their privilege: and with no attainments will they be satisfied, till they “are holy, as God is holy;” and “perfect, even as their Father that is in heaven is perfect.”
This indeed will not be imparted to any one at once: it is a progressive work: persons must be babes, and young men, before they are fathers: but from the time that they are truly converted unto God, they will “grow in grace,” and “make their profiting to appear,” till they have “attained to the full measure of the stature of Christ [Note: Eph_4:13.].” To all of you then I would say, Offer up with devoutest earnestness to God the petition in my text, “Let the beauty of the, Lord our God be upon us:” and add to it that prayer of Paul for the Ephesian converts, which in import corresponds exactly with it; “Let me so comprehend the love of Christ, as to be filled by it with all the fulness of God.”]
From the text thus explained, we may learn,
1. What is the great antidote to the troubles of life?
[Certainly the Israelites, when doomed to perish in the wilderness, were in a very pitiable condition. But, if they could only attain this great object, they declared that their sorrows would all be turned into joy [Note: Eph_3:18-19]. So whatever our troubles be, their sting will be altogether taken away, if they prevail to bring us to the footstool of our God, and to the enjoyment of the light of his countenance. The trials which God sends are for this very end; to purge away our dross, and to purify us as gold, that we may be vessels of honour, meet for our Master’s use. Let us then not be so anxious to get rid of our afflictions, as to obtain from God a sanctified use of them, in brighter manifestations of him, and richer communications from him, and a more entire conformity to him [Note: ver. 15.]. Let us but get even a small measure of these benefits, and “our consolations shall abound far above all that our afflictions have abounded [Note: 2Co_1:5.]” — — —]
2. What we are to aim at, in our pursuit of holiness—
[It is not any one grace, or any particular set of graces, that we should seek after, but an entire conformity to the image of our God. Now his beauty, as we have seen, consists not in any one perfection, but in an union of all perfections, however opposite to each other. So must there be in us, not such graces only as are suited to the natural temperament of our minds, but an assemblage of all graces, however different from each other; (every one being blended with, and tempered by, its opposite, and all together brought, as occasion may require, into united exercise. God is compared to “light;” which is an union of rays, exceedingly diverse from each other, and all in simultaneous motion. Now as some may think that the brighter coloured rays, as the red, the orange, the yellow, would make a better light if divested of those which bear a more sombre aspect, as the blue, the indigo, and the violet; so many imagine, that God would be more lovely, if justice were separated from his attributes, and mercy were to shine unalloyed by that more formidable perfection. But as neither can light part with any of its rays, nor, God with any of his perfections, so neither must the Christian dispense with any grace whatever: if he rejoice, it must be with trembling: if he walk in faith, he must be also in the fear of the Lord all the day long. If he be bold, he must also be meek and lowly of heart, and resemble him, who “was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so opened not he his mouth.” This union of opposite graces it is which constitutes the beauty of holiness: as David, after the most exalted strains of adoration, says, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him all the earth [Note: Psa_96:7-9.].”
Let me earnestly entreat the professors of religion to be attentive to this matter. Nothing is more common than for persons of this description to value themselves on account of some particular grace or set of graces, when they are offensive, and, I had almost said, odious in the eyes both of God and man, for want of those graces which ought to temper, and to moderate the actings of their mind. Distortion in the human frame is not more disgusting than such distorted piety as this. Even without any particular blemish in the human frame, it is not any one feature that constitutes beauty; but a regular and harmonious set of features: so it is not faith, or fear, or zeal, or prudence, or any other separate grace, that will assimilate us to the Deity, but every grace in its proper measure, and its combined exercise; or rather every grace borrowing from its opposite its chief lustre, and all harmoniously exercised for the glory of God.
Were this subject better understood, we should see, as in Christ, so in all his followers also, the God and the man, the lion and the lamb.]