Let us turn to the Word of God
again, and seeking the help of God and your prayers, to the
psalm that we've read, Psalm 78, and especially verse 34. Psalm 78, and these words in
verse 34, When he slew them, then they sought him. and they
returned and inquired early after God. Psalm 78, these words in
verse 34, when he slew them, then they sought him and they
returned and inquired early after God. This 78th Psalm, the second longest
of all the Psalms, And it's very much a psalm of two halves, isn't
it really? A psalm that speaks of two things. It speaks to us of the behaviour
of the children of Israel, of the way that they treated God,
and the way that they tempted God, the way that they failed
to believe that God could do what he said he would do. A constant
falling back into unbelief, but it is also a record of the faithfulness
of God to his word and to his promise. Very much a psalm of
two halves, a psalm of two great points. If you look through the
psalm and count the words, it speaks of the children of Israel
around a hundred times and it speaks of God around a hundred
times. Constantly we are pointed back
to their experience in the wilderness and as they are brought forth
out of Egypt and constantly we are reminded of their unbelief. It's there in verse 8, isn't
it? At the beginning of the psalm, the psalmist tells us the reason
why he records these things. And there are two reasons really
why the psalmist writes in the way that he does. He writes to
warn future generations and he writes to encourage future generations. He says in verse 4, what he wants
to do is to show to the generation to come the praises of the Lord
and his strength and his wonderful works that he has done. He wants
to record the work of God, the praises of God, the strength
of God. And in verse 5 he says, well,
this is something that God has commanded us to do. He established
a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. What was that
testimony? What was that commandment? Well,
it was this, that our fathers should make these things known
to their children. The father should be ready to
speak of the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful
works that he has done. Ready to make those things known
to their children in order that the generation to come might
know them. even the children which should be born, who should
arise and declare them to their children. And so down through
the generations these things are passed from father to son,
from parent to child. The praises of the Lord and His
strength and His wonderful works that He has done. And why is
it important that we learn these things? Well, says the psalmist,
it's important that we learn them Verse 7, that we might set
our hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his
commandments. There is the encouragement. The psalmist says, I'm recording
these things in order that the generations to come might set
their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his
commandments. There is the encouragement. Set your hope in God, he says,
to those generations to come. But there's also a warning, isn't
there, in verse 8? a warning against rebellion,
a warning against unbelief. He writes, in order that the
generations to come might not be as their fathers, a stubborn
and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright,
whose spirit was not steadfast with God, words of encouragement
and words of warning. These two great purposes for
which the Samist hands these things down to the generation
to come. And as we look through the psalm, as I say, it's very
much a psalm that teaches us about the faithfulness of God,
about how he sticks to his word and does what he promises. He
doesn't change his mind. He doesn't turn back from his
purposes. What he says, he does. It speaks
of his faithfulness. But when it speaks to us of his
people, they are revealed to us as a people who are so lacking
in faith, who are so quick to fall into unbelief, a stubborn
and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright
and whose spirit was not steadfast with God. He is faithful, but
they are faithless. And that is the message, really,
as we go through the verses of the psalm. It's all looking back,
isn't it? It's history that the psalmist
is reminding us of, from verse 9 all the way down to verse 33,
those verses that we read. It's all history, isn't it? It's
all pointing us back to things that happened in the past, to
what God did. for the children of Israel and
what they did in return. And look at what the psalmist
says as we go through those verses. He talks about the children of
Ephraim in verse 9. That is just another name for
the children of Israel really. He says how they turned back
in the day of battle despite the fact that they were armed
and carrying bows. They refused to fight the battles
that God called them to fight. They kept not the covenant of
God. They refused to walk in his law. They forgot his works
and his wonders that he had showed them. And the psalmist, he reminds
us about some of those wonderful things that they had seen. Marvellous
things, he says in verse 12. He talks about how the Lord divided
the sea and caused them to pass through it. How he led them with
that pillar of cloud by day, and with a pillar of fire by
night. How he gave them water out of the rock, streams out
of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. And
yet it says in verse 17, they sinned yet more against him.
It's almost like a roller coaster, isn't it, this psalm? Constantly
it takes us up to remind us of the great power and grace of
God. And then it, as it were, it crashes back down again to
speak about the reaction of the children of Israel. They sinned
yet more against him by provoking the most high in the wilderness.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their
lust. Yea, they spake against God. They said, can God furnish
a table in the wilderness? They have seen him bring forth
water out of the rock. But they said, well, can he give
bread also? And the Lord heard this and was wroth, and his anger
was killed against them, because they believed not in God and
trusted not in his salvation, but still he graciously provides
for them, doesn't he? Despite their sin, yet what do
we read in verse 23? He commanded the clouds from
above and opened the doors of heaven and rained down manna
upon them to eat. and had given them of the corn
of heaven man did eat angel's food of course we have the record
of it back in the book of Exodus and it's always wonderful to
see when we have the record of the giving of the manna that
that manna sustained them all through that 40 year journey,
didn't it? it wasn't just a one-off, that manna But we read at the
end of that chapter in Exodus, chapter 16, that the children
of Israel did eat manna 40 years. And I've often wondered at the
long suffering of God. Think of all the sins that they
committed on that 40-year journey. Think especially of that great
sin with the golden calf. When Aaron, he makes that calf
of gold, Moses is up in the mountain and the children of Israel say,
well, we can't wait here forever, Aaron, what are we going to do?
Why didn't you think of something? And Aaron makes the golden calf
and says, well, let's worship this instead. A great sin, a great turning
away from God and yet It's wonderful to think of it, isn't it? They
woke up the next morning, what was it? Around the camp, the
manna was still there. Still, daily the manna is provided
for 40 years. Throughout that long journey,
throughout that 40-year pilgrimage, he rained down manna upon them
to eat, gave them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels'
food. And despite their sin and how
they tempted God and failed to put their trust in him, yet his
provision is still made day by day. This really is the, we could
say, a history of the children of Israel in general, isn't it?
How they are constantly going through this rollercoaster cycle
of sin and confession, of turning away from God and then turning
back to him. it's very much like that in the book of Judges, isn't
it? You remember how in the book of Judges we're told that after
the death of Joshua the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord and they worshipped idols and they forsook the Lord
God of their fathers? In the book of Joshua we have
them, if you like, upon the mountaintop and last brought into the Promised
Land At last they're in that land that they had so long been
journeying towards. But when Joshua dies, they so
quickly fall away again and they go down again into the depths.
They forsook the Lord and they served Baal and Ashtoreth. And
the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. And he delivered
them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them. and great
evil comes upon them. And as you read through the book
of Judges and also through the books of Kings, you get this. The children of Israel, they
sin against God. He brings enemies against them. And they're brought down and
greatly distressed. But what does it say there in
Judges chapter 2? They were greatly distressed.
Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges which delivered them
out of the hand of those that spoiled them. Despite their sin,
yet He is still preserving them and keeping them and providing
for them. We read that it repented the
Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed
them and vexed them. And so the Lord raises up a judge
who delivers them from their enemies, but when the judge is
dead, What happens more often than not? Well, it says they
return and corrupt themselves more than their fathers. It's
constant, this cycle of sinning and repenting. Of turning to
God when they're in trouble and turning away from him when they're
in a time of prosperity. You read through the book of
Judges, you see this cycle of sinning and repenting. I don't
know if you've ever read the preface that Joseph Hart wrote
for his hymn book. There's quite a few of Joseph
Hart's hymns in Gadsby's hymn book here, but he wrote others.
And when he published his own hymn book, he wrote a preface
to it which had some details of his experience and of his
life. And I think it was J.C. Philpott who said that preface
was the nearest thing to scripture outside of scripture or something
like that. But in that preface, Joseph Hart,
he looks back to the time when he was first really convicted
of sin and he says it was like this, he said he found himself
in an uneasy cycle of sinning and repenting. Just like these
Israelites. He would know times of sin, he
would know times of departing from God and then some trouble
would come and he would turn back to God and he would know
some kind of confession and repentance and there would be some restoration
and then this cycle would just repeat. this was what it was
like for the Israelites a cycle of sinning and repenting in this part of the psalm that
this verse sits in the psalmist is referring back to the events
that we have recorded in the book of Numbers chapter 11 you
remember the events that we have outlined there Again the children
of Israel are complaining and murmuring against God and against
Moses. And it's incredible to see, isn't
it? What are they saying about the manna? Here in Numbers chapter
11, that manna, remember it had sustained them all through their
40 years of journeying through the wilderness. Miraculously
provided, It must have been amazing for them when it first came down,
mustn't it? That's why they called it manna. That means, what is
this? They didn't know what it was. They hadn't seen it before.
And they eat the manna. And it was a wonderful provision
for them in that time of great need. They were starving, weren't
they? The bread that they had brought out of Egypt, it had
run out. And this manna, it saves their lives. And it continued
to keep them alive all through that journey. But look what they
say about the manna now in chapter 11 of Numbers. It says, the children of Israel
also wept again and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We
remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers
and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.
But now our soul is dried away. There is nothing at all beside
this manna before our eyes. You see how ungrateful they were.
You see how thankless they are, how they say about this manor,
there's nothing at all beside this manor. They said, well this
manor is not good enough anymore, we want something different now,
we're bored of it. The Samis calls it angel's food. But they said this manor, it's
not good enough for us, we want something better and Really,
what they're saying is we deserve something better, aren't they? It's as if they say, well look,
we've been travelling in the wilderness now for many years,
we've been putting up with this manner, but surely the time is
coming when God will give us something better. And you remember the outcome. God gives them what they ask
for, doesn't he? We have that in this Psalm. He
gave them their own desire. They were not estranged from
their lusts. And God gives them meat to eat. Look at what He
says to them there in Numbers chapter 11. Therefore the Lord will give
you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor
two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, but
even a whole month. until it come out of your nostrils
and it be loathsome unto you, because that ye have despised
the Lord which is among you." That was what they were doing
when they despised the manna, weren't they? It wasn't just
that they were despising the manna, but they were despising
the Lord who had given them the manna. It's not just that they
were ungrateful for the manna, but they really were speaking
against God. And God says, well, you want
flesh, I'll give you flesh. 30 days, even a whole month,
until you're sick of it. And Moses doesn't understand
how this is going to happen. He says, well, look, there are
600,000 footmen. Are we going to kill all the
flocks and the herds? Are we going to be able to gather
together all the fish of the sea? Even Moses seems to have
been uncertain as to whether God could do what he had said.
And God says to him, a well-known words aren't they? Is the Lord's
hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my
word shall come to pass unto thee or not. And there went forth
a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let
them fall by the camp. And the people went out and collected
them, and they had flesh to eat. But what do we read in the psalm?
While the meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came
upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smoked down the
chosen men of Israel. That's the context really for
this 34th verse. When he slew them, then they
sought him. But it's a general principle,
isn't it, that we could relate to many times in the history
of Israel. When his hand went out against them, when they depart from him and
he leaves them to the power of their enemies, when he slew them,
then they sought him and they returned and inquired early after
their God. It's very much like that in the
book of Numbers. You see it also as I say in the
book of Judges, this cycle that the psalmist speaks of here,
sinning and repenting. But there is something spiritual
surely here in this psalm. When we look at Israel, When
we look at the nation of Israel and what happened to them and
what they did and what they experienced, we need to remember that they
are a picture in a sense, aren't they? It's not just ancient history
that we're to look at and say, well, that's very interesting.
But they are an example. That's how Paul describes them,
doesn't he? When he writes about them in the first epistle to
the Corinthians, he speaks there about some of the things that
happened to the Israelites. And he says, these things happen
to them for ensembles or for types, like a picture, like a
shadow. They are written for our admonition,
upon whom the ends of the world are come. And so when we read
about the behaviour of Israel and what happened to them in
a natural sense, it teaches us something about how God deals
with his people today in a spiritual sense, what he does for them
and what they do often to him. That really is true of the whole
history of Israel. Think about their rescue from
Egypt, their deliverance from slavery, their journey through
the wilderness, their entering into the promised land. It's
very clearly a picture of the pilgrimage that the Christian
is called upon to walk in. There is a deliverance from sin.
There is a journey through this world, a wilderness journey,
and there is entering into the heavenly Canaan. That's how it's
often described in hymns, isn't it? You remember the hymn of William
Williams, he said, When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious
fears subside, death of deaths, and hell's destruction land me
safe on Canaan's side. He sees Jordan as a picture of
death, he sees Canaan as a picture of heaven. And there is that
that illustrates in the history of Israel what the Christian
life is often like. Well, you think of that in the
context of this 34th verse. It was true in a natural sense
for the Israelites when God's hand went out against them and
sometimes they were killed by their enemies, sometimes they
were killed by serpents that bit them or by illness that came
upon them. When he slew them then they sought
him. What does it mean when we think of it spiritually? Well,
it reminds us, doesn't it, of what Paul says when he speaks
about his own experience. in Romans chapter 7. Do you remember?
It's strong language that he uses, isn't it? He looks back
to the time when he was a Pharisee, before he came face-to-face with
the law and face-to-face with Christ. He says, I was alive
without the law once. When he was a Pharisee, he was
alive without the law. What does that mean? It means
he was living a life that he thought was pleasing to God.
He was satisfied with it. He thought that when he died
and stood before God he would be able to say, well, I think
I did rather well, I didn't commit adultery and I didn't murder
and I didn't steal. He thought that he would be able
to tick off all those points of the law and claim to have
complied with them. But what does he say? He says,
I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came,
Sin revived and I died. Sin revived and I died. In other
words, there was a time in Paul's life when everything came to
nothing. When all of those things that
he was trusting in, he suddenly realised that they weren't worth
anything. All of that keeping of the law that he thought that
he had accomplished. When the commandment came, when he really
understood what the law said, And what the Lord demanded. Sin revived, he says, as if he
suddenly saw that his sins were like a great mountain. Sin revived
and I died. That's what happened to Paul.
And it had a tremendous effect upon his life, didn't it? Turned
his whole life upside down, really. We sang about it in that first
hymn. Now the hymn writer, Isaac Watts,
he speaks about the threatenings of the broken law. He says, if
God his sword of vengeance draw, it strikes our spirits dead.
And there is sometimes a point like that in the experience of
the Christian when the law suddenly becomes alive to them and they
see what it demands. And suddenly it's no longer a
matter of what they do or don't do with their hands, but it's
a question of what is going on in the heart. That was the first
and greatest commandment, isn't it? According to the Lord Jesus,
thou shalt love the Lord thy God. And when we see that the
law demands that, then it's as if all our hopes and all our
dreams of being justified by the law, they are crushed and
killed. When you think of this verse,
in that context, when he slew them then they saw him, isn't
that true? Wasn't it true of the Apostle Paul? when the law
came and he understood what the law demanded and all his hopes
of being justified by his own works are crushed and killed.
He became a seeker of God then, didn't he? He became a seeker
after righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ and that was
how he described himself for the rest of his life really,
wasn't it? You remember when he wrote to
the Philippians, how did he describe himself? He says, I'm just a
follower. I follow after. He speaks of
him as one who is reaching forth unto those things which are before.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus. Why is he doing that? It's because
he's been killed by the law. All of his hopes have been crushed
by the law. And so he is seeking God. I wonder
if you can look back to a time in your own life when something
like this has happened to you. It's a question, isn't it? Are
you seeking God this morning? Are you, like Paul, following
after him? Those of us that were at Hedgen
yesterday afternoon for the anniversary service, you remember that Mr
Field was preaching from that verse in Isaiah chapter 51. hearken
to me ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord." It's
specific people that are addressed in that 51st chapter. They are
followers after righteousness, they are seekers of the Lord.
They're the same people that are here in this 34th verse,
aren't they? They sought Him, they returned,
they enquired early after God. Something has changed in their
life. They're now seeking something that they weren't seeking before.
They're not satisfied. with their own righteousness. If you speak to them, if you
were to speak to them about their righteousness, they wouldn't
say to you, well, I know that I'm not perfect, but I think
I've done rather well when I look at the law. And I know that I
have made some mistakes, but I think God will receive me because
I've been doing all this religion, I've been reading my Bible and
praying and spending time in chapel, in services and all of
these things. there is a time when they realise
that those things they can't undo the breaches of the law
that they have committed and so they become followers after
righteousness and they seek him John Bunyan he puts it in the
Pilgrim's Progress, doesn't he? You remember how at the beginning
he has a vision of Pilgrim and he has this great burden on his
back he has a book in his hand and he's reading the book and
the book is the law, isn't it? It represents the law and he's
weeping and crying out. What must I do to be saved? He's seeking God. He's enquiring
after him. When he slew them, then they
sought him. Notice this. It's God that works first, isn't
it? Here in this verse. It begins with the work of God.
It begins with what he did. When he slew them, then they
sought him. It begins with his work. It begins with him. He moves first. Isn't that so
often the way, again, look at how he's put in that second chapter
in the book of Judges. It speaks of the children of
Israel and how they are departing from God and how they turn away
from him and they worship idols. And if God had just left them,
they would never have come back to him. But what does he do?
It says he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled
them and he sold them into the hands of their enemies so that
they could no longer stand before their enemies and the hand of
the Lord was against them for evil and they're greatly distressed
and they groan. It talks about their groanings
by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. There's
a turning unto the Lord, there's a crying out to him But it's the work of God that
brings them to that point. When he slew them, then they
sought him. It's in the hymn, isn't it? The
well-known hymn, I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew he
moved my soul to seek him, seeking me. He slew them, then they sought
him. There's that little verse, you'll
see it's, if you have a margin, you'll see there's a reference
to the book of Hosea. And we have that lovely verse
at the end of the fifth chapter in the book of Hosea, where the Lord, in that fifth
chapter, he's been speaking again about the pride and the rebellion
of Israel, about their departing from God.
And what does he say at the end of that fifth chapter? The Lord
says, I will go and return to my place. till they acknowledge
their offence and seek my face. In their affliction, they will
seek me early. The Lord says, well, they are
determined to go in their own way. They want to be away from
me. They want to worship other gods. Well, I'll leave them to
do that. And I'll bring affliction upon
them for it. And in their affliction, they will seek me early. And
it's wonderful to see how the verse follows on into chapter
6. And in the beginning of chapter
six we have the church's response, don't we? Come and let us return
unto the Lord. For he hath torn and he will
heal us. He hath smitten and he will bind
us up. There is a returning to him in
affliction. He moves first when he slew them,
then they sought him. And now there's suddenly this
tremendous urgency, isn't there? in the children of Israel. They returned and inquired early
after God. Early. What does it imply? It
implies urgency. It implies that there's something
here that they are desperate to know. There's no apathy here,
is there? This is not something that they
are doing just on the side, if you like. This suddenly has become
the main effort and the main priority of their lives. When
he slew them, then they sought him and they returned and inquired
early after God. Here is urgency, here is suddenly
right priorities are restored. Suddenly those things that they
were walking after, they see now that they can't help them.
They're like the Samist. They're in Psalm 42, aren't they?
He says, as the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, O God. Think of the picture that the
psalmist is using. Here is a heart. It's another name for a deer,
isn't it? And here is a deer that is desperately thirsty.
And it's panting after the water brooks. Well, you know what it's
like when you're desperately thirsty. Probably not many of
us has ever been really desperately thirsty. You imagine a man who's
been in the desert for a day or two. He's not been able to
drink. Well, to that man, nothing else
matters really, does it? Well, says a psalmist, it's like
that. Between my soul and God. As the heart panteth after the
water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee. And now he is seeking. And now he is returning and inquiring
early after God. And they remembered. There is
a remembering. There is a looking back to their
rock, to their Redeemer. They returned and inquired early
after God. And then finally, look at his
reaction. And it reveals to us his tremendous
grace, doesn't it? Here in verse 37, we're told
that their heart was not right with him. there was something wrong even
in the way that they approached him at this time. And we see
that, don't we? There's so often insincerity
in the Israelites when they turn to God. And we see that when
no sooner does he answer their prayer and give them what they
need than they're turning away from him again. They did flatter
him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongues
for their heart was not right with him. Neither were they steadfast
in his covenant. That really is a history of Israel
just in a few words, isn't it? But look at his response, look
at his reaction, look at the reception that they receive. Despite their sin, despite the
inadequacies of their returning unto him, he's revealed to us
here in these wonderful words, full of compassion. full of compassion. Isn't there such a great depth
in those words? If God is full of compassion,
what does that mean? There's nothing, there's no room for
anything else if he's full of compassion. He being full of
compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them. Again, it's
seen in a physical and literal sense in the case of the Israelites
when they sin against him and enemies come and then they turn
back to him what does he do? he's full of compassion he forgives
their iniquity and he restores them and they're not destroyed
many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all
his wrath for he remembered that they were but flesh a wind that
passeth away and cometh not again He is full of compassion toward
them, He forgives. Well, think of what it puts before
us spiritually. When we come to those times in
our own lives, when we sin against Him, when we fall away from Him,
when we turn away from Him and we turn our backs to Him and
we become backsliding, What an encouragement there is here to
turn back to him again. We sang about it in that second
hymn, didn't we? Was it Charles Wesley? He knew
all about this, didn't he? I don't know what time of his
life he wrote this hymn, but it was evidently a time when
he feels that he has wandered away from the Lord, and now he
says he's weary of wandering from him. And now made willing
to return. There's a rod involved, isn't
there? He says, I hear and bow me to the rod. It's as if he's
turned from God and now God is chastising him for it. God is
not leaving him to wander away further and further, but God
is doing something to bring him back and it's painful. I hear
and bow me to the rod, for now not without hope I mourn. And
suddenly, Charles Wesley, He's doing in effect what these Israelites
are spoken of as doing here in verse 35. Remembering that God
is their rock, the high God, their redeemer. And he says there
is an advocate above, a friend before the throne of love. And
look at what he says of him. Oh, Jesus, full of truth and
grace, more full of grace than I have sinned. More full of grace
than I have sinned. That seems incredible, doesn't
it? I don't know if it's the same with you, but I read those
words and I sometimes think, is that really right? Can it
be possible that God is more full of grace than I am of sin?
But it's true. Paul said it, didn't he? Where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And so Charles Wesley
says, once again I seek thy face. Open thy arms and take me in.
All my backslidings freely heal and love the faithless sinner
still. When he slew them, then they
sought him. And they returned and inquired early after God.
And it's not just a once in a lifetime experience, is it? It wasn't
for these Israelites. It was a continuous cycle, this
was really, wasn't it? They turn away from him. He sends
some trouble against them. When he slew them, then they
sought him. There is this cycle. turning away, trouble, punishment,
turning back again, over and over again. It's the history
of the Israelites. What an encouragement it is when
we find ourselves to be far off from Him. What an encouragement to realise
that He is still full of compassion. There's no change in Him throughout
this psalm, is there? God is no less full of compassion
at the end of the psalm than He was at the beginning. God
was no less full of compassion at the end of those 40 years
of wandering compared to how he was at the beginning. Always
the same, yesterday, today and forever. And still he is constantly calling
his people back to him, isn't he? Through the ministry of the
prophets, through his word. He calls them back and back again
to him. This is the way in which God
works. When he slew them, then they
sought him. Well, it might be a word of encouragement
for us when we come to times when we feel to be far off from
him. When all our hopes and all our
expectations of blessing seem to have come to nothing. When he slew them, then they
sought him. And he is still there to be sought. And he is still
there to be found. and he is still there full of
compassion, ready to forgive their iniquity. He destroyed
them not. Many a time turned he his anger
away." No wonder we have those words towards the end of one
of the prophets, don't we? The end of the prophecy of Micah.
Who is a god like unto thee, he says, that pardoneth iniquity? and passeth by the transgression
of the remnant of his heritage. He retaineth not his anger for
ever, because he delighteth in mercy, and he still delights
in mercy. He will turn again, he will have
compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. And so he
was with these Israelites, wasn't he? despite all their sin, all
their wandering from Him. Yet when they return and inquire
only after their God, He is full of compassion, ready to forgive
their iniquity, ready to destroy them not, wonderfully set before
us. There in the account that we
have of the serpents and the brazen serpent, you remember
the incident? Another time of murmuring and
complaining and God sends fiery serpents among the Israelites
and much of the children of Israel died and they cry out unto him,
don't they? Through Moses, they say, take
the serpents away. And God says, make a serpent
of brass. And it's a very powerful and
compelling picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? And Jesus
takes it up in that way when he speaks to Nicodemus. He says,
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life. Whosoever believeth in
him should not perish but have eternal life. We see it in the
history of the Israelites where there is a turning to him. Naturally
speaking, a kind of repentance, a kind of confession, a kind
of acknowledgement of their sin. Though there is so much imperfection
mixed in with their confession. Yet when they look on to him,
when they seek him, when they return and enquire early after
God, they find him once again to be full of compassion, more
full of grace, than they of sin. Many a time turned he his anger
away and did not stir up all his wrath, for he remembered
that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away and cometh
not again. How we need to remember that
he is the same God today as he was then. How we need to be reminded
when we find ourselves to be far off from him And we think
to ourselves, well how can I come again having committed this same
sin, having fallen into this same wrong attitude towards him? How we need to be reminded then
that he is full of compassion, more full of grace than we are
of sin. May God bring us to do what these
Israelites are doing here. that we might learn what the
psalmist is trying to put across in this long 78th Psalm, to remember
the praises of the Lord, his strength, his wonderful works
that he has done, all to this great purpose, this great end.
May it be our experience that they might set their hope in
God and not forget the works of God. but keep his commandments
and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation. May we not forget his works,
his wonders that he has showed us in his word, in his gospel.
May we do what the psalmist speaks of here. When he slew them, then
they sought him and they returned and inquired early after God. Amen.