When will men learn that it is not their surroundings but themselves that make a place comfortable or not? Paul could say, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,” and he said this in a letter he wrote to the town where he had sung praises in the jail! Some people would have jumped to have had this chance of going to live in a palace, but this farmer said, “Give me my farmhouse and my quiet grave beside my mother.”
Elevation may undo us. A sparrow could only chirp even though in a golden cage. Barzillai felt, “A rustic, like I am, seems all right among my ploughs and cattle, but I should not fit a palace.” Many a man has made himself a laughing stock because he left the place he was fitted for, and so looked like a dandelion in a conservatory.
III.—We have in Barzillai’s words an old man’s view of earthly enjoyment. As though he had said, “I have lost hearing, sight, and taste; what are all these things to me? I am soon to be in my grave, what do I want away from home?” It would be well for most of us to weigh these words, “How long have I to live?” To judge from the way we see men toil to get houses and land, you would think they were going to live for ever. Watch them how they are scraping the money they have; they have none to spare to feed the hungry and clothe the naked; they have poor relatives, but they cannot help them. Are they not going to be rich, live in a splendid house, be grand folks some day? Aye, but death cannot be bribed. I was passing through a splendid estate the other day, and was told of the gentleman that owns it; he is an old man, but he will not own to it, and he is quite a fraud, with his dyed hair and wrinkled face; he looks quite ghastly, in spite of all that art can do to pad him and make him up. I wish some of those who are denying themselves the luxury of giving, because they have determined to have a splendid estate for their children, would think “How will my mansion look with the blinds down, and a hearse at the door with a coffin in it, with my name on a silver plate?” We cannot refuse to help the poor, and hear Jesus say, “Well done.” We cannot save money for selfish purposes and go to heaven. Besides, to leave riches for those who come after us is the way to have dry eyes at our funeral!
IV.—Those who are loyal shall win promotion for their children.—Although Barzillai was not willing to go to live in Jerusalem, he felt that his son might enjoy it, and so called the king’s attention to Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king. He is not too old to bend. He can adapt himself. There would be many questions asked by those who had not left the palace when the king returned, as to who this rustic was who was in the palace of David, and they would be told, “This is the son of Barzillai. His father was a faithful friend when friends were few, and his son is promoted to dwell with the king.”
When David gave his dying charge to Solomon, he said, “Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai” (1 Kings ii., 7). Tears had passed since he saw the provision made for him and his men, but he could never forget it. On his deathbed he could see the bed that was placed by the road side, and upon which he had rested his weary limbs when a fugutive, and so he would repay his debt to the children of the aged farmer. How true it is that we can make futurity our servant and the servant of our children by at the present time caring for our King. Does God see that we stand by His cause when it is weak? Do we find food and comfort for His fainting soldiers? Then he shows His appreciation by inviting us to Jerusalem the golden. We shall not wish to excuse ourselves from going to that blessed spot. Be we young or be we old, we shall not wish to return, but shall go on to find that the singing men and singing women wish us to join their number and to help them in praising the King, immortal, invisible, to whom be glory and honour for ever.
LVI. “THEN THE FIRE OF THE LORD FELL.”
1 Kings xviii. 38.
It was fire that came direct from heaven. It was not the first time it had fallen; we read of it in Leviticus ix. 24 as coming from before the Lord, and consuming the sacrifice. It was God’s way of showing His power and his favour, and it was something that could neither be imitated nor produced by anyone else besides Jehovah.
I.—This fire came at a time of apostacy. The nation, headed by King Ahab, had gone very far away from God. They needed some signal display of God’s power to win them back again. It is interesting to notice that God has been in the habit of manifesting Himself in a remarkable way just at the time when his foes seem to be triumphing. The religion of Jehovah was almost forgotten, the rites of unclean idols were popular both in court and cottage, and it was then that the word of the Lord came to Elijah. When Satan can produce Ahab, God can assert Himself by raising up the seer who shall put him to shame. Has it not been so many times since? When the rulers had put Jesus to death, He proved His resurrection by sending tongues of fire on those who kept His word by remaining at Jerusalem. When Popery had placed its iron heel upon the head of Gospel truth, Martin Luther was converted; and later on, when a cold rigour was upon Christendom, Wesley and Whitefield felt the fire of God in their very bones, and were sent out to tell of the Jesus that delivers the vilest of men.
May we not expect in these days of blasphemy and rebuke that the fire shall fall upon the Church, and that some shall be so filled with the Holy Ghost that the enemies of God shall be delivered to derision and contempt? Let us not be dismayed by the power and number of those who are arrayed against us. Elijah was in a minority of one. He had the king and queen against him; hundreds of well-fed priests opposed him; the whole nation had turned its back on God, and were opposed to this single-handed prophet. If the fire did not fall, he would become their victim; but they could not prevent the fire coming from heaven. It is the unseen forces that are to be dreaded by the enemies of God. There was no sign of this fire; but there was a needs-be that Jehovah should prove his supremacy, and He did it unmistakably, for the fire of God fell!
II.—The fire was something Baal’s priests could not produce.—The Creator has a pre-emption on His universe. He has not given the key of His treasury to any man or angel. Those heathen priests may have been—some of them doubtless were—sincere. They had cried unto Baal for help; they had implored his assistance; but neither the deaf idol nor the listening devil who had invented idolatry could reach the source of the flame which was to come, but not in reply to their desire.