“We are come to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” — Hebrews 12:24
Reader, have you come to the blood of sprinkling? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have you come to the blood of Jesus? The blood of Jesus is the life of all vital godliness. If you have truly come to Jesus, we know how you came-the Holy Spirit sweetly brought you there. You came to the blood of sprinkling with no merits of your own. Guilty, lost, and helpless, you came to take that blood, and that blood alone, as your everlasting hope. You came to the cross of Christ, with a trembling and an aching heart; and oh! what a precious sound it was to you to hear the voice of the blood of Jesus! The dropping of his blood is as the music of heaven to the penitent sons of earth. We are full of sin, but the Saviour bids us lift our eyes to him, and as we gaze upon his streaming wounds, each drop of blood, as it falls, cries, “It is finished; I have made an end of sin; I have brought in everlasting righteousness.” Oh! sweet language of the precious blood of Jesus! If you have come to that blood once, you will come to it constantly. Your life will be “Looking unto Jesus.” Your whole conduct will be epitomized in this-“To whom coming.” Not to whom I have come, but to whom I am always coming. If thou hast ever come to the blood of sprinkling, thou wilt feel thy need of coming to it every day. He who does not desire to wash in it every day, has never washed in it at all. The believer ever feels it to be his joy and privilege that there is still a fountain opened. Past experiences are doubtful food for Christians; a present coming to Christ alone can give us joy and comfort. This morning let us sprinkle our door-post fresh with blood, and then feast upon the Lamb, assured that the destroying angel must pass us by.
“And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.”
As this account unfolds for us, we are told that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, has died. The last time we saw his name was back in 1Samuel 11. He had attacked the city of Jabesh-Gilead. He was not a friend to Israel, but he had shown kindness to David. This was most likely out of his dislike for Saul rather than for any love for David. However, David had been treated kindly, at that time, he was in desperate need of it, and he was the kind of person that repaid kindness. We should always be thankful and show gratitude to those who are kind to us, even if they are doing it for the wrong reason. God is the only one that knows the heart and their purpose for doing it, but we should thank them and return the kindness when we can.
David was living out a good Bible principle to weep with those that weep. David could understand what it is like to lose someone you love, especially a father. He sent his representatives to grieve and comfort the new king Hanun. This action was an offer of great respect to the former King and the new King. A gesture like this should have gone a long way in creating an opportunity for peace between the two nations. From David’s perspective, it surely would be met with gratitude and help in negotiations the next time the two countries were in conflict. We should always be looking for an opportunity to build the foundations of peace with our neighbors. We can not set back supposing that our kindness will not be received. We must take action in goodness and assume the best of others.
However, Hanun receives bad advice from those around him. They immediately assume the worst of David and cast on him wicked intentions. They look at his kindness with disdain. After all, from their perspective, he is the bad guy because he is the king of Israel. It is us against them, and they are evil. One thing that we all have to be careful of is assigning bad intentions to others without evidence. Some of us may be more prone to this kind of thinking than others. But we all can be susceptible to it.
The problem with the assumption of bad intentions is that it reveals more about us then it does about the person we are accusing. A cheater is more likely to accuse others of cheating. A liar is going to assume everyone else is lying. When some people see a car with the key in it, they jump in and steal it. For most, this would never cross their mind. You can learn to be safe and take the appropriate actions to secure your property without thinking the worst of everyone. Over the years, I have come across Christians who would accuse other Christians of vile sins without evidence. Somehow these people felt it was acceptable for them to do this, but the reality is that it revealed more about themselves and their fantasies. It is good to assume the best of others unless we have evidence to believe otherwise.
The king listens to this lousy counsel and takes action. The ambassadors get half of the beards shaved, and their garments cut in two. It is hard not to smile at the thought. However, this was a great insult to these men because of the reason they did not shave their faces. This custom was a religious observance, not just a style choice. Hanun knew this. He meant it to be an insult and an act of war with David. The smarter thing to do if they thought there were evil intentions would have been to receive them, thank them, and send them away quickly but politely. Instead, he takes the most aggressive action possible toward these men.
Extremes can get us into a lot of trouble. For some reason, people tend to resonate with extremes. We see it today with the media and social media. The most outlandish gets the attention. I think there will come a time when people will get over this, and they will look for cooler heads and avoid outlandish behavior. A lot of trouble can be avoided by subduing our actions and reactions to others.
These men return to Israel in disgrace. They are sent to stay in a secluded place to regrow their beards. What do you do when someone insults you or is rude to you. It is wise to let it rest for a while. Time has a way of healing wounds. Let God deal with the situation. This restraint is not natural, but it is better than taking things into our own hands. When we do, we definitely make things worse. Give those burdens to the Lord and let him deal with it.
If Mephibosheth is a picture of a sinner receiving God’s grace, then Hanun is a picture of a sinner rejecting God’s grace. David shows kindness to Hanun, but it is rejected, and he is accused of evil intentions. These men could have had an excellent relationship, but instead, they were at enmity. How often do sinners in need of salvation do this? They hear the free offer of grace and redemption and instead of humbly receiving it. They reject it and accuse God of evil actions. Saying, “how can God sent people to hell?” These are bold and aggressive actions taken by sinners against a good and holy God. While God is out of their reach, just like Hanun, they take out their ridicule against God’s messengers. Abuse them, shaming them, and driving them from their cities.
When David heard of it, he was insulted. It was an act of war. While God’s mercy suffers long on the wicked, his wrath will be executed upon them for their rejection and actions. Hanan might have reconsidered his actions and made peace with David and avoided war. It is wise for the sinner to end their resistance against God and plead for forgiveness.
As we look at this portion of the story, we can see a spiritual truth played out here. We can compare it to chapter nine and see two people that received kindness. One received it with humility, and one received it with disdain and baseless accusations. Hanun pictures for us the person who hardens their heart to the kindness of God and His offer of salvation.
Standing at the foot of the cross, we see hands, and feet, and side, all distilling crimson streams of precious blood. It is “precious” because of its redeeming and atoning efficacy. By it the sins of Christ’s people are atoned for; they are redeemed from under the law; they are reconciled to God, made one with him. Christ’s blood is also “precious” in its cleansing power; it “cleanseth from all sin.” “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Through Jesus’ blood there is not a spot left upon any believer, no wrinkle nor any such thing remains. O precious blood, which makes us clean, removing the stains of abundant iniquity, and permitting us to stand accepted in the Beloved, notwithstanding the many ways in which we have rebelled against our God. The blood of Christ is likewise “precious” in its preserving power. We are safe from the destroying angel under the sprinkled blood. Remember it is God’s seeing the blood which is the true reason for our being spared. Here is comfort for us when the eye of faith is dim, for God’s eye is still the same. The blood of Christ is “precious” also in its sanctifying influence. The same blood which justifies by taking away sin, does in its after-action, quicken the new nature and lead it onward to subdue sin and to follow out the commands of God. There is no motive for holiness so great as that which streams from the veins of Jesus. And “precious,” unspeakably precious, is this blood, because it has an overcoming power. It is written, “They overcame through the blood of the Lamb.” How could they do otherwise? He who fights with the precious blood of Jesus, fights with a weapon which cannot know defeat. The blood of Jesus! sin dies at its presence, death ceases to be death: heaven’s gates are opened. The blood of Jesus! we shall march on, conquering and to conquer, so long as we can trust its power!
Luke 9:24 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. ”
Write this verse down on a 3×5 card and carry it with you. Throughout the day, pull the card out and try to memorize it. Think about these questions as you meditate on the verse. What does this verse teach me? How does this verse apply to my Life?
We here behold the Saviour in the depth of his sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which his cry rends the air-“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At this moment physical weakness was united with acute mental torture from the shame and ignominy through which he had to pass; and to make his grief culminate with emphasis, he suffered spiritual agony surpassing all expression, resulting from the departure of his Father’s presence. This was the black midnight of his horror; then it was that he descended the abyss of suffering. No man can enter into the full meaning of these words. Some of us think at times that we could cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” There are seasons when the brightness of our Father’s smile is eclipsed by clouds and darkness; but let us remember that God never does really forsake us. It is only a seeming forsaking with us, but in Christ’s case it was a real forsaking. We grieve at a little withdrawal of our Father’s love; but the real turning away of God’s face from his Son, who shall calculate how deep the agony which it caused him?
In our case, our cry is often dictated by unbelief: in his case, it was the utterance of a dreadful fact, for God had really turned away from him for a season. O thou poor, distressed soul, who once lived in the sunshine of God’s face, but art now in darkness, remember that he has not really forsaken thee. God in the clouds is as much our God as when he shines forth in all the lustre of his grace; but since even the thought that he has forsaken us gives us agony, what must the woe of the Saviour have been when he exclaimed, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Write this verse down on a 3×5 card and carry it with you. Throughout the day, pull the card out and try to memorize it. Think about these questions as you meditate on the verse. What does this verse teach me? How does this verse apply to my Life?
“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head.” — Psalms 22:7
Mockery was a great ingredient in our Lord’s woe. Judas mocked him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes laughed him to scorn; Herod set him at nought; the servants and the soldiers jeered at him, and brutally insulted him; Pilate and his guards ridiculed his royalty; and on the tree all sorts of horrid jests and hideous taunts were hurled at him. Ridicule is always hard to bear, but when we are in intense pain it is so heartless, so cruel, that it cuts us to the quick. Imagine the Saviour crucified, racked with anguish far beyond all mortal guess, and then picture that motley multitude, all wagging their heads or thrusting out the lip in bitterest contempt of one poor suffering victim! Surely there must have been something more in the crucified One than they could see, or else such a great and mingled crowd would not unanimously have honoured him with such contempt. Was it not evil confessing, in the very moment of its greatest apparent triumph, that after all it could do no more than mock at that victorious goodness which was then reigning on the cross? O Jesus, “despised and rejected of men,” how couldst thou die for men who treated thee so ill? Herein is love amazing, love divine, yea, love beyond degree. We, too, have despised thee in the days of our unregeneracy, and even since our new birth we have set the world on high in our hearts, and yet thou bleedest to heal our wounds, and diest to give us life. O that we could set thee on a glorious high throne in all men’s hearts! We would ring out thy praises over land and sea till men should as universally adore as once they did unanimously reject.
"Thy creatures wrong thee, O thou sovereign Good!
Thou art not loved, because not understood:
This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile
Ungrateful men, regardless of thy smile."
1Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
Write this verse down on a 3×5 card and carry it with you. Throughout the day, pull the card out and try to memorize it. Think about these questions as you meditate on the verse. What does this verse teach me? How does this verse apply to my Life?
“A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me.” Song of Solomon 1:13
Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, it’s perfume, it’s pleasantness, it’s healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is He compared to “a bundle of myrrh”? First, for plenty. He is not a drop of it; He is a casket. He is not a sprig or flower of it, but a whole bundle. There is enough in Christ for all my necessities; let me not be slow to avail myself of Him. Our well-beloved is compared to a” bundle” again, for variety: for there is in Christ not only the one thing needful but in “him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” everything needful is in Him. Take Jesus in his different characters, and you will see a marvelous variety prophet, priest, king, husband, friend, Shepherd. Consider Him in His life, death, resurrection, ascension, second advent; view Him in his virtue, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love, faithfulness, truth, righteousness everywhere He is a bundle of preciousness. He is a “bundle of myrrh” for preservation not loose myrrh to be dropped on the floor or trodden on, but myrrh tied up, myrrh to be stored in a casket. We must value him as our best treasure; We must praise His words and His ordinances; and we must keep our thoughts of Him and knowledge of Him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything from us. Moreover, Jesus is a “bundle of myrrh” for specialty. The emblem of suggests the idea of distinguishing, discriminating grace. From before the foundation of the world, He was set apart for his people; and He gives forth His perfume only to those who understand how to enter into communion with Him, to have close dealings with Him. Oh! blessed people whom the Lord has admitted into his secrets, and for whom he set Himself apart. Oh! choice and happy who are thus made to say, “a bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me.”
Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Write this verse down on a 3×5 card and carry it with you. Throughout the day, pull the card out and try to memorize it. Think about these questions as you meditate on the verse. What does this verse teach me? How does this verse apply to my Life?
