I. JN THI!l NI!lAn rm:sENCE OF Gon. The cherubim were, day and night, in the most holy place, close to the sacred ark, very near to the manifested presence of God. Lii'c, at its very highest, id life that is spent with God; in which the spirit is conscious of his nearness to itself. God was not more truly present at Bethel than elsewhere; but to Jacob that was the very "house of God," because there he felt himself to be in the very presence of the Holy One. And it is just a.a we realize that, step by step along all our earthly course, moment by moment through all our earthly life, God i1:1 truly with us and we are the objects of his thought a.nd his love-it is io that proportion that our life rises to its true stature, and we a.re not only men, we are sons of God, we a.re "living ones" whose home is on the earth, but whose citizenship is in hea.Ten. II. IN THE SUSTAINED BTIJDY OF Goo. The faces of these cherubim were" inward" (ver. 13). They turned toward the manifested presence; they gazed continually on God. God was the Object of their ceaseless thought, of their fixed and settled study. Just as we truly live, this will be so with us. We shall wish to know ourselves, and shall study our human nature in all its varied manifestations; we shall wish to know all we can learn of the visible universe, and shall delight to searcb its secret stores, its beauties, and its marvels. But we shall feel that the one object that is, far above all others, worthy of our most earnest and patient study, is the character, the life, the will, the working of our heavenly Father. The noblest and truest study of mankind is God, and our life is life indeed as we are engaged in the reverent a.nd the inteM.igent study of his mind and spirit. To us who "have the mind of Christ," and know the Father by our knowledge of his Son, this grand privilege is open. III. IN THE ACTIVE SERVICE OF Goo. A full description is given of the wings of the cherubim. Why? Is it not to indicate that they stand ready, with their full powers outstretched, to do the bidding of Jehovah? The highest life is in the fullest service. As we serve we live. Even the "living ones" of the celestial kingdom find their nobility, not in commanding, but in fulfilling and in achieving. 'l'he attitude of the highest intelligences we can conceive a.nd depict is that of perfect readiness to carry out the commandments, to do the work, to promote the kingdom of God. It will he thus that we too shall attain our highest. Not by receiving that which is most costly, not by enfoying that which is most pleasant; but by eagerly aud faithfully doing that which is most worthy and most Divine.-C.
Vers. 15-17.-0ur strength and beauty. The dimensions of these pillars are still unsettled and uncertain. But there ca.n be no question as to their main characteristics, and very little doubt as to their spiritual significance. Their obvious size a.nd their names speak of strength; the decorations which they bore speak of beauty. Standing where they stood, in or at the porch of the house of the Lord, they were standing monuments of the two closely related truths- I. THAT WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE IN Goo HIMSELF STRENGTH AND BEAUTY. 1. Strength. Our temptation is to trust in the strong barrier of sea or mountain range; in the powerful army and navy with all their equipments; in the vigorous and sagacious policy of our statesmanship; in the amplitude of pecuniary resources, ate. But the strength of a country, as also of a man, is in God. If his favour is turned away, all our material advantnges will fail us. Ra.bshakeh's multitudes of armed Assyrians disappear at the stroke of the God of Israel; the rich man, with his full barns and his cherished plans, leaves his wealth behind him when God says, "Thy Eoul is required of thee." But to the faithful Hezekiah the favour of Jehovah proves an ample shield against the threatening enemy. And they are blessed who "walk in the ligl1t of God's countenance;" for he is" the glory of their strength: and in his favour shall their horn be exalted" (Ps. lxxx:ix. 15, 17). 'l.'he wise nation and the wise ma.n will not look complacently around them to find the secret and source of their strength; they will look up toward him that dwelleth in the heavens, and say," Jachin; Boaz;" "lie will establish ; " "in /iim is streagth." 2. Beauty. We are inclined to boast of the beauty of the landscape; or of the persons of our sons and daughters; or of our palaces and castles and cathedrals; or of our "pleasant pictures," and fair gems and Jewels. But our delight should be, first and most, in him whose Divine character is perfect; who unites in himself, with completest symmetry, all possible attributes; who 111 as merciful as he is pure; who is as pitiful as he is righteous; who is as gentle as ho is 40 THE SECOND BOOK OF TRE CilRONICLES. ten. nt. 1-17.
strong; whom we can not only adore e.nd honour, but delight in and love. We go to the house of the Lord that we may behold "the beauty of the Lord" (Ps. xxvii. 4); and especially that we may dwell upon the beauties and the glories of the character of that Son of man who was "holy, harmless, undefiled," in whose mouth no guile was found, but in whose life every grace the.t ce.n adorn humanity we.11 seen by those that knew him. II. THAT WE SHOULD SEEK FROM GoD OUR STRENGTH AND BEAUTY. 'l'he Israelites went up to the house of the Lord that by obedient sacrifice, by reverent worship, by believing prayer, they might secure the favour of the Most High. If we would gain from God the strength we need, a.ad that spiritual excellency which is the true beauty of the nation imd the individual, we must go to God to seek it. We must present our- selves before him from whom all strength and glory come. We must seek him (1) in confession, and in Christ who is our Propitiation; (2) in reverent worship; (3) in earnest and believing prayer for his upholding power and for his shaping hand. Then will he make us strong to overcome and to accomplish; beautiful to attract and to win.-C.