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MEN OF THE BIBLE; SOME LESSER-KNOWN CHARACTERS
MEN OF THE BIBLE; SOME LESSER-KNOWN CHARACTERS
by 1904 1. ENOCH By W. J. TOWNSEND, D.D. 2. ELDAD AND MEDAD By ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. 3. BARZILLAI By GEORGE MILLIGAN, D.D. 4. ADONIJAH By ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. 5. HIRAM By W. J. TOWNSEND, D.D. 6. JEROBOAM By ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. 7. ASA By ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. 8. AHAZIAH By J. G. GREENHOUGH, M.A. 9. GEHAZI By J. MORGAN GIBBON 10. HAZAEL By J. G. GREENHOUGH, M.A. 11. MANASSEH By J. G. GREENHOUGH, M
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I.
I.
"He walked with God." Therefore he knew God. The articles of his creed were not many, but he was fixed on this foundation-truth of all religion. Further than this, he knew God as taking a living interest in His creatures, as one who could be approached by them in prayer and communion, and who was sympathetically responsive to their needs. He somehow knew God, also, as being righteous and holy, and he must have had a rudimentary idea of the Christ, as it unfolded itself in the great promise of a
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II.
II.
"He pleased God." This is to win the highest prize of life. Not only because God is highest and noblest of beings, but also because His pleasure presupposes great moral and spiritual qualities, and unfolds itself in blessings of untold preciousness both in this life and that which is to come. The pleasure of the Lord is graduated to the intrinsic beauty or value possessed by the object which draws it out. It was manifested when the great creation stood in finished order before Him, and He pronou
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III.
III.
"He was translated that he should not see death." That was the crowning evidence and token of the Divine pleasure. Death is the wages of sin, the harbinger of retribution, the seal of man's humiliation and defeat. The fear of death is a bondage under which the race of man lies, save only where Christian faith and hope alleviate the terror and inspire a superhuman courage before which all fear is banished. The extraordinary nature of Enoch's piety could not be demonstrated by any fact so imperati
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ELDAD AND MEDAD
ELDAD AND MEDAD
NUMBERS xi. 24-30. Nothing is known of these two men beyond the incident recorded in the Book of Numbers; but this is so remarkable and significant, that it well repays careful study. The Israelites had been once more displaying suspicion and ingratitude. Turning with loathing from the manna, they whimpered, like spoilt children, for the fish and flesh they had enjoyed in Egypt, and murmured against God and against Moses. The patience of their leader, under this new provocation, completely broke
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I.
I.
Barzillai was evidently by nature a warm-hearted, sunshiny old man, himself happy and making others happy . David himself was such a man before the great sin which brought a trouble and a sorrow into his life that he was never again able wholly to surmount. And it may have been the sight of his own lost gaiety and lightness of spirit in the aged Gileadite that first drew out his heart to him. It may be said, perhaps, that it was easy for Barzillai to be cheerful. The sun had shone on him very br
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II.
II.
That he did so, is due amongst other reasons to the fact that he was a generous man . His unsolicited assistance of David clearly proves this, while the very length of the catalogue of articles with which he and his friends supplied the fugitive's needs, proves that when he gave, he did so in no stinted fashion, but freely and liberally. It is an excellent example for all who are feeling themselves burdened by the possessions and the opportunities with which God has enriched them. Let them remem
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III.
III.
Barzillai was contented . Not many men in his position would have refused the king's offer. It seems rather to be one of the penalties of wealth and greatness, that their owners cannot rest satisfied with what they have, but are always desiring more. But Barzillai felt, and felt rightly, that in his circumstances, the place in which he had been brought up—" his own place "—was the best place for him. He was a home-loving old man, and the simple interests and pleasures of his daily life had more
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IV.
IV.
There remains still a fourth and a last element in Barzillai's honoured, life and happy old age—his attitude towards God . Though we are never distinctly told so, we cannot doubt that he was a religious man. And as it was in gratitude to God for all that He had done to him, that he first showed kindness to God's anointed, so it was in the same humble and trusting spirit that he accepted old age, and all that it involved when it came. That is by no means always the case. Are there not some, who,
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ADONIJAH
ADONIJAH
It is notorious that the sons of devout men sometimes prove a curse to their parents, and bring dishonour on the cause of God. When Eve rejoiced over her first-born, she little suspected that passions were sleeping within him which would impel him to slay his own brother; and the experience of the first mother has been repeated, though in different forms, in all lands and in all ages. Isaac's heart was rent by the deceit of Jacob, and by the self-will of Esau. Jacob lived to see his own sin repe
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HIRAM, THE INSPIRED ARTIFICER
HIRAM, THE INSPIRED ARTIFICER
The Temple of Solomon was the crown of art in the old world. There were temples on a larger scale, and of more massive construction, but the enormous masses of masonry of the oldest nations were not comparable with the artistic grace, the luxurious adornments, and the harmonious proportions of this glorious House of God. David had laid up money and material for the great work, but he was not permitted to carry it out. He was a man of war, and blood-stained hands were not to build the temple of p
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I
I
1. In looking for the elements which contributed to Jeroboam's rapidly-won success, we must certainly credit him with remarkable natural ability. No one can read his biography carefully without noticing his shrewdness in seeing his chance when it came, and his boldness and promptitude in seizing it. He possessed such self-control that he kept his plans absolutely to himself until the critical moment, and then he made a daring dash for power, and won it. And these characteristics of his were gift
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II.
II.
Jeroboam's defects in character, and indeed his actual sins, were many and great. 1. His ingratitude to his benefactor was a disgrace to him. He fostered and used, as far as he dared, the discontent which smouldered in the tribe of Ephraim, as the result partly of jealousy of Judah, and partly of restiveness under extravagant expenditure and increasing taxation, and this treachery went on until he was expelled the country by Solomon, and driven out as an exile into Egypt, where, however, he stil
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I.
I.
It may be well to analyse a little more closely the reformation this right-hearted king attempted. He diminished opportunities for sin. The traffic in vice, by which many were making profit, he put down with a strong hand. And there are hotbeds of vice to be found in our own land, where strong appeal is made to the lusts of the flesh, and where intoxicating drink incites men to yield to passions which need restraint. Indeed, even in our streets moral perils assail the young and innocent, which n
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II.
II.
The courage of Asa had as its root confidence in God, and this is shown more fully in the narrative which appears in the Second Book of Chronicles than in the First Book of Kings. His reforming work—carried out with ruthless vigour—naturally raised up adversaries on every side. In the court itself Maachah and her party were implacable. Outside it the idolatrous priests, and all their hangers-on, whose vested interests were abolished, were plotting and scheming against the king. But Asa was imper
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III.
III.
After his great deliverance Asa renewed his consecration. The need for its renewal shows that in character and conduct he was far from being all that he ought to have been. He was not " perfect " in that sense. His earnestness cooled down. Through his carelessness the " high places " were re-erected. He seems to have been content that the " groves ," with their grosser forms of idolatry, were gone, and that other forms might be tolerated, just as some, who have conquered their vices, are morally
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AHAZIAH
AHAZIAH
"And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, by coming to Joram; for, when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab."—2 CHRON. xxii. 7. We rarely read this part of the Bible. And I do not wonder at it. For those particular chapters are undoubtedly dreary and monotonous. They contain the names of a number of incompetent and worthless kings who did nothing that was worth writing about, and who were singularly alike
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GEHAZI
GEHAZI
"The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."—2 KINGS v. 27. Elisha and Gehazi were master and man. They were more. They were almost father and son. Elisha calls him " my heart ," just as Paul calls Onesimus his heart. Yet they parted so.—" He went out from his presence a leper ." The punishment was terrible. Was it deserved? Had the master a right to pass this sentence? " The leprosy of Naaman "—
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I.
I.
Remember first, then, that we have all a lower side. There is in us what I may call a lurking, crouching, slumbering devil, which needs constant watching and holding down with the strong hand of self-mastery and prayer. "Praying always with all prayer, and watching thereunto," says the apostle. In every one of us there is the possibility of falling, however high we stand and however near God we walk. Bunyan says, in his immortal story, "Then I saw in my dream that by the very gate of heaven ther
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II.
II.
It is just as needful to remember the other side—the side of better possibilities. Some of you are tempted to say at times with Hazael, " Thy servant is but a dog; how can he do these great things ?" You are disposed to underrate your gifts, your opportunities, your happy chances in life—in a word, your possibilities. You despair of finding any opening; you are sure that you will never hear a call to come up higher; you think your lives must always be ill-paid drudgery, with no promotion. It is
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MANASSEH
MANASSEH
"Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem."—2 CHRON. xxxiii. l. Fifty and five years—he wore the crown a longer time than any other of the house of David. Of all the kings that reigned in Jerusalem, this man's reign filled the largest space; yet he is the one king of Judah about whom we are told least. In the modern city of Venice there is a hall which is adorned with the portraits of all the doges or kings who ruled that city in the
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I.
I.
Our difficulties in the way of serving and obeying God are often self-made. They are always more or less self-made. This man pleads his own wrong act as a reason why he should not do right now. He himself has raised the obstacle which now stands in the way of obedience. He ought not to have sought the help of an idolatrous king. He ought not to have bargained for these hirelings, he ought not to have paid the money. God had not put the difficulty in his way; his own foolish and wicked action had
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II.
II.
We are held back from the right thing by the fear of the loss which it will involve. We say with poor, frightened Amaziah, But what about the hundred talents? They will be clean gone if I obey the voice of God. The hundred talents take many forms, but the principle is always the same. We shall lose a little in the way of business, if we make up our minds to be scrupulously honest, and to speak the simple truth. We shall forfeit a little of our present popularity, if we take the course which cons
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I.
I.
He came into the world without a welcome. I venture to say, and I thank God for it, that there is hardly one of my readers of whom that can be said. No matter into what home you were born, there was a welcome awaiting you on the part of one at least. It may be that no one else was particularly glad, that every one else looked upon you as one too many; but your mother at least met you with a sweet kiss which plainly said, thank God for this gift. Here, however, there was not even that; this child
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II.
II.
Faith wins the battle of life against many odds. Yes! this is indeed a romance of faith—faith overcoming the world. This child or youth starts out with all things against him. He is likely to grow up into an Ishmaelite if he grows up at all. He starts with an ill-starred name—a name that spells misfortune. He starts without his mother's blessing and without a glimmer of hope to cheer him; no father to give him a helping hand by the way—without endowment, fortune, family, or friends. What chance
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III.
III.
And now I commend this prayer to all of you—the prayer which this youth offered when he went out carrying his unhonoured name and empty hand into the rough places of the world. It is a beautiful prayer. It is on the whole a wise prayer. There are better and more Christian prayers in the gospels and epistles; but in the Old Testament there are few prayers more worthy of imitation than this. He asked that " God might bless him indeed ," that is, above every human blessing and favour, that he might
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SIMEON
SIMEON
The Temple shows to better advantage at the beginning of the Gospel history than at its close. As we follow our Lord through the events of the last week, we meet no winsome faces within its precincts. Annas is there, and Caiaphas; Pharisees too, blinded with envy; but there is no Zacharias seen there, no Simeon, no doctors of the law even, such as gathered around the Boy of twelve. If any successors of these still frequented the sanctuary, they are lost in the deep shadow cast by a nation's crim
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PONTIUS PILATE
PONTIUS PILATE
In spite of the fact that he condemned Jesus to death, the Gospels present us a more favourable portrait of Pontius Pilate than that which we derive from secular historians. Josephus relates incidents that reveal him as the most insolent and provoking of governors. For instance, the Jewish historian ascribes to him a gratuitous insult, the story of which shows its perpetrator to have been as weak as he was offensive. It was customary for Roman armies to carry an image of the emperor on their sta
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BARABBAS
BARABBAS
"And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas."—ST LUKE xxiii. 18. You have heard a crowd of people cry out all at once. It is always impressive, it is sometimes very terrible, occasionally it is sublime. It begins in a way that no one can explain. Somebody in the crowd utters a name, or ejaculates a brief sentence. What happens? Often nothing at all. Men are not in the mood for it; it drops unnoticed, or provokes a jeer or two and is then forgotten. B
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I.
I.
It is clear that Joseph had already protested against the wrong done to our Lord by the Sanhedrim, though he had been powerless to prevent it. In this protest no doubt Nicodemus would have sided with him, but he was probably absent, for Joseph seems to have stood alone in his refusal to condemn the prophet of Nazareth. This was not easy. He would be urged to vote with his fellow-counsellors on the ground that their ecclesiastical authority, which had been defied, must be maintained, and that loy
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II.
II.
If Joseph required bravery on the council, he needed it still more when he went into the presence of Pilate to beg the body of Jesus. The Roman procurator was a man to be dreaded by any Jew, and was just now in a suspicious and angry mood. But Joseph not only braved a repulse from him. He knew he would have to confront the far more bitter hostility of the priests. Theirs was a relentless hate, before which Peter had fallen, and Pilate himself had quailed. Yet this man Joseph, brought up though h
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III.
III.
There are crises in the experience of every one when the whole future is determined; and such a crisis came to Joseph of Arimathea. He had been for some time a disciple of Jesus, but had never avowed the fact. But after standing on Calvary and seeing the death of his Lord, sorrow, shame, and indignation so stirred him, that at once he went in boldly unto Pilate. It was the turning-point in his history, when obedience to God-given impulse decided his whole destiny. The spiritual influences which
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I.
I.
The Evangelist. With regard to the evangelist himself, one truth stands out clearly from the whole narrative, his work is given to him to do. He is first and foremost a missionary, one sent. It is a pity, perhaps, that in our ordinary speech, we have come to limit the name "missionary" so much to the man who carries the gospel abroad. No doubt he is a missionary in the highest sense of the word; but still the fundamental idea in every minister or evangelist's position is the idea of one sent—sen
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II.
II.
His Message. In what does the evangelist's message consist? " Philip ," we are told, " preached unto him JESUS." And what that included we have already seen. It was the story of the life, and the death, and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, a new story then, an old story now, but still "the old, old story" for us. The duty of the Christian teacher must be first of all to proclaim Christ and His salvation, to announce the glad tidings of mercy and of love to sinful men. This is not, of cours
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III.
III.
His Message of Glad Tidings. And is not that good news? " Beginning from that same scripture, Philip preached the GLAD TIDINGS of Jesus ." Philip made the eunuch's previous knowledge the starting-point of all that he had to say, and, as he went on, showed how there was in his message the answer to all his doubts and the solution of all his difficulties. And the gospel has still the same meaning for us. It has a message for the man struggling with the battle of life, in the example of One who has
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I.
I.
We learn the sanctity, the holiness, which Christ looks for in His Church. The Church of Christ is holy: it consists of those who have separated themselves from the world and its defilements, and who have set themselves apart—body, soul, and spirit—for Christ's service. That, I say, is the Church's ideal. But we know, alas! only too well, how far short the Church on earth falls of that—how much worldliness, and vanity, and ambition—yes, and even grosser sins—mingle with our holy things. But we m
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II.
II.
We learn the reality of the power of Satan. On this point, Peter's question is very suggestive—" Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ?" There is a constant tendency in those days, which are so impatient of all that is supersensible and wonderful, to try and get rid of the personality of the devil, and to tone down the question of man's salvation to a struggle between two opposing principles within the heart, instead of regarding it, as the Bible teaches us to regard it, as
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III.
III.
We learn that a divided service is not possible. " No man !" said our Lord Himself, " can serve two masters: ye cannot serve God and mammon ." Not that we are not tempted sometimes to try it. What commoner sin is there amongst professing Christians than the attempt to make the best of both worlds—to lay hold of this world with the one hand, while we give it up with the other—to seem other than we are? But surely with this old story from the Book of Acts to warn us, we must see how vain all such
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DEMAS
DEMAS
Many a man who figures in history, is only known in connection with some stupendous fault—some mistake, some folly, or some sin—that has given him an unenviable immortality. Mention his name, and the huge blot by which his memory is besmirched starts up before the mind in all its hideousness. Take Cain, for example. He occupies the foremost rank as regards fame; his name is one of the first that children learn to lisp; and yet what do we know about him? Very little indeed; our knowledge, in fact
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