The Jeer Of Sarcasm, And The Retort Of Piety
“Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor.” 2 Samuel 6:20-22

YOU will remember the remarkable passage of Sacred History which I related to you this morning, how David sought on one occasion to bring up the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem, but neglecting God’s law, they put the ark upon a cart, instead of carrying it upon the shoulders of the Levites, and as one mistake very soon leads to another, when the oxen stumbled, Uzzah put forth his hand to steady the ark and prevent its falling, and God smote him there for his error, and he died. It was an awful moment. The pulse of that vast assembly beating high with solemn festivity, receives a sudden check. The trumpet which erstwhile sent forth its cheerful blast, with the sacred melody of cornet, of psaltery, and of harp—all are hushed in one instant. Dullness and terror seize the minds of all. They separate to their homes, the ark is carried into a private house adjoining, the residence of that eminent servant of God, Obed-edom, and there it tarried for the space of three months.

David at last recovered his spirits, and a second time having carefully read over God’s law concerning the removal of the ark, he went down to the house of Obed-edom to carry it away. The priests this time lift up the ark upon their shoulders by means of the golden staves which passed through golden rings, and so uphold the ark. Finding that they were not smitten, but that they lived and were able to carry the ark, David paused and offered seven bullocks and seven rams as a sacrifice to God.

Then, putting off his royal robe, laying aside his grown, he dressed himself like a priest, put on a linen ephod in order that he might have ease in the exercise which he meant to take, and so in the midst of all the people, like the poorest and meanest of them, he went before the ark, and playing with his harp, he danced before the Lord with all his might.

While he was so doing he passed by his own house, and Michal his wife, looking out, thought it was a strange thing to see the king wearing so paltry a robe as a linen ephod. She had rather see him arrayed in some goodly Babylonish garment of fine linen, or she desired to see him clothed with his usual garments and she despised him in her heart.

When David came in, the first word she uttered was a taunt—“How glorious was the king of Israel today!” then she exaggerated what he did, her spleen found vent in sarcasm, she made it out that he had behaved worse than he could have done. He had simply divested himself of his robes, and acted like the rest of the people in playing before God.

She accused him of immodesty, this was of course, but a pitiful satire, he having in all things acted blamelessly, though humbly, like the rest of the people. His reply to her was with unusual tartness. Seldom did he seem to lose his temper for a moment, but in this case he half did so at any rate. His answer was, “It was before the LORD which chose me before thy father, and before all his house.” Thus significantly, and as it were ominously, did he remind her of her pedigree.

And because she had slighted her husband when he had acted in God’s service according to the dictates of his heart, the Lord struck her with a curse—the greatest curse which an Eastern woman could possibly know—a curse, moreover, which wiped out the last expiring hope of her family pride—she went childless to the day of her death.

Well now, this picture is designed to teach us some wholesome lesson. I want you to look at it. You remember that old saying of ours—“We should expect some danger near, when we receive too much delight.” When I see David dancing, I am quite sure there will be a darkening of his heart ere long. How happy he looked! His whole countenance radiant with joy! I think I hear him shouting loudest of that crowd, “Sing unto the LORD; sing psalms unto him; sing unto him; sing unto him; call ye on his holy name,” and then awakening all the strings of his heart to ecstasy, he sings again, “Sing unto the LORD; come sing unto him; sing psalms unto his name.” Perhaps he was never in a more holy excitement, his spirits were all heated, he was in a flow of heavenly joy. Ah! David, there is a sting for you somewhere. Now there is a calm, but there is a tempest rising.

“More the treacherous calm I dread, Than tempests rolling overhead.”

This joy is on the threshold of a grief. He blesses the people. After he has ceased from his worship of God, he distributes to every man a flagon of wine and a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and they all eat and are merry before their God, and now David says, “I have blessed the people; I have made them all glad; I will go into my house, and I will give them a blessing there.”

But he is met on the threshold by his own wife, and she in the most sarcastic manner sneers at him— “How glorious was the king of Israel today!” Poor David is angry, heartbroken, and sad. His joy is scattered to the winds for a while, though he puts her off with a rebuke, doubtless the irony went to his soul, the joy of that day was sorely marred.

“A Christian man is seldom long at ease, When one trouble’s gone, another doth him seize.”

So saith old John Bunyan, and we may truly say, when we are at the top of a mountain we are not far from the bottom of a valley. When we are riding on the top of one wave it is not long before we shall be in the trough of another. Uphill and downhill is the way to heaven. Checkered must be our path. Golden shades are interwoven with a black ground. We shall have joy, but we must have trial, we shall have transport, but we must have trouble in the flesh.

This evening I am just going to discourse a little, first about David’s trouble, secondly, the vindication of his conduct, and thirdly, his noble resolution, and my main purpose will be to stir you all up, if you are ever subject to a trial like his, to make his resolve and ground it upon his reason. I. First, DAVID’S TROUBLE.

His trouble was peculiar. It came from a quarter where he ought least to have expected it, “Oh,” saith old master Frampton, “Joab smote Abner under his fifth rib, there is many a man who has been smitten in his rib too.” Saith another, “It is a strange stratagem of Satan to break a man’s head with his own bones, and yet many a man has encountered such rough usage. They that have been the chief joy of our hearts have often been the means of causing us the most grievous pain.”

Has it not been to many a Christian woman that her husband has been her greatest enemy in religion, and many a Christian man has found the partner of his own bosom the hardest obstacle in the road to heaven? I will just give you some pictures such as I know to have occurred and to be occurring every day—they will suit some of you now present.

Your whole pedigree, from the beginning to the end, is stained with blood. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been made to suffer the violence of men, and you! will you yield? Shall these soft times, these gentle ages, take away your pristine valor—make you the craven sons of heroic fathers? No, if you are not called to the sufferings of a martyr, yet bear the spirit of a martyr. If you cannot burn as he did in the flesh, burn as he did in the spirit. If you have nothing to endure but the trial of cruel mockings, take it patiently, endure it joyfully, for happy are you, inasmuch as you are made partakers of the sufferings of your Divine Master.

Never, I entreat of you, grow faint in your course, but bring more of the love of your hearts into the service of your lives. Never yield one tittle of the truth which God has committed to you, take up the cross and bear it, however weighty, however ignominious, carry it manfully. If the father be turned against the child, and the child against the father, weep over it and mourn it. If the husband be turned against the wife, and the wife against the husband, take care that it is not through your own fault, but if it be for Christ’s sake, bear it joyfully, bear it with transport and delight, you are highly honored.

You cannot wear the ruby crown of martyrdom and fire—that blazing diadem, but you have got at least a stray jewel out of it, thank God for it, and never shrink, never blush to suffer for His name’s sake, and give to every laughing Michal the answer, “If this be vile, I purpose to be viler still; if this be shameful, I will be more shameful; if this excite your derision, ye shall laugh louder than ever, your opportunities for making fun of me shall never be wanting, till your disposition to ridicule shall be changed.”

Oh, that is a glorious way of dealing with adversaries. If a lion is roaring at you, look at him and smile, and he will leave off roaring by and by. When some big dog comes out to bark at you, keep quiet, it is marvelous how easily he is tamed. I was once staying in the north of Scotland where there was a ferocious dog chained up. He came out and I patted him, and he jumped up with his fore feet upon me, I caressed him, and he seemed particularly fond of me. The master came out. “Come away, my dear sir,” said he, “that dog will tear you to pieces.” But I did not know it, and when I passed by he seemed to know I was not at all afraid of him, so he didn’t meddle with me.

In like manner, Christians, be not terrified at your adversaries. They may growl, or they may snarl, but do not you shrink back with fear, it will make them bark the more. Take as little notice of them as possible. Ah! poor things, you can well say, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” Just leave them all alone, and if they must know the reason, tell them what David told Michal—God has chosen you to show forth His praise. I dare say you may be insane enough in their eyes.

A good friend of mine, when he was told he was mad, said, “Well, if I am mad, you ought to be very patient with me, for fear I should grow worse. If I am mad now, perhaps I might grow wild. So be gentle with me.” There is a good humored way of rallying in return, only it must be without bitterness. Tell the people who take needless offense they must try to teach you better, if you have gone so far astray they ought to lead you back again. By degrees they will have done with this raillery, and begin to respect you.

If there is one in a family that is looked up to most of all, it is usually that one which all the family abused at one time. He has borne the brunt of opposition, he has held his ground, and he has won the palm of consistency. Give way an inch and you will have to give way an ell. Yield a single yard and your enemy will drive you out. Stand right still, calmly, quietly, with the determination that you can die, but you cannot fly, that you could suffer anything, but you could not deny your Master, and your victory is won.

Never give an angry word or look, do not imitate Peter in that respect, the best of men are only to be followed as far as they are like their Master. “When you are reviled, revile not again.” But suffer patiently all that is said, but when you suffer do not yield.

Remember the motto of the old martyrs, do you know it? On some of the old martyr books you will see the picture of an anvil, and you might ask “What does that mean? It was a common saying of Calvin, “The Gospel is an anvil that has broken many a hammer, and will break many hammers yet.” Let thine adversary be the hammer, and be you the anvil. The hammer will break and the anvil, stand fast, remember this—“He that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

Now, I think I hear some Christians say, “This sermon is not applicable to me. “ Well, brother, I am glad it is not. I am glad if God has put you in such a gracious position of providence. But oh, it is applicable to many, very many, I say to you then, pray for such, mention those who are in bonds as being bound with them.

When you are in prayer and have to give thanks to God that you are a child of pious parents who, so far from opposing you, have done all they could to help you, be very thankful for it, as a privilege to be prized, because so many lack it. It is a happy thing for some of you flowers that you grow in a conservatory where the air is so very warm and so very mild, but there are some who have to be outside in the frost, pray for these. When you think of the sheep in the fold, take care that you think of those out in the wilderness exposed to the snowstorm coming on, perhaps buried in a hollow and ready to expire. Think of them.

You may suppose there is very little suffering for Christ now. I speak what I know—there is a vast deal of suffering still. I do not mean burning, I do not mean hanging, I do not mean persecution by law, it is a sort of slow martyrdom. I can tell you how it is effected. Everything a young man does is thrown in his teeth. Things harmless and indifferent in themselves, are twisted into accusation that he does wrong, if he speaks, his words are brought up against him, if he is silent it is worse. Whatever he does is misrepresented, and from morning to night there is the taunt always ready.

Everything that can be said against his minister is generally used, because the world knows when they find fault with the minister, it stings the people, if they are a loving people, to the quick, and there are insinuations thrown out against the minister for his motives, and there are all things said about God’s people too, one says the minister is a “yea-nay” preacher, another says he is too high in doctrine, one will accuse him of being sanctimonious, another will charge him with laxness.

Ah, brethren, you need not fear, you can bear witness for the truth whatever is said, you must bear with the slanderer and forbear. If they throw aught in your teeth, still stand up for your Lord Jesus. I don’t ask you to stand up for me, you will do that I know. But stand up for your Lord and Master, don’t yield a single inch, and the day shall come when you shall have honor even in the eyes of those who in the world once laughed at you and put you to open shame.

Before closing, let me just say a word or two more generally to this whole congregation. There are three sorts of people upon which my text looks with a dark and appalling frown. First, there are those whose lips are always quick to curl, whose countenance is ever prompt to sneer, whose tongues are ever ready with a jest profane when the service of God crosses their path. I only say to you beware lest that come upon you—“As he loved cursing, so let it come upon him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.”

Secondly, there are those who up to a certain point favor the worship of God, and the services of the Church. But there comes a season of extraordinary service, a revival that demands uncommon energy, and almost before they are themselves aware of it, the repugnance of their hearts finds some strong and unkindly expression. Now let me point you to Saul’s daughter, and remind you how in one hour she proved her pedigree, identified herself with a family which the Lord had rejected, and sealed her own irrevocable doom.

Then thirdly, there is the professor of religion, who with David’s trial is awaiting David’s constancy. Have I sown the seed of Gospel truth broadcast among you so often and has none fallen in stony places? You may have heard the Word, and anon with joy received it, and you may have “dured awhile, though you have no root in yourselves.” But let me ask you, when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, are you offended? does it prove a stumbling block to you? If so, your case is deplorable.

Do you parry off the first breath of ridicule with flippant tongue? Did I hear that you said the other day, “Oh, I don’t profess anything, I only just go in to that chapel now and then to hear the preacher, he rather takes my fancy.” Ah! young man, let your conscience witness that you are shrinking back unworthily. You may only dissemble a little at first, but if you are coward enough to dissemble, you may, ere long, prove infidel enough to apostatize.

Brethren and sisters in the Lord, “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, in nothing terrified by your adversaries.” “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in his name, but also to suffer for his sake. Amen.”