All true men ought to be decided, for a dreadful conflict is going on at this present day, and a curse will fall on neutrals.

• Belief in God against Atheism and other forms of unbelief.
  
• Scripture in opposition to false philosophy and "modern thought"
  
• The gospel versus superstition.
  
• Christ versus self-righteousness.
  
• The commands of God versus self-pleasing.
  
• Holiness and right, against sin and oppression.

• They must own their allegiance openly. "Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord" (verse 29).



• They should come out and rally to the standard: "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me." We do this by open union with the church, by boldly rebuking sin, by testifying for truth, by not conforming to the world, and by conforming to Christ our Lord (2 Cor. 8:5).


• They must be willing to be in a minority: one tribe against eleven, if need be.


• They must become aggressive. "Put every man his sword by his side" (verse 27).


• Their zeal must overmaster nature's ties. "Neither did he acknowledge his brethren? etc., (Deut. 33:9).


• They must do what they are bidden. "And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses" (Exod. 32:28).

• Their cause is that of right and truth. A good cause is a firm foundation and a powerful stimulus of velour.



• It is the cause of the Almighty God. "They have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant" (Deut. 30:9).


• Christ himself is our Captain. Who can hesitate with such a Chieftain?" A leader and commander for the people" (Isa. 55:4).


• The Angels are with us. Horses of fire and chariots of fire are round about the Lord's servants (2 Kings 6:17).


• Thousands of the best of men have been on this side (Heb. 12:1).
  
• It is the side of conscience, and of a clean heart.


• It is that side of the warfare which ends in heaven and victory, world without end (Rev. 19:14).

• Take the shilling: by faith receive the promise.
  

• Put on the colors: by confessing Christ openly in baptism.
  
• Submit to drill: be willing to learn, and yield to discipline.
  
• Put on the regimentals: wear the garments of holiness, the livery of love, the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13-18).
  
• Gird on your sword: "The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"
  
• Enter on civil war first. Wage war within your own soul. Slay sin, conquer self, cast down high looks, etc.
  
• March to the field. Fight with falsehood, superstition, cruelty, oppression, drunkenness, uncleanness, and sin of every sort, anywhere and everywhere.

Illustrative Extracts

"We trust the Lord is on our side, Mr. Lincoln," said the speaker of a delegation of Christian people to that good man, during one of the darkest days of the American Civil War. "I do not regard that as so essential as something else;" replied Mr. Lincoln. The worthy visitors looked horror-struck, until the President added: "I am most concerned to know that we are on the Lord's side."

Mr. Lincoln was right. The right side is not my side or your side. The Lord's side is the place to which every one of us should rally. His banner has right, truth, love, and holiness written on it. Be sure you stand up for God's banner, even if you stand alone.

Guizot, in his life of St. Louis of France, says that the latter had many vassals who were also vassals of the King of England, and that many subtle and difficult questions arose as to the extent of the service which they owed to these kings. At length the French king commanded all those nobles who held lands in English territory to appear before him, and then he said to them, "As it is impossible for any man living in my kingdom and having possessions in England rightly to serve two masters, you must either attach yourselves altogether to me, or inseparably to the King of England" After saying this, he gave them a certain day by which to make their choice.

The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain;
His blood-red banner streams afar:
Who follows in his train?

"Set down my name, Sir" According to Bunyan, these were the words of the man who fought his way into the palace, and who was welcomed with the song —

A dear friend of mine, the head of a family of grown-up sons and daughters, lately passed away very suddenly. The day before he died, all the members of the household were with him, including one who had recently, like the rest, experienced the power of saving grace. The father's joy was great, as he put his hand upon one after another of his offspring, saying with an overflowing heart, "And this one on the Lord's side!--and this one on the Lord's side!" How would it be with our hearer should he have to stand at the death-bed of a godly parent? Would that parent rejoice over him because he is on the Lord's side?

The question with many souls is how to obtain an interest in Christ so as to be saved by him. Never could a weightier question be asked.

It is certain that this is absolutely needful; but alas, it has been fearfully neglected by many. In vain did Christ die if he is not believed in.

The text gives us a pictorial answer to the question, How can Christ's sacrifice become available for me?

I. THE INTENT OF THE SYMBOL
1. It was a confession of sin: else no need of a sin offering.

• To this was added a confession of the desert of punishment, or why should the victim be slain?


• There was also an abandonment of all other methods of removing sin. The hands were empty, and laid alone upon the sin offering.


• Do this at the cross; for there alone is sin put away.

• Some raise questions as to the justice and certainty of this method of salvation; but he who is to be saved does not so, for he sees that God himself is the best judge of its rightness, and if he is content we may assuredly be so.



• Substitution exceedingly honours the law, and vindicates justice.


• There is no other plan which meets the case, or even fairly looks at it. Man's sense of guilt is not met by other proposals.


• But this brings rest to the most tender conscience.

• Jesus is the most natural substitute, for he is the second Adam, The second head of the race; the true idea of man.



• He is the only person able to offer satisfaction, having a perfect humanity united with his Godhead.


• He alone is acceptable to God; he may well be acceptable to us.

4. It was a believing transference of sin.

• By laying on of hands sin was typically laid on the victim.


• It was laid there so as to be no longer on the offerer.

• Is there not a most sure stay in Jesus for the leaning heart?



• Consider the nature of the suffering and death by which the atonement was made, and you will rest in it.


• Consider the dignity and worth of the sacrifice by whom the death was endured. The glory of Christ's person enhances the value of his atonement (Heb. 10:5-10).


• Remember that none of the saints now in heaven have had any other atoning sacrifice. "Jesus only" has been the motto of all justified ones.

"He offered one sacrifice for sins for ever" (Heb. 10:12).

• Those of us who are saved are resting there alone; why should; not you, and every anxious one?

SIMPLICITY OF THE SYMBOL.

1. There were no antecedent rites. The victim was there, and hands were laid on it: nothing more. We add neither preface nor appendix to Christ: he is Alpha and Omega.

2. The offerer came in all his sin. "Just as I am." It was to have his sin removed that the offerer brought the sacrifice: not because he had himself removed it.

3. There was nothing in his hand of merit, or price.

4. There was nothing on his hand. No gold ring to indicate wealth; no signet of power; no jewel of rank. The offerer came as a man, and not as learned, rich, or honorable.

5. He performed no cunning legerdemain with his hand. By leaning upon it he took the victim to be his representative; but he placed no reliance upon ceremonial performances.

6. Nothing was done to his hand. His ground of trust was the sacrifice, not his hands. He desired his hand to be clean, but upon that fact he did not rest for pardon.

Come then, dear hearer, whether saint or sinner, and lean hard upon Jesus. He taketh away the sin of the world. Trust him with your sin, and it is for ever put away. Put forth now your hand, and adopt the expiation of the redeeming Lord as your expiation.

A poor blind woman in Liverpool, after her conversion, committed many hymns to memory. She was an occasional attendant upon the old Earl of Derby, the grandfather of the present Earl. She repeated one of her hymns to him. The old Earl liked it, and encouraged her to repeat more. But one day, when repeating the hymn of Charles Wesley "All ye that pass by" she came to the words —

He said, "Stop, Mrs. Brass, don't you think it should be,—

She did not think his criticism valid; but it proved that she was not repeating her verses to inattentive ears, and other indications showed that the blind woman was made a blessing to the dying nobleman. — Paxton Hood's Life of Isaac Watts.

"When Christmas Evans was about to die, several ministers were standing round his bed. He said to them, 'Preach Christ to the people, brethren. Look at me: in myself I am nothing but ruin. But look at me in Christ; I am heaven and salvation.'"

It is not the quantity of thy faith that shall save thee. A drop of water is as true water as the whole ocean. So a little faith is as true faith as the greatest. A child eight days old is as really a man as one of sixty years; a spark of fire is as true fire as a great flame; a sickly man is as truly living as a healthy man. So it is not the measure of thy faith that saves thee — it is the blood that it grips to that saves thee. As the weak hand of a child, that leads the spoon to the mouth, will feed it as well as the strong arm of a man; for it is not the hand that feeds thee — albeit, it puts the meat into thy mouth, but it is the meat carried into thy stomach that feeds thee. So if thou canst grip Christ ever so weakly, he will not let thee perish —: The weakest hands take a gift as well as the strongest. Now, Christ is this gift, and weak faith may grip him as well as strong faith, and Christ is as truly thine when thou hast weak faith, as when thou hast come to those triumphant joys through the strength of faith. — Welsh.

The Puritans speak of faith as a recumbency, a leaning. It needs no power to lean; it is a cessation from our own strength, and allowing our weakness to depend upon another's power. Let no man say, "I cannot lean"; it is not a ques-tion of what you can do, but a confession of what you cannot do, and a leaving of the whole matter with Jesus. No woman could say, "I cannot swoon"; it is not a matter of power. Die into the life of Christ; let him be all in all while you are nothing at all.

We shall consider the subject in a series of observations.

  1. This we might infer from our own feelings, when dependents, children, servants, or receivers of alms are always grumbling. We grow weary of them, and angry with them.

  2. In the case of men towards God it is much worse for them to murmur, since they deserve no good at his hands, but the very reverse. "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins" (Lam. 3:39; Ps. 103:10)?

  3. In that case also it is a reflection upon the Lord's goodness, wisdom, truth, and power. See the complaint in verses 4-6.

  4. The evil lusting which attends the complaining proves its injurious character. We are ready for anything when we quarrel with God (1 Cor. 10:5-12).

  5. God thinks so ill of it that his wrath burns, and chastisement is not long withheld. See verse 33 of this chapter, and other parts of Scripture.

Israel had manna, but sighed for fish, cucumbers, melons, onions, etc. But to set an imaginary value upon that which we have not:

  2. Is injurious to ourselves, for it prevents our enjoying what we already have. It leads men to slander angels' food and call it "this light bread" It led Haman to think nothing of his prosperity because a single person refused him reverence (Esther 5:13).

The Israelites had flesh in superabundance in answer to their foolish prayers, but:

  1. It was attended with leanness of soul (Ps. 106:15).

  2. It brought satiety;-"until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you" (verse 20).

  3. It caused death. He "slew the fattest of them" (Ps. 78:31).

  4. It thus led to mourning on all sides. Kibroth Hattaavah, or, "the graves of lust" was the name of this station (verse 34).

Grace would put our desires in order, and keep our thoughts and affections in their proper places, thus:

  1. Content with such things as we have (Heb. 13:5).

  2. Towards other things moderate in desire. "Give me neither poverty nor riches" (Prov. 30:8).

  3. Concerning earthly things which may be lacking, fully resigned. "Not as 1 will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39).

  4. First, and most eagerly, desiring God. "My soul thirsteth for God" etc., (Ps. 42:2).

  5. Next, coveting earnestly the best gifts (1 Cor. 12:31).

  6. Following ever in love the more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31 ).

I have read of Caesar, that, having prepared a great feast for his nobles and friends, it fell out that the day appointed was so extremely foul that nothing could be done to the honor of their meeting; whereupon he was so displeased and enraged, that he commanded all them that had bows to shoot up their arrows at Jupiter, their chief god, as in defiance of him for that rainy weather; which, when they did, their arrows fell short of heaven, and fell upon their own heads, so that many of them were very sorely wounded. So all our mutterings and murmurings, which are so many arrows shot at God himself, will return upon our own pates, or hearts; they reach not him, but they will hit us; they hurt not him, but they will wound us therefore, it is better to be mute than to murmur; it is dangerous to contend with one who is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29).—Thomas Brooks

God hath much ado with us. Either we lack health, or quietness, or children, or wealth, or company, or ourselves in all these. It is a wonder the Israelites found not fault with the want of sauce to their quails, or with their old clothes, or their solitary way. Nature is moderate in her desires; but conceit is insatiable.— Bp. Hall

Murmuring is a quarreling with God, and inveighing against him. "They spake against God" (Num. 21:5). The murmurer saith interpretatively that God hath not dealt well with him, and that he hath deserved better from him. The murmurer chargeth God with folly. This is the language, or rather blasphemy, of a murmuring spirit — God might have been a wiser and a better God. The murmurer is a mutineer. The Israelites are called in the same text "murmurers" and "rebels" (Num. 17:10); and is not rebellion as the sin of witchcraft? (1 Sam. 15:23). Thou that art a murmurer art in the account of God as a witch, a sorcerer, as one that deals with the devil. This is a sin of the first magnitude. Murmuring often ends in cursing: Micah's mother fell to cursing when the talents of silver were taken away (Judg. 17:2). So doth the murmurer when a part of his estate is taken away. Our murmuring is the devil's music; this is that sin which God cannot bear: "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me?" (Num. 14:27). It is a sin which whets the sword against a people; it is a land-destroying sin: "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer" (1 Cor. 10:10). — T. Watson

Losing our temper with God is a more common thing in the spiritual life than many suppose.— F.W. Faber

Life is a field of nettles to some men. Their fretful, worrying tempers are always pricking out through the tender skin of their uneasiness. Why, if they were set down in Paradise, carrying their bad mind with them, they would fret at the good angels, and the climate, and the colors even of the roses.— Dr. Bushnell

I dare no more fret than curse or swear.— John Wesley

A child was crying in passion, and I heard its mother say, "If you cry for nothing, I will soon give you something to cry for" From the sound of her hand, I gathered the moral that those who cry about nothing are making a rod for their own backs, and will probably be made to smart under it.