(From a Gospel Address.)
I HAVE two pictures for you, one from the Old Testament, and the other from the New.
“And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.... Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab’s armor compassed about and smote Absalom and slew him... And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him” (2 Sam. 18:9-179And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. 10And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. 11And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. 12And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. 13Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. 14Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 15And ten young men that bare Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. 16And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people. 17And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent. (2 Samuel 18:9‑17)).
Now turn to another picture. “Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thy self. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.... he trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him.... The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same ins. His teeth” (Matt. 27:38-4438Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. (Matthew 27:38‑44)).
It is very evident that a great change soon came over one of these thieves, for in the Gospel of Luke we read, “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on. Him, saying, If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou earnest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:39-4339And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:39‑43)).
Now there is more than one point of similarity in these two pictures. Let us briefly consider them.
Both the rebel and the robber are found in dire extremity. Fixed to a tree, they are totally beyond the ability of their own hands to deliver. Again, each man had nothing to blame but his own sin for placing him at the point of hopeless extremity in which he found himself. Each could say, ‘It is entirely my own fault that I am here. I can blame no one but myself.’
Once more. Each of these men had a friend, though the friend of one was only such in name. Joab had once, a few years before, set himself to serve Absalom, but it is evident that the master-motive, the controlling ambition in the mind of Joab was to serve his own ends, and, in doing so, to consider the feelings of nobody.
Absalom had a real friend, a friend true and tender, his own father. But, alas: he was not then present, for against that friend he had put himself in deadly conflict. He had driven him already from his kingly home, and was now proceeding still further to drive that devoted father froth his God-given throne―yea, drive him to death itself for aught he cared.
It was no court-secret that David loved Absalom. This was well known throughout the army, and from Dan to Beersheba. Nor was Absalom’s shameful return for all the loving-kindness heaped upon him by his royal parent any secret either.
So that if there are points of similarity in these pictures, there is, at least, one great contrast. All the contrast between a false friend and a true. Between one who would turn round upon you in your desperate extremity, disclose to you at the last that he is really your enemy, and administer to you what you too well deserve, and One who, though you deserved the worst that could be dealt out to you and He the best, would take for you all your worst and share with you all His best.
With one or other, my hearers, you have to do. I say, you have to do. Let me, then, come a little closer, and speak plainly of your own position in the light of these solemn pictures.
YOUR EXTREMITY WILL COME. Do you hear that? I repeat it to you anxiously: Your extremity will come! And when it does, if the grace of the blessed Saviour has not then effectively reached you, Satan’s power will. If you have not then known the healing virtue of the Saviour’s precious blood, if you have not then lied to Him as the refuge of your dying soul, you will get what this man got. You will, you surely will. What he had been doing, you have been doing―doing ever since you heard the first clear note of God’s gospel message. I do not charge you with being guilty of any special sins, but I would tell you, and tell you fearlessly and faithfully, that if you are unconverted tonight you are fighting against your Best Friend―against God, as revealed to us in the Lord Jesus. Could you find a better friend than Jesus? Yet you are still resisting Him! The miracle is that God has not cut you off and sent you to everlasting damnation years ago. Oh, how gracious, how long-suffering He is! But as surely as Absalom came to his extremity, you will one day come to yours.
Have you ever noticed that it was the very thing in which Absalom so much prided himself―his beautiful locks―that proved his ruin in the end? Take care, my hearer, lest what you love best, what you are preferring, every day eventually you live, to Christ, should eventually prove your ruin. Your worldly companion, however well chosen, your money, however well gotten, your pleasure, however innocent and harmless in your estimation, if they help you to shut Christ out, are your real enemies, even though they appear to you in the garb of true friends. Your companions may come in between you and the salvation that is freely offered you. But when your soul is lost, and your companions have left you, as Absalom’s mule left him in his extremity, what will you think of such friends? Believe me, you will regard them as your worst enemies.
Look at poor helpless Absalom, hanging between heaven and earth! What fearful suspense! What crushing reflections must have been his! What a close to a day of rebellion against the one who most tenderly cared for him! And what next? The merciless darts of the enemy, and the pit after that! What a fearful doom! Think of it, and remember that I am not doing violence to the picture when I apply it to some unbeliever here tonight. God knows, and that unbeliever knows that the time is coming when on his dying bed, laboring for the next breath, faint, helpless, and alone, he also will be in desperate extremity. What awful suspense will be his! And will the enemy, think you, have no deadly darts for his bosom? Yea, verily, and cruel, piercing taunting’s into the bargain. And what after that? Yea, WHAT?
Oh, take a different course now. Repent and turn from the way which can only land you at last in eternal damnation. Listen to the voice that offers not only forgiveness, but power by the Holy Spirit for a new life! yea, everlasting salvation with an eternal weight of glory. God lingers over you. He would have you obtain mercy tonight. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” GEO. C.