2 Samuel 22
It is evident here, while the occasion was David's deliverances from Saul, yet the Spirit who spoke by the mouth of David goes far beyond the circumstances of David, and brings in Christ; therefore seeing what it is the Spirit speaks of here, it draws our attention to the position Christ took, and what the circumstances of His death and resurrection were, and what His deliverances out of them. Christ came down into the very depth of the ruin in which His people were lying. And such were the intolerant aboundings of iniquity, that they had assumed the character of a rod upon Christ, when the cry of Christ brought out God in the fullest power of deliverance. When God came out of His place, He delivered Christ and set Him at His right hand. And here I would notice that God did come out of His place: for it was impossible for Him to keep in His place any longer. God rode upon the Cherubim. The Cherub here marks the circumstances of that throne of God in judgment, as the Cherub kept the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. When He rides on the Cherub, He comes to judge everything evil. God could no longer keep His place, for He could no longer leave His blessed One to the consequences attendant on iniquity. The Cherub that kept man out of Eden now brought God in. Mark the extent of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus, for He was subject to the whole power of evil and man's wretchedness. The sorrows of death compassed Him about, the pains of hell gat hold on Him, and it was out of these deep waters God drew Him when He raised Him from the dead. The darkness and power of Satan was not in the least relieved by the coming in of God. The sanction of God's judgment was upon it. Yes, the power of darkness in His soul had the sanction of God's judgment upon it, and why? Because of our sins, and then see the place in which He sets us. God comes out of His place intolerant when iniquity is at its height. All men acted on by Satan rising up against God's Son, God must therefore come out of His place to relieve His Son. He comes forth unable to hear the great power of wickedness any longer. He comes out as the destroying angel, intolerant because of the great power of evil. But if God rides upon the Cherub that guards the tree of life, where shall any appear? But, blessed be God, when He comes in glorious power, when He rides upon the Cherubim to execute judgment, He finds His people under the protection of the blood. When the destroying angel went forth in the land of Egypt, the blood was upon the doorposts of Israel's houses before He came out, and therefore when God came out to judge, He found Israel -under the protection of His righteousness, for God must have judged Israel when He did the Egyptians, if the blood had not been there; but God said, "when I see the blood, I will pass over." Therefore the blood being upon the door-posts, Israel was perfectly safe, in virtue of the holiness of that judgment which was going forth to destroy the Egyptians. And here mark the reality of the place in which Jesus put Himself for 'us; for if Jesus had not been under the wrath for our sins, when God came out of His place and rode upon the Cherubim, we must be judged there and then. But when the bitter cry of Jesus upon the cross (for us) entered into the ear of God, He had then drained the cup to the very last dreg for us, that our souls might find safety, and not only safety, but that when God came out of His place, riding upon the Cherubim, intolerant of the evil which He could no longer bear, our souls might rejoice in the power of that holiness which had made Christ " SIN FOR US."
Consider, then, the reality of the sufferings Christ endured for us-going down into the very depths of sin, and under all the power of evil that Satan himself was master of: and then think of what a character our sins must be to call for such judgment as this, for it was truly a RIGHTEOUS judgment.
The possibility of God ever standing before him otherwise than as an exactor cannot enter into the heart of a well-instructed Papist; the moment, therefore, he sees God's love towards him in having Himself provided the sacrifice His own holiness needed; and that the sacrifice has been offered and continues its efficacy unto this very moment; and that there remaineth no more offering for sin, because that by the will of God those who believe are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, he is set free. He can come near to God in full assurance of faith.
Now everything is slipping from its place. Everything that is not founded on Christ and His word, and to the exclusion of everything else, will soon be in the enemy's camp. Take with you a single eye, and your whole body will be full of light; otherwise you will slip away into the dominion of evil, and at last of Satan. Do not be deceived by the name of religion. The weak, the crucified One, is the power of God unto salvation. It is matter of faith and of holding fast. Disbelieve the false prophets. Believe God, and the devil will flee from you, and you will be left to the rejoicing of hope, and rest will be recompensed to you when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
We ought to know that this is a time when allegiance to the Lord Jesus will be put to the test.