Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2654
“Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:4.
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters, and as the eyes ofa maiden unto the hands of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORRD our God, until He has mercy on us.”
Psalm 123:2.
NOTICE, dear Friends, that both these texts begin with the word, “Behold.” That word is meant to attract the readers’ attention. In some books, which are intended to be sensational, you are asked to behold—and when you look, there is nothing to see! But when God’s Word bids you behold what it has to say, you may be sure that the exclamation is not superfluous or misleading! It would be a marring of the Word of God to leave out even one of its smallest expressions and, therefore, when we see this word, “Behold,” placed at the beginning of each of these texts, we may rest assured that there is, in both of them, something worth noting, worth examining and considering—and worth remembering and carrying away!
A very useful series of discourses might be preached upon the “Beholds” of the Old and New Testaments which culminate in John the Baptist’s, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” and Pilate’s, “Behold the Man.” And still more in our Lord’s own message to John, “Behold, I come quickly.” But two Old Testament, “Beholds,” are to furnish us with a theme of meditation at this time. It is somewhat singular that they both relate to eyes. The first tells us about God’s eyes—“Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” His eyes are never closed. No feeling of weariness or need of slumber ever causes them to be heavy and to shut. And the second text tells us about our eyes—“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until He has mercy on us.”
See, Brothers and Sisters, both our texts speak about eyes, and they ask for the use of our eyes by saying, “Behold,” which is as though God said to us, “I am going to tell you about My eyes which never slumber. Therefore, look and see, for you shall find them always open and always watching over you.” Then the next text tells us about our eyes and reminds us how God gives to His people clear and quick eyesight, so that they observe all the motions of their Master’s hands and are glad to note them—and prompt to do as He directs. I have put these two texts together because I hoped that when you saw with joy how the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears open to their cries, you would then feel that it was a fit return that your eyes should be unto the Lord your God, and that your ears should be open to receive His teaching and to learn His commands. God grant that this may be the result of the sermon upon these two texts!
I. First, then, I am to speak to you concerning THE WAKEFUL EYES OF THE LORD OUR GOD. We are told, in our first text, that the Lord, who keeps Israel, shall neither slumber nor sleep.
We learn from these words, first, that the Lord keeps Israel. Read the 121st Psalm through and you will find the word, “preserve,” or, “keep,” or, “keeper,” repeated many times. God has Himself undertaken the work of keeping His people—it is His high office to preserve those who are His chosen ones!
“He that keeps Israel.” By this expression we understand that the Lord keeps His people as a shepherd keeps his flock. There is a great depth of meaning in that word, “keep,” as it is thus used, for a shepherd keeps the sheep by feeding them, by supplying all their needs and also by guarding them from all their adversaries. He keeps the flock with vigilance so that it is not diminished either by the ravaging wolf or by the straying of the sheep. Even an ordinary shepherd takes great pains and the utmost care to preserve his sheep both by night and by day—while, “our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,” who was brought again from the dead, uses His Omnipotence, His Omniscience and all His Divine Attributes in the keeping of His sheep! O Beloved, if you are, indeed, His people and the sheep of His pasture, rest assured that He will preserve you! You are in good keeping, for He is the Good Shepherd, and the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd and He will perform all the duties of His office well and faithfully, that He may securely keep all whom His Father has committed unto Him!
Another figure may equally well illustrate the meaning of this expression. The Lord keeps His people, not only as a shepherd keeps his sheep, but as a king keeps his jewels. These are rare and precious things which are his peculiar treasure and he will not lose them if he can help it. He will go to war sooner than be deprived of them. He will put them in the most secure case that he has in his strong room—and set his most faithful servants to guard the place wherein they are stored. He will charge those who have the custody of his crown jewels to take a full and accurate account of them—and to be careful to examine them, from time to time, to see that they are all there, for he greatly prizes them and is not willing for one of them to be lost. They probably cost him a great price, or, if not, they are part of his royal heritage and of the glory and honor of his kingdom, so he desires to keep them all. Even so does the Lord Jesus keep His people, for they are His jewels. He delights in them—they are His honor and His glory! They cost Him a greater price than they can ever realize. He hides them away in the case of His power and protects them with all His wisdom and strength. Concerning those who feared the Lord and thought upon His name, it is written, “They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.” It is God’s work to keep His own jewels. He does not commit them even to the custody of the tall archangel who stands nearest to His Throne, but the Lord, Himself, keeps them—and no one shall be able to pluck them out of His hands!