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11.  THE CONVENTION TEACHER

because it was not so much as their ancestors had, though it was much more than they deserved. "In the harmony of public joys, let us be joining strings."

II. THE PLEASURE OF TEMPLE WORSHIP. (VV. 1-2; 16.) (1) How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!--Look at the wonderful beauty the Psalmist saw in holy institutions. O Lord of Hosts--He is in a special manner, called God, LORD OF HOSTS--that is, in a special manner of the angels, the heavenly hosts, because of the presence of the angels in God's sanctuary. God is the Lord of these hosts and His the tabernacle is. It is referred to as more than one (thy tabernacles) because there were divers courts in which the people attended, and because the tabernacle itself consisted of a holy place, and a most holy. How amiable are these? How lovely is the sanctuary in the eyes of all that are truly sanctified! Gracious souls see a wonderful, an inexpressible, beauty in holiness and in holy work. A tabernacle was a mere habitating, but the disadvantages of external circumstances makes holy ordinances not at all the less amiable, for the beauty of holiness is spiritual, and their glory is within.

(2) My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Notice the longing desire he had to return to the enjoyment of the public ordinances, or rather of God in them. It was a full desire; body, soul and spirit, agreed in it, he was not conscious to himself of any rising thought to the contrary; it was an intense desire. He longed, he fainted, he cried out, he was importunate to be restored to his place in God's courts and almost impatient of delay. Yet it was not so much the courts of the Lord that he coveted, but he cried out in prayer, for the living God Himself. O, that I might know Him, and be again taken into communion with Him. Ordinances are empty things if we meet not with God in them.

(16) Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God: Although I have cast them far off scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. The prophet Ezekiel tells the people of the grievous promises which God made to them in consideration of the insolent conduct of their brethren toward them. They that hated them and cast them out, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but He shall appear to their joy (Isaiah 66:5). God owns that His hand had gone out against them, which had given opportunities for their brethren to triumph over them. "It is true that I have cast them off among the heathen, and scattered them among the countries, they look as if they were a forsaken people, and so, mixed with the nations that they would be lost among them; but I have mercy in store for them." "I will be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come."

They at Jerusalem have the temple, but without God, they in Babylon have God, though without the temple. God will be a sanctuary to them, a place of refuge; to Him they shall flee, and in Him they shall be sage as he was that took hold on the horns of the altar, or they shall have such communion with God in the land of their captivity as it was thought could be had nowhere but in the temple; they shall there see God's power, and His glory, as they used to see it in the sanctuary; they shall there see God's power, and His glory, as they shall have the token of God's presence with them and His  grace in their hearts shall sanctify their prayers and praises as well as over the altar sanctified the gift, so that they shall please the Lord better than an ox or a bullock. [[bold]]He will be a little sanctuary,[[/bold]] not seen nor observed by their enemies, who looked with an evil eye upon that house at Jerusalem which was high and great. They were but few and mean, and a little sanctuary was fitted for them. Behold the condescension of divine grace. The great God will be to His people a little sanctuary.
[[bold]]III. The Temple a sign of God's Presence.[[/bold]](VV. 26-28)(26)[[bold]]Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.[[/bold]] Here is a promise to the people, He says: "I will cut with them the peace covenant," that is a covenant sacrifice, procuring and establishing peace between God and man, and between man and fellowmen. The cutting refers to the ancient mode of making covenant, the blood was poured out, the animal was divided from mouth to tail exactly in two; the divisions placed opposite [[bold]]to each[[/bold]] other; the contracting parties entered into the space, going in each end, and met in the middle, and then took the covenant oath. He is the 
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Prince of Peace, and through Him come glory to God in the highest, and peace and good will to men upon the earth. [[bold]]And I will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever more.[[/bold]] Here is the further promise that God will dwell among them, and this will make them dwell comfortably. They shall have the signs of God's presence with them and his gracious residence among them. God will dwell with them upon the earth for where his sanctuary is He is. When they profaned his sanctuary he took it from them but now they are purified, God will dwell with them again.
(27) [[bold]] My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.[[/bold]] Since the tabernacle shall be with them, these people shall have an opportunity to converse with God, a time to hear from Him, and a time to speak to Him and keep up communion with Him which will be the comfort of their lives. By the oracle of God in His tabernacle, they shall be made wiser and better, all their children shall be taught of the Lord. Thus their covenant relation to God shall be improved, and the bond of it strengthened. [[bold]]I will be their God, and they shall be my people,[[/bold]] and they shall know it by having my sanctuary among them, and shall have the comfort of it.
(28) [[bold]]And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore.[[/bold]] So effectual will be the work of God manifested, in that both God and Israel shall have the honor of this special work among the heathen. Now the heathen observed how Israel had profaned their own crown by their sins, and God has profaned it by his judgements; but then when Israel is reformed and God is returned in mercy to them the very heathen shall by made to know that the Lord who sanctified Israel, has a title to them and an interest in them, more than any other people, because his sanctuary is, and shall be in the midst of them. Observe that "God designs the sanctification of those among whom he sets up such proofs and evidences of their sanctification, that the heathen may know it is no less than the grace of God that sanctifies them. Such have God's sanctuary in the midst of them, the kingdom of God within them, in the principles of the spiritual life, and shall have it forever more in the enjoyments of an eternal life."
A House of Worship
Our church is the house of God, and we should love it very much. When we see a church that is beautifully kept up and well cared for we know that the people love and appreciate it.
By our last several lessons we learned that the Jews were happy to return home from the land of their captivity. They began at once to clear away the rubbish and build homes for themselves. They also cleared away the place where the temple had been. It had been so completely destroyed that they had to lay new foundations. Their enemies hindered them a great deal and slowed down the work on the temple, but after a long time the people finished it. How they rejoiced when it was completed and dedicated to God.
Sometimes our attitude toward our church, and our actions in it, grieve our loving heavenly Father. We go to church to meet God there and to worship Him. Thus we must not whisper, nor turn around and stare at the people behind us, but sit quietly and during prayer keep our eyes closed.
Questions on the Lesson
1. What help did the temple bring to the people?
2. How do we honor God's house?
3. What beautifies God's house?
4. Why should we go to church?
5. Why do we need public worship?