Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-01-31
"-l.-f CONDUCTED By
REV. ROBERT LATHAM
THE CURSE OF MEROZ.

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THE CURSE OF MEROZ.
No doubt Meroz was town, or possibly a
region of country some place in the neigh
borhood of Kishon. If it was the name of a
town, its exact locality is not known. So far
as we are aware, it is mentioned in the Scrip
lures only once. The probability is that it
was swept away with the bessom of destruc.
ton. In that grandest triumphal ode on re-
cord, we find these words: "Curse ye Meroz,
said the angel of the Lord curse ye bitter
ly the inhabitants thereof" Judges, 5:23.
There is something in these words which
are calculated to arrest the attention of the
most cursory reader. The reader is anxious
to know why the angel of the Lord issued the
command to curse Meroz. Why is the COM
mand given to curse its inhabitants bitterly {?
What, he is ready to inquire, have these peo-
pie done? r-.t ....-.. ...
. For their backslidings, the Lord had sold
the children of Israel into the hand of Jabin,
king of Canaan. The captain of Jabin's ar
my was Sissera. For twenty years, Jabin
had, we are told, "mightily oppressed the
children of Israel" Jabin seems to have
been a mighty man. He had nine hundred
chariots of iron. To deliver his chosen peo.
pie from the oppression of this mighty tyrant,
God raised up Deborah, a prophecies, and
wife of Lapidoth. The oppression of Jabin
was most keenly felt, no doubt in the region
of which this prophecies and judge of Israel
dwelt Goaded by tyranny and influenced
by God, this pious woman melted her people
to rebel. She advised Barak to lead ten
thousand men against Sissera. The spirit of
of Barak was, no doubt, broken, and he pos.
itively refused to lead the hosts of rudsly
armed Israelites, against the forces of Jabin,
unless Deborah would, in person, accompany
the expedition. This she did, and great
battle was fought in which Jabin's forces
were literally cut to pieces. Sissera was slain
by woman. When the battle was over
and a glorious victory won, Deborah, who
was poetess rather than predictor of fu-
ture events, sang, in conjunction with Barak,
that grand epic which we find recorded in the
fifth chapter of the book of Judges.
What has this to do with the cursing of
Meroz2 What did the inhabitants of Meroz
do on that memorable day, when the Lord
delivered Israel out of the hand of Jabin I?
Were the inhabitants of Meroz Canaanites,
who more than any others oppressed the peo.
pie of God2 No. 1t appears that the iu-
habitants of Meroz we're Israelitss. Wherev-
er the town of Meroz was situated, it was in-
habited by those whom Deborah had risen
up to free from "mighty oppression" They
we're not Gentiles. Had this been the case,
they would have shared the common discom-
future. 1t may be asked, then, had they
turned traitors and joined the forces of Sis.
seraY No; for in that case they would have
shared Sissera's fate. Not one word is said
about the inhabitants of Meroz turning trait.
ors. 1t is not intimated that they sympa-
thized with Jabin in the least. On the con-
trary, they we're, in all probability, glad that
Jael killed Sissera, and that Jabin's power
was destroyed. The inhabitants of Meroz
incurred the displeasure of God and had
bitter curse pronounced upon them; not be-
cause of what they did, but because of what
they did not. In other words, the angel of
the Lord commanded the inhabitants of Me-
roz to be bitterly cursed because they did
nothing. "They came not to the help of the
Lord to the help of the Lord against the
mighty" Some sad calamity-a bitter curse
no doubt-befell the inhabitants of Meroz.
1t would be only conjecture to say how God
punished the inhabitants of Meroz. 1t is
highly probable that he razed, in some way,
the town to its very foundation, and brought
some signal destruction upon the inhabitants.
In this there is something very suggestive.
God has no use for drones. He has bitter
curse for those who stand and gaze as idle
spectators at the strife which is constantly
going on between vice and virtue; between
religion and irreligion; between Christ and
the devil. We are prone to judge favorably
of ourselves, and think, if We do not say it,
that we have done no harm or we have not
done much harm; or we have done less harm
than some one else This, if such be really
the case, is very encouraging. That man who
can look back over his past life and truthful.
ly say he has done no harm, or very little
harm in the world, has, at least, cause of re-
ioicing. We should remember, however, that
the stones, which lie scattered over the sur
face of the earth, or buried in its bosom,
never do any harm. They have never, since
they were created, done anything. Hence,
to be able to say we have never done any
harm, may only entitle us to equal praise with
that which is due to stone. What good
have we doneS Have We come up to the
help of the Lord against the mighty? 1t is
far more important that we enquire what good
have we done, than that we should attempt
to comfort ourselves with the vain and un.
manly belief, that we have lived moral drones.
We may rejoice in the glorious things
which are daily accomplished through the
gospel. We may rejoice that the strongholds
of Satan are yielding to the irresistible inau-
ence of Divine grace; we may rejoice that
the spread of tho gospel promises liberty to
the oppressed but what are we doing? Are
we doing something or nothing? We may
rejoice that We live in Christian land, land
of Bibles and Sabbaths, and still b like the
inhabitants of Meroz, not coming up to the
help of the Lord. God expects US to be more
than simple well-wishers of his cause. We
must nut to our hands and help. God does