Led of the Lord
S. Conway Psalm 132:6, 7 See, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.… We do not know for certain what "it," in ver. 6, means. Probably the ark of the covenant - "the ark of thy strength" (ver. 8). Nor do we know exactly where Ephratah was, and "the fields of the wood" (see Exposition for a possible interpretation). But we may suffer the expressions used in these verses to suggest to us the progress of the soul led by the Lord in the ways of life. We only take "it" as telling of the grace of God, the Word of life. And concerning this we may note - I. THAT GOD PREPARES THE HEART THAT IS TO RECEIVE HIS GRACE. See how it was with David, how his soul was stirred in connection with the object he had in view. And so God ever deals with men. By one means and another he gets them ready for what he is going to give them. II. THEN HIS GRACE IS HEARD OF. The Ephratah stage is reached. When the soul has been got ready, the seed is sown, the Word is heard, and it has fallen into good ground. III. THEN IT IS SOUGHT AFTER AND FOUND. The search may be a long one, and the discovery made at last in some seemingly very unlikely place - some fields of the wood, as it were, where no one would have thought of going to look for it. In what unthought-of places and ways God is found! IV. THEN COME THE OPEN CONFESSION OF IT, AND FELLOWSHIP WITH THEM WHO ARE LIKE-MINDED AND HAVE ALSO FOUND GOD. "We will go into his tabernacles." They have found what their soul desired, and they will proclaim it before all by going to the house of God with the people of God. V. THIS FOLLOWED BY THE LIFE OF WAITING UPON GOD. "We will worship at his footstool." So the Divine life in us is matured and sustained. At what stage in this progress are we? - S.C. Parallel Verses KJV: Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. WEB: Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah. We found it in the field of Jaar: