2 Chronicles 30

O. H. M. S.

The posts went with the letters. 2 Chronicles 30:6.

Many years ago in Britain, mail men wore navy-blue uniform with red stripes. Throughout Britain's history, l etters addressed to O. H. M. S., or On Her (or His) Majesty's Service, were delivered directly to the King or Queen. Sometimes mail arrived urgently from other countries.

But the “posts” in the King James text above were a different kind of mail carrier. They were couriers or runners chosen from the king's body-guard, and they were employed to carry the king's messages all over the land.

I wonder how many of you would like to be mail carriers? How many would like to be king's messengers carrying the king's letters? You can all be that if you wish, and to a much greater King than King George, to a much greater than King Hezekiah, who sent out those posts in our text. It was difficult for a boy or a girl to get into King George's postal service, because the vacancies are few, and only a certain number of applicants were chosen. Today in America, it's also difficult to gain employment with the Post Office.

But this King has always plenty of room in His service, and anyone can get in who likes to apply.

Now there are three things I want to say about postmen in the service of the Heavenly King.

1. They must be prompt ready to obey the King's commands at a moment's notice and to do whatever He asks them to do.

When Professor Henry Drummond was a very small boy at Stirling High School the boys decorated and illuminated the school in honor of the marriage of the late King Edward who was then Prince of Wales. They cut out Prince of Wales feathers and suitable mottoes in colored paper blue, and pink, and red, and yellow and they stuck them on the windows. When night came on they put lighted candles in the windows so that when people passed outside they saw Prince of Wales feathers shining in every window.

Henry was too small to help, but he was eagerly watching the cutting out and pasting when a big boy came to him and asked him to run down town and buy pink paper. Now Drummond thought it was much more fun watching the others than going on a dull errand, so he refused. “Why won't you go?” asked the big boy. “Because I don't want to.” “But do you know it is ‘ O.H.M.S. '?” asked the other. “You don't really mean it!” said Henry, and off he went like a shot. And as he ran down the street he felt, as he afterwards said, about “ten feet high.”

You see it makes all the difference in the world when you are “O.H.M.S.” When the King gives a command you obey at once without questioning. And the errands that are bothersome and the duties that are disagreeable seem quite different. If they are difficult or disagreeable it is all the more honor to us that the King has asked us to do them.

In ancient Persia the posts were mounted on swift steeds. It was said of these messengers that nothing mortal travelled so fast and that they outstripped the flight of birds. And the messengers of the Great King must be like these ancient Persians swift to do the King's bidding, ready to go whenever and wherever the King calls them.

2. The King's postmen must be faithful. King Hezekiah's postmen carried his messages written on parchment, but the Great King writes His message on boys, and girls, and men, and women. His postmen carry the message on themselves They are the letters as well as the postmen, and by their life and conduct they show the mind and heart of the King.

Now there are a great many people going about the world who call themselves the King's messengers, and when other people see them they say, “Well, if the King is at all like them we don't want to be His followers!” They are unfaithful postmen and bring disgrace on the King's name.

In the life of Bishop Bompas, whose work lay in the district of the Mackenzie River away in the cold North-West of Canada, there is a funny story of how some letters got mixed up.

The mails arrived only twice a year and their arrival was always a great event in the life of the fort. In the wintertime they were brought from a long distance by Indians with dog sleds.

On one occasion the Indian in charge broke through the ice, and man, dogs, and letters all got a thorough soaking. The Indian made for the shore and lit a fire to dry his clothes. Then he looked ruefully at the wet letters. What was to be done with them? Suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him. He took them out of their envelopes and stacked them up round the fire to dry. When they were all nicely toasted he proceeded to replace them. Then he discovered to his dismay that he did not know which letter belonged to which envelope. As he was unable to read he could get no clue, so he just popped any letter into any envelope and proceeded on his way.

Later he arrived at the fort and delivered up the mail; and then the fun began. The Bishop opened plain looking envelopes addressed to himse lf and found they contained private documents or love-letters intended for the officers at the fort. And the officers on opening some of their letters discovered solemn epistles intended for the Βishop. At last the Indian confessed what had happened, matte rs were cleared up, and everybody had a good laugh.

Now the unfaithful messengers are like letters that have been put into the wrong envelope. When the people to whom they are sent look inside they say, “Why, this isn't the writing of the King at all. It is the writing of selfishness, or pride, or greed. This boy is wearing the King's uniform, the envelope and the address seem all right, but inside he is a sad disappointment and not at all what we expected.”

Don't get into the wrong envelope, boys and girls.

Don't pretend to belong to the King and be really serving yourself. Remember that when you wear the King's uniform you must carry His messages faithfully.

3. Lastly, if we want to be swift messengers, if we want to be faithful messengers, we must keep in touch with the King. We cannot carry His messages unless we are in communication with Him. But He has made a path for us all whereby we may reach Him in a moment, and that path is called the Way of Prayer. If we go to Him frequently by that path we need never fear to prove unfaithful, for He will show us His mind and heart,He will fill us with His spirit.

He will guide us in all our ways.