Comfort for Christians
By
A.W. Pink
Introduction
The work unto which the servant of Christ is called is
many-sided. Not only is he to preach the Gospel to the unsaved, to
feed God's people with knowledge and understanding (Jer 3:15), and
to take up the stumbling stone out of their way (Isa. 57:14), but
he is also charged to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like
a trumpet, and show My people their transgression" (Isa 58:1 and
cf. 1 Tim 4:2). While another important part of his commission is
stated in, "Comfort ye, My people, said your God" (Isa 40:1). What
an honourable title, "My people!" What an assuring relationship:
"your God!" What a pleasant task: "comfort ye My people!" A
threefold reason may be suggested for the duplicating of the
charge. First, because sometimes the souls of believers refuse to
be comforted (Psa 77:2), and the consolation needs to be repeated.
Second, to press this duty the more emphatically upon the
preacher's heart, that he need not be sparing in administering
cheer. Third, to assure us how heartily desirous God himself is
that His people should be of good cheer (Phil 4:4). God has a
"people," the objects of His special favour: a company whom He has
taken into such intimate relationship unto Himself that He calls
them "My people." Often they are disconsolate: because of their
natural corruptions, the temptations of Satan, the cruel treatment
of the world, the low state of Christ's cause upon earth. The "God
of all comfort" (2 Cor 1:3) is very tender of them, and it is His
revealed will that His servants should bind up the broken-hearted
and pour the balm of Gilead into their wounds. What cause have we
to exclaim "Who is a God like unto Thee!" (Micah 7:18), who has
provided for the comfort of those who were rebels against His
government and transgressors of His Law.
The contents of this little volume have appeared from time to
time in our monthly magazine during the last thirty years. They
were, previously, sermons which we preached long ago in the U.S.A.
and Australia. Here and there is an expression (especially where
Prophecy is touched upon) that we would not use today; but since
the Lord was pleased to bless them in their original form to not a
few of His distressed people, we have not revised them. May it
please Him to speak peace by them to afflicted souls today, and the
glory shall be His alone.
-A.W. Pink, 1952
CHAPTER 1
No Condemnation
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1)
"(There is) therefore now no condemnation." The eighth chapter
of the epistle to the Romans concludes the first section of that
wonderful epistle. Its opening word "Therefore" ("There is" is in
italics, because supplied by the translators) may be viewed in a
twofold way. First, it connects with all that has been said from
3:21. An inference is now deduced from the whole of the preceding
discussion, an inference which was, in fact, the grand conclusion
toward which the apostle had been aiming throughout the entire
argument. Because Christ has been set forth "a propitiation through
faith in His blood" (3:25); because He was "delivered for our
offences and raised again for our justification" (4:25); because by
the obedience of the One the many (believers of all ages) are "made
righteous," constituted so, legally, (5:19); because believers have
"died (judicially) to sin" (6:2); because they have "died" to the
condemning power of the law (7:4), there is "therefore now NO
CONDEMNATION."
But not only is the "therefore" to be viewed as a conclusion
drawn from the whole of the previous discussion, it is also to be
considered as having a close relation to what immediately
precedes. In the second half of Romans 7 the apostle had described
the painful and ceaseless conflict which is waged between the
antagonistic natures in the one who has been born again,
illustrating this by a reference to his own personal experiences as
a Christian. Having portrayed with a master pen-himself sitting for
the picture-the spiritual struggles of the child of God, the
apostle now proceeds to direct attention to the Divine consolation
for a condition so distressing and humiliating. The transition from
the despondent tone of the seventh chapter to the triumphant
language of the eighth appears startling and abrupt, yet is quite
logical and natural. If it is true that to the saints of God
belongs the conflict of sin and death, under whose effect they
mourn, equally true is it that their deliverance from the curse and
the corresponding condemnation is a victory in which they rejoice.
A very striking contrast is thus pointed.
In the second half of Romans 7 the apostle treats the power of
sin, which operates in believers as long as they are in the world;
in the opening verses of chapter eight, he speaks of the guilt of
sin from which they are completely delivered the moment they are
united to the Saviour by faith. Hence in 7:24 the apostle asks "Who
shall deliver me" from the power of sin, but in 8:2 he says, "hath
made me free," i.e. hath delivered me, from the guilt of sin.
"(There is) therefore now no condemnation." It is not here a
question of our heart condemning us (as in 1 John 3:21), nor of us
finding nothing within which is worthy of condemnation; instead, it
is the far more blessed fact that God condemns not the one who has
trusted in Christ to the saving of his soul. We need to distinguish
sharply between subjective and objective truth; between that which
is judicial and that which is experimental; otherwise, we shall
fail to draw from such Scriptures as the one now before us the
comfort and peace they are designed to convey. There is no
condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. "In Christ" is the
believer's position before God, not his condition in the flesh. "In
Adam" I was condemned (Rom 5:12); but "in Christ" is to be forever
freed from all condemnation. "(There is) therefore now no
condemnation." The qualifying "now" implies there was a time when
Christians, before they believed, were under condemnation. This was
before they died with Christ, died judicially (Gal 2:20) to the
penalty of God's righteous law. This "now," then, distinguishes
between two states or conditions. By nature we were "under the
(sentence of) law," but now believers are "under grace" (Rom 6:14).
By nature we were "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:2), but now we are
"accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). Under the first covenant we
were "in Adam" (1 Cor 15:22), but now we are "in Christ" (Rom 8:1).
As believers in Christ we have everlasting life, and because of
this we "shall not come into condemnation."
Condemnation is a word of tremendous import, and the better we
understand it the more shall we appreciate the wondrous grace that
has delivered us from its power. In the halls of a human court this
is a term which falls with fearful knell upon the ear of the
convicted criminal and fills the spectators with sadness and
horror. But in the court of Divine Justice it is vested with a
meaning and content infinitely more solemn and awe-inspiring. To
that Court every member of Adam's fallen race is cited. "Conceived
in sin, shapen in iniquity" each one enters this world under arrest
- an indicted criminal, a rebel manacled. How, then, is it possible
for such a one to escape the execution of the dread sentence? There
was only one way, and that was by the removal from us of that which
called forth the sentence, namely sin. Let guilt be removed and
there can be "no condemnation." Has guilt been removed, removed, we
mean, from the sinner who believes? Let the Scriptures answer: "As
far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us" (Psa 103:12). "I, even I, am he that
blotteth out thy transgressions" (Isa 43:25). "Thou hast cast all
my sins behind thy back" (Isa 38:17). "Their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17).
But how could guilt be removed? Only by it being transferred.
Divine holiness could not ignore it; but Divine grace could and did
transfer it. The sins of believers were transferred to Christ: "The
Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6). "For he
hath made him to be sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21). "(There is) therefore
no condemnation." The "no" is emphatic. It signifies there is no
condemnation whatsoever. No condemnation from the law, or on
account of inward corruption, or because Satan can substantiate a
charge against me; there is none from any source or for any cause
at all. "No condemnation" means that none at all is possible; that
none ever will be. There is no condemnation because there is no
accusation (see 8:33), and there can be no accusation because there
is no imputation of sin (see 4:8). "(There is) therefore no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."
When treating of the conflict between the two natures in the
believer the apostle had, in the previous chapter, spoken of
himself in his own person, in order to show that the highest
attainments in grace do no exempt from the internal warfare which
he there describes. But here in 8:1 the apostle changes the number.
He does not say, There is no condemnation to me, but "to them which
are in Christ Jesus." This was most gracious of the Holy Spirit.
Had the apostle spoken here in the singular number, we should have
reasoned that such a blessed exemption was well suited to this
honored servant of God who enjoyed such wondrous privileges; but
could not apply to us.
The Spirit of God, therefore, moved the apostle to employ the
plural number here, to show that "no condemnation" is true of
all in Christ Jesus. "(There is) therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." To be in Christ
Jesus is to be perfectly identified with Him in the judicial
reckoning and dealings of God: and it is also to be one with Him as
vitally united by faith. Immunity from condemnation does not depend
in any-wise upon our "walk," but solely on our being "in Christ."
"The believer is in Christ as Noah was enclosed within the ark,
with the heavens darkening above him, and the waters heaving
beneath him, yet not a drop of the flood penetrating his vessel,
not a blast of the storm disturbing the serenity of his spirit. The
believer is in Christ as Jacob was in the garment of the elder
brother when Isaac kissed and blessed him. He is in Christ as the
poor homicide was within the city of refuge when pursued by the
avenger of blood, but who could not overtake and slay him" (Dr.
Winslow, 1857). And because he is "in Christ" there is, therefore,
no condemnation for him. Hallelujah!
CHAPTER 2
The Christian's Assurance
"And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God to them who are the called according to His
purpose." (Romans 8:28).
How many of God's children have, through the centuries, drawn
strength and comfort from this blessed verse. In the midst of
trials, perplexities, and persecutions, this has been a rock
beneath their feet. Though to outward sight things seemed to work
against their good, though to carnal reason things appeared to be
working for their ill, nevertheless, faith knew it was for
otherwise. And how great the loss to those who failed to rest upon
this inspired declaration: what unnecessary fears and doubtings
were the consequence.
"All things work together." The first thought occurring to us is
this: What a glorious Being our God be, who is able to make all
things so work! What a frightful amount of evil there is in
constant activity. What an almost infinite number of creatures
there are in the world. What an incalculable quantity of opposing
self-interests at work. What a vast army of rebels fighting against
God. What hosts of super-human creatures over opposing the Lord.
And yet, high above all, is GOD, in undisturbed calm, complete
master of the situation. There, from the throne of His exalted
majesty, He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will
(Eph. 1:11). Stand in awe, then, before this One in whose sight
"all nations are as nothing; and they are counted as less than
nothing, and vanity " (Isa. 40:17). Bow in adoration before this
"high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isa. 57:15). Lift
high your praise unto Him who from the direct evil can educe the
greatest good. "All things work." In nature there is no such thing
as a vacuum, neither is there a creature of God that fails to serve
its designed purpose. Nothing is idle. Everything is energized by
God so as to fulfill its intended mission. All things are laboring
toward the grand end of their Creator's pleasure: all are moved at
His imperative bidding.
"All things work together." They not only operate, they
co-operate; they all act in perfect concert, though none but the
anointed ear can catch the strains of their harmony. All things
work together, not simply but conjointly, as adjunct causes and
mutual helps. That is why afflictions seldom come solitary and
alone. Cloud rises upon cloud: storm upon storm. As with Job, one
messenger of woe was quickly succeeded by another, burdened with
tidings of yet heavier sorrow. Nevertheless, even here faith may
trace both the wisdom and love of God. It is the compounding of the
ingredients in the recipe that constitutes its beneficent value. So
with God: His dispensations not only "work," but they "work
together." So recognized the sweet singer of Israel - "He drew me
out of many waters" (Psa. 18:16). "All things work together for
good to," etc. These words teach believers that no matter what may
be the number nor how overwhelming the character of adverse
circumstances, they are all contributing to conduct them into the
possession of the inheritance provided for them in heaven.
How wonderful is the providence of God in over-ruling things
most disorderly, and in turning to our good things which in
themselves are most pernicious! We marvel at His mighty power which
holds the heavenly bodies in their orbits; we wonder at the
continually recurring seasons and the renewal of the earth; but
this is not nearly so marvellous as His bringing good out of evil
in all the complicated occurrences of human life, and making even
the power and malice of Satan, with the naturally destructive
tendency of his works, to minister good for His children. "All
things work together for good." This must be so for three reasons.
First, because all things are under the absolute control of the
Governor of the universe. Second, because God desires our good, and
nothing but our good. Third, because even Satan himself cannot
touch a hair of our heads without God's permission, and then only
for our further good. Not all things are good in themselves, nor in
their tendencies; but God makes all things work for our good.
Nothing enters our life by blind chance: nor are there any
accidents. Everything is being moved by God, with this end in view,
our good. Everything being subservient to God's eternal purpose,
works blessing to those marked out for conformity to the image of
the Firstborn. All suffering, sorrow, loss, are used by our Father
to minister to the benefit of the elect.
"To them that love God." This is the grand distinguishing
feature of every true Christian. The reverse marks all the
unregenerate. But the saints are those who love God. Their creeds
may differ in minor details; their ecclesiastical relations may
vary in outward form; their gifts and graces may be very unequal;
yet, in this particular there is an essential unity. They all
believe in Christ, they all love God. They love Him for the gift of
the Saviour: they love Him as a Father in whom they may confide:
they love Him for His personal excellencies - His holiness, wisdom,
faithfulness. They love Him for His conduct: for what He withholds
and for what He grants: for what He rebukes and for what He
approves. They love Him even for the rod that disciplines, knowing
that He doth all things well. There is nothing in God, and there is
nothing from God, for which the saints do not love Him. And of this
they are all assured, "We love Him because He first loved us."
"To them that love God." But, alas, how little I love God! I so
frequently mourn my lack of love, and chide myself for the coldness
of my heart. Yes, there is so much love of self and love of the
world, that sometimes I seriously question if I have any real love
for God at all. But is not my very desire to love God a good
symptom? Is not my very grief that I love Him so little a sure
evidence that I do not hate Him? The presence of a hard and
ungrateful heart has been mourned over by the saints of all ages.
"Love to God is a heavenly aspiration, that is ever kept in check
by the drag and restraint of an earthly nature; and from which we
shall not be unbound till the soul has made its escape from the
vile body, and cleared its unfettered way to the realm of light and
liberty" (Dr. Chalmers).
"Who are called." The word "called" is never, in the New
Testament Epistles, applied to those who are the recipients of a
mere external invitation of the Gospel. The term always signifies
an inward and effectual call. It was a call over which we had no
control, either in originating or frustrating it. So in Rom. 1:6,7
and many other passages: "Among whom are ye also the called of
Jesus Christ: to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called
saints."
Has this call reached you, my reader? Ministers have
called you: the Gospel has called you, conscience has called you:
but has the Holy Spirit called you with an inward and irresistible
call? Have you been spiritually called from darkness to light, from
death to life, from the world to Christ, from self to God? It is a
matter of the greatest moment that you should know whether you have
been truly called of God. Has, then, the thrilling, life-giving
music of that call sounded and reverberated through all the
chambers of your soul? But how may I be sure that I have received
such a call? There is one thing right here in our text which should
enable you to ascertain. They who have been efficaciously called,
love God. Instead of hating Him, they now esteem Him; instead of
fleeing from Him in terror, they now seek Him; instead of caring
not whether their conduct honored Him; their deepest desire now is
to please and glorify Him.
"According to His purpose." The call is not according to the
merits of men, but according to the Divine purpose: "Who hath saved
us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works,
but according to this own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). The design of
the Holy Spirit in bringing in this last clause is to show that the
reason some men love God and others do not is to be attributed
solely to the mere sovereignty of God: it is not for anything in
themselves, but due alone to His distinguishing grace. There is
also a practical value in this last clause. The doctrines of grace
are intended for a further purpose than that of making up a creed.
One main design of them is to move the affections; and more
especially to reawaken that affection to which the heart oppressed
with fears, or weighed down with cares, is wholly insufficient -
even the love of God. That this love may flow perennially from our
hearts, there must be a constant recurring to that which inspired
it and which is calculated to increase it; just as to re-kindle
your admiration of a beautiful scene or picture, you would return
again to gaze upon it. It is on this principle that so much stress
is laid in Scripture on keeping the truths which we believe in
memory: "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I
preached unto you" (1 Cor. 15:2). "I stir up your pure minds by way
of remembrance," said the apostle (2 Pet. 3:1). "Do this in
remembrance of me" said the Saviour. It is, then, by going back in
memory to that hour when, despite our wretchedness and utter
unworthiness, God called us, that our affection will be kept fresh.
It is by recalling the wondrous grace that then reached out to a
hell-deserving sinner and snatched you as a brand from the burning,
that your heart will be drawn out in adoring gratitude. And it is
by discovering this was due alone to the sovereign and eternal
"purpose" of God that you were called when so many others are
passed by, that your love for Him will be deepened. Returning to
the opening words of our text, we find the apostle (as voicing the
normal experience of the saints) declares, "We know that all things
work together for good."
It is something more than a speculative belief. That all things
work together for good is even more than a fervent desire. It is
not that we merely hope that all things will so work, but that we
are fully assured all things do so work. The knowledge here spoken
of is spiritual, not intellectual. It is a knowledge rooted in our
hearts, which produces confidence in the truth of it. It is the
knowledge of faith, which receives everything from the benevolent
hand of Infinite Wisdom. It is true that we do not derive much
comfort from this knowledge when out of fellowship with God. Nor
will it sustain us when faith is not in operation. But when we are
in communion with the Lord, when in our weakness we do lean hard
upon Him, then is this blessed assurance ours: "Thou wilt keep him
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth
in Thee" (Isa. 26:3). A striking exemplification of our text is
supplied by the history of Jacob - one whom in several respects
each of us closely resembles. Heavy and dark was the cloud which
settled upon him. Severe was the test, and fearful the trembling of
his faith. His feet were almost gone. Hear his mournful plaint:
"And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my
children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take
Benjamin away: all these things are against me" (Gen. 42:36). And
yet those circumstances, which to the dim eye of his faith wore a
hue so somber, were at that very moment developing and perfecting
the events which were to shed around the evening of his life the
halo of a glorious and cloudless sunset. All things were working
together for his good! And so, troubled soul, the "much
tribulation" will soon be over, and as you enter the "kingdom of
God" you shall then see, no longer "through a glass darkly" but in
the unshadowed sunlight of the Divine presence, that "all things"
did "work together" for your personal and eternal good.
CHAPTER 3
Sufferings Compensated
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in
us" (Romans 8:18).
Ah, says someone, that must have been written by a man who was a
stranger to suffering, or by one acquainted with nothing more
trying than the milder irritations of life. Not so. These words
were penned under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and by one who
drank deeply of sorrow's cup, yea, by one who suffered afflictions
in their acutest forms. Hear his own testimony: "Of the Jews five
times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with
rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a
day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of
robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the
heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in
perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings
often, in cold and nakedness" (2 Cor. 11:24-27). "For I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
This, then was the settled conviction not of one of "fortune's
favourites," not of one who found life's journey a carpeted
pathway, bordered with roses, but, instead, of one who was hated by
his kinsmen, who was oft-times beaten black and blue, who knew what
it was to be deprived not only of the comforts but the bare
necessities of life. How, then shall we account for his cheery
optimism? What was the secret of his elevation over his troubles
and trials?
The first thing with which the sorely-tried apostle comforted
himself was that the sufferings of the Christian are but of brief
duration - they are limited to "this present time." This is in
sharp and solemn contrast from the sufferings of the
Christ-rejector. His sufferings will be eternal: forever tormented
in the Lake of Fire. But far different is it for the believer. His
sufferings are restricted to this life on earth, which is compared
to a flower that cometh forth and is cut down, to a shadow that
fleeth and continueth not. A few short years at most, and we shall
pass from this vale of tears into that blissful country where
groans and sighs are never heard.
Second, the apostle looked forward with the eye of faith to "the
glory." To Paul "the glory" was something more than a beautiful
dream. It was a practical reality, exerting a powerful influence
upon him, consoling him in the warmest and most trying hours of
adversity. This is one of the real tests of faith. The Christian
has a solid support in the time of affliction, when the unbeliever
has not. The child of God knows that in his Father's presence there
is "fullness of joy," and that at His right hand there are
"pleasures forever more." And faith lays hold of them, appropriates
them, and lives in the comforting cheer of them even now. Just as
Israel in the wilderness were encouraged by a sight of what awaited
them in the promised land (Num. 13:23,26), so, the one who today
walks by faith, and not by sight, contemplates that which eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, but which God by His Holy Spirit hath
revealed unto us (1 Cor. 2:9,10).
Third, the apostle rejoiced in "the glory which should be
revealed in us." All that this means we are not yet capable of
understanding. But more than a hint has been vouchsafed us. There
will be: (a) The "glory" of a perfect body. In that day this
corruption shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal,
immortality. That which was sown in dishonour shall be raised in
glory, and that which was sown in weakness shall be raised in
power. As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also
bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49). The content of these
expressions is summarized and amplified in Phil. 3:20,21: "For our
conservation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to
the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto
Himself." (b) There will be the glory of a transformed mind. "For
now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I
know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1
Cor. 13:12). Oh, what an orb of intellectual light will be each
glorified mind! What range of light will it encompass! What
capability of understanding will it enjoy! Then will all mysteries
be unraveled, all problems solved, all discrepancies reconciled.
Then shall each truth of God's revelation, each event of His
providence, each decision of His government, stand yet more
transparently clear and resplendent than the sun itself. Do you, in
your present quest for spiritual knowledge, mourn the darkness of
your mind, the weakness of your memory, the limitations of your
intellectual faculties? Then rejoice in hope of the glory that is
to be revealed in you - when all your intellectual powers shall be
renewed, developed, perfected, so that you shall know even as you
are known. (c) Best of all, there will be the glory of perfect
holiness. God's work of grace in us will then be completed. He has
promised to "perfect that which concerneth us" (Psa. 138:8). Then
will be the consummation of purity. We have been predestinated to
be "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29), and when we
shall see Him, "we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). Then our minds
will be no more defiled by evil imaginations, our consciences no
more sullied by a sense of guilt, our affections no more ensnared
by unworthy objects. What a marvelous prospect is this! A "glory"
to be revealed in me who now can scarcely reflect a solitary ray of
light! In me - so wayward, so unworthy, so sinful; living so little
in communion with Him who is the Father of lights! Can it be that
in me this glory shall be revealed? So affirms the infallible Word
of God. If I am a child of light-through being "in Him" who is the
effulgence of the Father's glory-even though now dwelling amid the
world's dark shades, one day I shall outshine the brightness of the
firmament. And when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth. he shall
"be admired in all them that believe" (II Thess. 1:10).
Finally, the apostle here weighed the "sufferings" of this
present time over against the "glory" which shall be revealed in
us, and as he did so he declared that the one is "not worthy to be
compared" with the other. The one is transient, the other eternal.
As, then, there is no proportion between the finite and the
infinite, so there is no comparison between the sufferings of earth
and the glory of heaven. One second of glory will outweigh a
lifetime of suffering. What were the years of toil, of sickness, of
battling with poverty, of sorrow in any or every form, when
compared with the glory of Immanuel's land! One draught of the
river of pleasure at God's right hand, one breath of Paradise, one
hour amid the blood-washed around the throne, shall more than
compensate for all the tears and groans of earth. "For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." May the
Holy Spirit enable both writer and reader to lay hold of this with
appropriating faith and live in the present possession and
enjoyment of it to the praise of the glory of Divine grace.
CHAPTER 4
The Great Giver
"He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us
all how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
(Romans 8:32).
The above verse supplies us with an instance of Divine logic. It
contains a conclusion drawn from a premise; the premise is that God
delivered up Christ for all His people, therefore everything else
that is needed by them is sure to be given. There are many examples
in Holy Writ of such Divine logic. "If God so clothe the grass of
the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall
he not much more clothe you?" (Matt. 6:30). "If when we were
enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10).
"If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give
good things to them that ask him?" (Matt. 7:11). So here in our
text the reasoning is irresistible and goes straight to the
understanding and heart. Our text tells of the gracious character
of our loving God as interpreted by the gift of His Son. And this,
not merely for the instruction of our minds, but for the comfort
and assurance of our hearts. The gift of His own Son is God's
guarantee to His people of all needed blessings. The greater
includes the less; His unspeakable spiritual gift is the pledge of
all needed temporal mercies. Note in our text four things:
1. The Father's Costly Sacrifice. This brings before us a side
of the truth upon which I fear we rarely meditate. We delight to
think of the wondrous love of Christ, whose love was stronger than
death, and who deemed no suffering too great for His people. But
what must it have meant to the heart of the Father when His Beloved
left His Heavenly Home! God is love, and nothing is so sensitive as
love. I do not believe that Deity is emotionless, the Stoic as
represented by the Schoolmen of the Middle Ages. I believe the
sending forth of the Son was something which the heart of the
Father felt, that it was a real sacrifice on His part. Weigh well
then the solemn fact which premises the sure promise that follows:
God "spared not His own Son"! Expressive, profound, melting words!
Knowing full well, as He only could, all that redemption
involved-the Law rigid and unbending, insisting upon perfect
obedience and demanding death for its transgressors. Justice, stern
and inexorable, requiring full satisfaction, refusing to "clear the
guilty." Yet God withheld not the only Sacrifice which could meet
the case. God "spared not His own Son," though knowing full well
the humiliation and ignominy of Bethlehem's manger, the ingratitude
of men, the not having where to lay His head, the hatred and
opposition of the ungodly, the enmity and bruising of Satan-yet He
did not hesitate. God did not relax ought of the holy requirements
of His throne, nor abate one whit of the awful curse. No, He
"spared not His own Son." The utmost farthing was exacted; the last
dregs in the cup of wrath must be drained. Even when His Beloved
cried from the Garden, "if it be possible, let this cup pass from
Me," God "spared" Him not. Even when vile hands had nailed Him to
the tree, God cried "Awake, Oh sword, against My Shepherd, and
against the man that is My Fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite
the Shepherd" (Zech. 13:7).
2. The Father's Gracious Design. "But delivered him up for
us all." Here we are told why the Father made such a costly
sacrifice; He spared not Christ, that He might spare us! It was not
want of love to the Saviour, but wondrous, matchless, fathomless
love for us! Oh marvel at the wondrous design of the Most High.
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son."
Verily, such love passeth knowledge. Moreover, He made this costly
sacrifice not grudgingly or reluctantly, but freely- out of love.
Once God had said to rebellious Israel, "How shall I give thee up,
Ephraim?" (Hosea 11:8). Infinitely more cause had He to say this of
the Holy One, His well-beloved, the One in whom His soul daily
delighted. Yet, He "delivered Him up"-to shame and spitting, to
hatred and persecution, to suffering and death itself. And He
delivered Him up for us-descendants of rebellious Adam, depraved
and defiled, corrupt and sinful, vile and worthless! For us who had
gone into the "far country" of alienation from Him, and there spent
our substance in riotous living. Yes, "for us" who had gone astray
like sheep, each one turning to "his own way." For us "who were by
nature the children of wrath, even as others," in whom there dwelt
no good thing. For us who had rebelled against our Creator, hated
His holiness, despised His Word, broken His commandments, resisted
His Spirit. For us who richly deserved to be cast into the
everlasting burnings and receive those wages which our sins so
fully earned. Yes, for thee fellow Christian, who art sometimes
tempted to interpret your afflictions as tokens of God's hardness;
who regard your poverty as a mark of His neglect, and your seasons
of darkness as evidences of His desertion. O, confess to Him now
the wickedness of such dishonouring doubtings, and never again
question the love of Him who spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all. Faithfulness demands that I should point out the
qualifying pronoun in our text. It is not God "delivered him up for
all," but "for us all." 'This is definitely defined in the
verses which immediately precede. In v. 31 the question is asked,
"If God be for us, who can be against us?" In v. 30 this "us" is
defined as those whom God did predestinate and has "called" and
"justified." The "us" are the high favorites of heaven, the objects
of sovereign grace. God's elect. And yet in themselves they are, by
nature and practice, deserving of nothing but wrath. But yet, thank
God, it is "us all" -the worst as well as the best, the
five-hundred-pounds-debtor equally as much as the
fifty-pence-debtor.
3. The Spirit's Blessed Inference. Ponder well the glorious
"conclusion" which the Spirit of God here draws from the wondrous
fact stated in the first part of our text, "He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him
also freely give us all things." How conclusive and how comforting
is the inspired reasoning of the apostle. Arguing from the greater
to the less, He proceeds to assure the believer of God's readiness
to also freely bestow all needed blessings. The gift of His own
Son, so ungrudgingly and unreservedly bestowed, is the pledge of
every other needed mercy. Here is the unfailing guaranty and
talisman of perpetual reassurance to the drooping spirit of the
tried believer. If God has done the greater, will He leave the less
undone? Infinite love can never change. The love that spared not
Christ cannot fail its objects nor begrudge any needed blessings.
The sad thing is that our hearts dwell upon what we have not,
instead of upon what we do have. Therefore the Spirit of God would
here still our restless self-communings and quiet the repinings of
ignorance with a soul-satisfying knowledge of the truth, by
reminding us not only of the reality of our interest in the love of
God, but also of the extent of that blessing which flows therefrom.
Weigh well what is involved in the logic of this verse. First, the
great Gift was given unasked; will He not bestow others for the
asking? None of us supplicated God to send forth His Beloved; yet
He sent Him! Now, we may come to the throne of grace and there
present our requests in the virtuous and all-efficacious name of
Christ. Second, the one great Gift cost Him much; will He not then
bestow the lesser gifts which cost Him nothing save the delight of
giving! If a friend were to give me a valuable picture, would he
begrudge the necessary paper and string to wrap it in? Or if a
loved one made me a present of a precious jewel, would he refuse a
little15 box to carry it in? How much less will He who spared not
His own Son, withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly.
Third, the one Gift was bestowed when we were enemies; will not
then God be gracious to us now that we have been reconciled and are
His friends? If He had designs of mercy for us while we were yet in
our sins, how much more will He regard us favourably now that we
have been cleansed from all sin by the precious blood of His
Son!
4. The Comforting Promise. Observe the tense that is used here.
It is not "how has he not with him also freely given us all
things," though this is also true, for even now are we "heirs of
God" (Rom. 8:17). But our text goes further than this: "How shall
he not with Him also freely give us all things?" The second half of
this wondrous verse contains something more than a record of the
past; it supplies reassuring confidence both for the present and
for the future. No time-limits are to be set upon this "shall."
Both now in the present and forever and ever in the future God
shall manifest Himself as the great Giver. Nothing for His glory
and for our good will He withhold. The same God who delivered up
Christ for us all is "without variableness or shadow of turning."
Mark the manner in which God gives: "How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things?" God does not have to be coaxed; there
is no reluctance in Him for us to overcome. He is ever more willing
to give than we are to receive. Again; He is under no obligations
to any; if He were, He would bestow of necessity, instead of giving
"freely." Ever remember that He has a perfect right to do with His
own as He pleases. He is free to give to whom He wills. The word
"freely" not only signifies that God is under no constraint, but
also means that He makes no charge for His gifts, He places no
price on His blessings. God is no retailer of mercies or barterer
of good things; if He were, justice would require Him to charge
exactly what each blessing was worth, and then who among the
children of Adam could find the wherewithal? No, blessed be His
name, God's gifts are "without money and without price"- unmerited
and unearned. Finally, rejoice over the comprehensiveness of this
promise: "How shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?" The Holy Spirit would here regale us with the extent of
God's wondrous grant. What is it you need, fellow Christian? Is it
pardon? Then has He not said, "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9)? Is it grace? Then has He not
said, "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye,
always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every
good work" (2 Cor. 9:8)? Is it a "thorn in the flesh"? this too
will be given "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor.
12:7). Is it rest? Then heed the Saviour's invitation, "Come unto
Me . . . and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28). Is it comfort? Is
He not the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)? "How shall he not with
him also freely give us all things?" Is it temporal mercies that
the reader is in need of? Are your circumstances adverse so that
you are filled with dismal forebodings? Does your cruse of oil and
barrel of meal look as though they will soon be quite empty? Then
spread your need before God, and do it in simple childlike faith.
Think you that He will bestow the greater blessings of grace and
deny the lesser ones of Providence? No, "My God shall supply all
your need" (Phil. 4:19). True, He has not promised to give all you
ask, for we often ask "amiss." Mark the qualifying clause: "How
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" We often
desire things which would come in between us and Christ if they
were granted, therefore does God in His faithfulness withhold
them.
Here then are four things which should bring comfort to every
renewed heart. The Father's costly sacrifice. Our God is a giving
God and no good thing does He withhold from them that walk
uprightly. The Father's gracious design. It was for us that Christ
was delivered up; it was our highest and eternal interests that He
had at heart. The Spirit's infallible inference. The greater
includes the less; the unspeakable Gift guarantees the bestowment
of all other needed favours. The comforting promise. Its sure
foundation, its present and future scope, its blessed extent, are
for the assuring of our hearts and the peace of our minds. May the
Lord add His blessing to this little meditation.
CHAPTER 5
The Divine Rememberer
"Who remembered us in our low estate: for His mercy endureth
forever" (Psa. 136:23).
"Who remembered us." This is in striking and blessed contrast
from our forgettings of Him. Like every other faculty of our
beings, the memory has been affected by the Fall and bears on it
the marks of depravity. This is seen from its power to retain what
is worthless and the difficulty encountered to hold fast that which
is good. A foolish nursery-rhyme or song heard in youth, is carried
with us to the grave; a helpful sermon is forgotten within
twenty-four hours! But most tragic and solemn of all is the ease
with which we forget God and His countless mercies. But, blessed be
His name, God never forgets us. He is the faithful Rememberer. We
were very much impressed when, on consulting the concordance, we
found that the first five times the word "remember" is used in
Scripture, in each case it is connected with God.
"And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the
cattle that was with him in the ark" (Gen. 8:1). "And the bow shall
be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the
everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all
flesh that is upon the earth" (Gen. 9:16). "And it came to pass,
when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered
Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He
overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt" (Gen. 19:29), etc. The
first time it is used of man we read, "Yet did not the chief butler
remember Joseph, but forgat him" (Gen. 40:23)! The historical
reference here is to the children of Israel, when they were toiling
amid the brick-kilns of Egypt. Truly they were in a "low estate": a
nation of slaves, groaning beneath the lash of merciless
task-masters, oppressed by a godless and heartless king. But when
there was none other eye to pity, Jehovah looked upon them and
heard their cries of distress. He "remembered" them in their low
estate. And why? Exodus 2:24,25 tells us: "And God heard their
groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac,
and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God
had respect unto it." And history is to repeat itself. Israel's
lowest estate has not yet been reached. Fearful as have been their
experiences during the last nineteen centuries, the blackest hour
of their dark night is yet before them. After the present
Dispensation of Grace is ended, yet eighteen sorer judgments will
descend on the Jews than those which their fathers suffered in the
house of bondage. The "great tribulation" will be the time when
their acutest sufferings will be experienced. But even then God
will "remember" them. As it is written, "Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's
trouble; but he shall be saved out of it" (Jer. 30:7). He will
"remember" His covenant with their ancestors (Lev. 24:42, 44,
etc.).
But our text is not to be limited to the literal seed of
Abraham: it has reference to the whole "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16).
The saints of this present Day of salvation also unite in saying,
"Who remembered us in our low estate." How "low" was our "estate"
by nature! As fallen creatures we lay in our misery and
wretchedness, unable to deliver or help ourselves. But, in wondrous
grace, God took pity on us. His strong arm reached down and rescued
us. He came to where we lay, saw us, and had compassion on us (Luke
10:33). Therefore can each Christian say, "He brought me up also
out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon
a rock, and established my goings" (Psa. 40:2). And why did He
"remember" us? The very word "remember" tells of previous thoughts
of love and mercy towards us. As it was with the children of Israel
in Egypt, so it was with us in our ruined condition by nature. He
"remembered" His covenant, that covenant into which He had entered
with our Surety from everlasting. As we read in Titus 1:2 of
eternal life "which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
was. Promised to Christ, that He would give that eternal life to
those for whom our covenant Head should transact. Yes, God
"remembered" that He had "chosen us in Him before the foundation of
the world" (Eph. 1:4), therefore did He, in due time, bring us from
death unto life. Yet this blessed word goes beyond our initial
experience of God's saving grace.
Historically, our text refers not only to God remembering His
people while they were in Egypt, but also, as the context shows,
while they were in the Wilderness, on their way to the Promised
Land. Israel's experiences in the desert but foreshadow the saints'
walk through this hostile world. And Jehovah's "remembrance" of
them, manifested in the daily supply of their every need,
adumbrated the rich provisions of His grace for us while we journey
to our Home on High. Our present estate, here on earth, is but a
lowly one, for we do not now reign as kings. Yet, is our God ever
mindful of us, and hourly does He minister to us. "Who remembered
us in our low estate." Not always are we permitted to dwell upon
the mount. As in the natural world, so in our experiences. Bright
and sunny days give place to dark and cloudy ones: summer is
followed by winter. Disappointments, losses, afflictions,
bereavements came our way, and we were brought low. And ofttimes
just when we seemed to most need the comfort of friends, they
failed us. Those we counted on to help, forgot us. But, even then,
there was One "who remembered us" and showed Himself to be "the
same yesterday and today and forever," and then did we prove afresh
that "His mercy endureth forever." "Who remembered us in our low
estate." There are some who may read these lines that will think of
another application of these words: namely, the time when you left
your first love, when your heart grew cold, and your life became
worldly. When you were in a sadly back-slidden state. Then, indeed,
was your estate a low one; yet even then did our faithful God
"remember" thee. Yes, each of us has cause to say with the Psalmist
"He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for His name's sake" (23:3). "Who remembered us in our low
estate."
Still another application of these words may be made, namely, to
the last great crisis of the saint, as he passes out of this world.
As the vital spark of the body grows dim and nature fails, then too
is our "estate" low. But then also the Lord remembereth us, for
"His mercy endureth for ever. Man's extremity is but God's
opportunity. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. It is
then that he "remembers" us by making good His comforting promises,
"Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy
God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness" (Isa. 41:10).
"Who remembered us in our low estate." Surely this text will
furnish us with suitable words to express our thanksgiving when we
are at Home, present with the Lord. How we shall then praise Him
for His covenant faithfulness, His matchless grace, and His loving
kindness, for having "remembered us in our low estate! Then shall
we know, even as we are known. Our very memories will be renewed,
perfected, and we shall remember all the way the Lord our God hath
led us" (Deut. 8:2), recalling with gratitude and joy His faithful
remembrances, acknowledging with adoration that "His mercy endureth
for ever." 20
CHAPTER 6
Tried by Fire
"But he knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried me I
shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
Job here corrects himself. In the beginning of the chapter we
find him saying: "Even today is my complaint bitter: my stroke is
heavier than my groaning" (vv. 1 & 2). Poor Job felt that his
lot was unbearable. But he recovers himself. He checks his hasty
outburst and revises his impetuous decision. How often we all have
to correct ourselves! Only One has ever walked this earth who never
had occasion to do so.
Job here comforts himself. He could not fathom the
mysteries of Providence but God knew the way he took. Job had
diligently sought the calming presence of God, but, for a time, in
vain. Behold I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I
cannot perceive him. On the left hand, where he doth work, but I
cannot behold him" (vv. 8 & 9). But he consoled himself with
this blessed fact-though I cannot see God, what is a thousand times
better, He can see me-"He knoweth." One above is neither unmindful
nor indifferent to our lot. If He notices the fall of a sparrow, if
He counts the hairs of our heads, of course "He knows" the way that
I take. Job here enunciates a
noble view of life. How splendidly optimistic he was! He did
not allow his afflictions to turn him into a skeptic. He did not
permit the sore trials and troubles through which he was passing to
overwhelm him. He looked at the bright side of the dark cloud-God's
side, hidden from sense and reason. He took a long view of life. He
looked beyond the immediate 'fiery trials" and said that the
outcome would be gold refined. "But he knoweth the way that I take:
when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." Three great
truths are expressed here: let us briefly consider each
separately.
1.The Divine Knowledge of My Life. "He knoweth the way that I
take." The omniscience of God is one of the wondrous attributes
of Deity. "For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all
his goings" (Job 34:21). "The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good (Prov. 15:3). Spurgeon said, "One
of the greatest tests of experimental religion is, What is my
relationship to God's omniscience?" What is your relationship to
it, dear reader? How does it affect you? Does it distress or
comfort you? Do you shrink from the thought of God knowing all
about your way? perhaps, a lying, selfish, hypocritical way! To the
sinner this is a terrible thought. He denies it, or if not, he
seeks to forget it. But to the Christian, here is real comfort. How
cheering to remember that my Father knows all about my trials, my
difficulties, my sorrows, my efforts to glorify Him. Precious truth
for those in Christ, harrowing thought for all out of Christ, that
the way I am taking is fully known to and observed by God. "He
knoweth the way that I take." Men did not know the way that Job
took. He was grievously misunderstood, and for one with a sensitive
temperament to be misunderstood, is a sore trial. His very friends
thought he was a hypocrite. They believed he was a great sinner and
being punished by God. Job knew that he was an unworthy saint, but
not a hypocrite. He appealed against their censorious verdict. "He
knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me I shall come
forth as gold."
Here is instruction for us when like circumstanced.
Fellow-believer, your fellow-men, yes, and your fellow-Christians,
may misunderstand you, and misinterpret God's dealings with you:
but console yourself with the blessed fact that the omniscient One
knoweth. "He knoweth the way that I take." In the fullest sense of
the word Job himself did not know the way that he took, nor do any
of us. Life is profoundly mysterious, and the passing of the years
offer no solution. Nor does philosophizing help us. Human volition
is a strange enigma. Consciousness bears witness that we are more
than automatons. The power of choice is exercised by us in every
move we make. And yet it is plain that our freedom is not absolute.
There are forces brought to bear upon us, both good and evil, which
are beyond our power to resist. Both heredity and environment
exercise powerful influences upon us. Our surroundings and
circumstances are factors which cannot be ignored. And what of
providence which "shapes our destinies"? Ah, how little do we know
the way which we "take." Said the prophet, "O Lord I know that the
way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps (Jer. 10:23). Here we enter the realm of mystery,
and it is idle to deny it. Better far to acknowledge with the wise
man, "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand
his own way?" (Prov. 20:24). In the narrower sense of the term Job
did know the way which he took. What that "way" was he tells us in
the next two verses. "My foot hath held his steps. his way have I
kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the
commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth
more than my necessary food" (Job 23:11, 12).
The way Job chose was the best way, the scriptural way, God's
way-"His way." What do you think of that way, dear reader? Was it
not a grand selection? Ah, not only "patient," but wise Job! Have
you made a similar choice? Can you say, My foot hath held his
steps. his way have I kept, and not declined?" (v. 11). If you can,
praise Him for His enabling grace. If you cannot, confess with
shame your failure to appropriate His all-sufficient grace. Get
down on your knees at once, and unbosom yourself to God. Hide and
keep back nothing. Remember it is written "If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). Does not v. 12 explain your
failure, my failure, dear reader? Is it not because we have not
trembled before God's commandments, and because we have so lightly
esteemed His Word, that we have "declined" from His way! Then let
us, even now, and daily, seek grace from on high to heed His
commandments and hide His Word in our hearts. "He knoweth the way
that I take." Which way are you taking?- the Narrow Way which
leadeth unto life, or 'the Broad Road that leadeth to destruction?
Make certain on this point, dear friend. Scripture declares, "So
every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12).
But you need not be deceived or uncertain. The Lord declared, "I am
The Way" (John 14:6).
2. Divine Testing "When he hath tried me." "The fining
pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth
the hearts" (Prov. 17:3). This was God's way with Israel of old,
and it is His way with Christians now. Just before Israel entered
Canaan, as Moses reviewed their history since leaving Egypt, he
said, "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God
led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and
to prove thee, and to know what as in thine heart, whether thou
wouldst keep his commandments, or no" (Deut. 8:2). In the same way
God tries, tests, proves, humbles us. "When he hath tried me." If
we realized this more, we should bear up better in the hour of
affliction and be more patient under suffering. The daily
irritations of life, the things which annoy so much-what is their
meaning? why are they permitted? Here is the answer: God is
"trying" you! That is the explanation (in part, at least) of that
disappointment, that crushing of your earthly hopes, that great
loss,-God was, is, testing you. God is trying your temper, your
courage, your faith, your patience, your love, your fidelity. "When
he hath tried me." How frequently God's saints see only Satan as
the cause of their troubles. They regard the great enemy as
responsible for much of their sufferings. But there is no comfort
for the heart in this. We do not deny that the Devil does bring
about much that harasses us. But above Satan is the Lord Almighty!
The Devil cannot touch a hair of our heads without God's
permission, and when he is allowed to disturb and distract us, even
then it is only God using him to "try" us. Let us learn then, to
look beyond all secondary causes and instruments to that One who
worketh all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11).
This is what Job did. In the opening chapter of the book which
bears his name we find Satan obtaining permission to afflict God's
servant. He used the Sabeans to destroy Job 's herds (v. 15): he
sent the Chaldeans to slay his servants (v. 17): he caused a great
wind to kill his children (v. 19). And what was Job's response?
This: he exclaimed "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord" (1:21).
Job looked beyond the human agents, beyond Satan who employed
them, to the Lord who controlleth all. He realized that it was the
Lord trying him. We get the same thing in the New Testament. To the
suffering saints at Smyrna John wrote, "Fear none of those things
which thou shalt suffer; behold, the devil shall cast some of you
into prison, that ye may be tried" (Rev. 2:10). Their being cast
into prison was simply God trying them. How much we lose by
forgetting this! What a stay for the trouble-tossed heart to know
that no matter what form the testing may take, no matter what the
agent which annoys, it is God who is "trying" His children. What a
perfect example the Saviour sets us. When He was approached in the
garden and Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the
Saviour said, "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not
drink it?" (John 18:11). Men were about to vent their awful rage
upon Him, the Serpent would bruise His heel, but He looks above and
beyond them. Dear reader, no matter how bitter its contents,
(infinitely less than that which the Saviour drained) let us accept
the cup as from the Father's hand.
In some moods we are apt to question the wisdom and right of God
to try us. So often we murmur at His dispensations. Why should God
lay such an intolerable burden upon me? Why should others be spared
their loved ones, and mine taken? Why should health and strength,
perhaps the gift of sight, be denied me? The first answer to all
such questions is, "O man, who art thou that repliest against
God?"! It is wicked insubordination for any creature to call into
question the dealings of the great Creator. "Shall the thing formed
say to him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?" (Rom.
9:20). How earnestly each of us need to cry unto God, that His
grace may silence our rebellious lips and still the tempest within
our desperately wicked hearts! But to the humble soul which bows in
submission before the sovereign dispensations of the all-wise God,
Scripture affords some light on the problem. This light may not
satisfy reason, but it will bring comfort and strength when
received in child-like faith and simplicity. In I Pet. 1:6 we read;
"Wherein (God's salvation) ye greatly rejoice, though now for a
season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations (or trials): That the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with
fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ."
Note three things here. First, there is a needs-be for the trial
of faith. Since God says it, let us accept it. Second, this trying
of faith is precious, far more so than of gold. It is precious to
God (cf. Psa. 116:15) and will yet be so to us. Third, the present
trial has in view the future. Where the trial has been meekly
endured and bravely borne, there will be a grand reward at the
appearing of our Redeemer. Again, in I Pet. 4:12, 13 we are told:
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is
to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings: that,
when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy." The same thoughts are expressed here as in the
previous passage. There is a needs-be for our "trials" and
therefore we are to think them not strange-we should expect them.
And, too, there is again the blessed outlook of being richly
recompensed at Christ's return. Then there is the added word that
not only should we meet these trials with faith's fortitude, but we
should rejoice in them, inasmuch as we are permitted to have
fellowship in "the sufferings of Christ." He, too, suffered:
sufficient then, for the disciple to be as his Master. "When he
hath tried me." Dear Christian reader, there are no exceptions. God
had only one Son without sin, but never one without sorrow. Sooner
or later, in one form or another, trial-sore and heavy-will be our
lot. "And sent Timotheus our brother . . . to establish you, and
comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by
these afflictions; for yourselves know that we are appointed
thereunto" (I Thess. 3:2, 3). And again it is written, "We must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts
14:22). It has been so in every age. Abram was "tried," tried
severely. So, too, were Joseph, Jacob. Moses, David, Daniel, the
Apostles, etc.
3. The Ultimate Issue. "I shall come forth as gold."
Observe the tense here. Job did not imagine that he was pure gold
already. "I shall come forth as gold," he declared. He knew full
well that there was yet much dross in him. He did not boast that he
was already perfect. Far from it. In the final chapter of his book
we find him saying, "I abhor myself" (42:6). And well he might: and
well may we. As we discover that in our flesh there dwelleth "no
good thing," as we examine ourselves and our ways in the light of
God's Word and behold our innumerable failures, as we think of our
countless sins, both of omission and commission, good reason have
we for abhorring ourselves. Ah, Christian reader, there is much
dross about us. But it will not ever be thus. "I shall come forth
as gold." Job did not say, "When he hath tried me I may come forth
as gold," or "I hope to come forth as gold," but with full
confidence and positive assurance he declared, "I shall come forth
as gold." But how did he know this? How can we be sure of the happy
issue? Because the Divine purpose cannot fail. He which hath begun
a good work in us "will finish it" (Phil. 1:6). How can we be sure
of the happy issue? Because the Divine promise is sure: "The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me" (Psa. 138:8). Then be of
good cheer, tried and troubled one. The process may be unpleasant
and painful, but the issue is charming and sure. "I shall come
forth as gold." This was said by one who knew affliction and sorrow
as few among the sons of men have known them. Yet despite his fiery
trials he was optimistic. Let then this triumphant language be
ours. "I shall come forth as gold" is not the language of carnal
boasting, but the confidence of one whose mind was stayed upon God.
There will be no credit to our account--the glory will all belong
to the Divine Refiner. James 1:12.
For the present there remain two things: first, Love is the
Divine thermometer while we are in the crucible of testing-"And he
shall sit (the patience of Divine grace) as a Refiner and Purifier
of silver," etc. (Mal. 3:3). Second, the Lord Himself is with us in
the fiery furnace, as He was with the three young Hebrews (Dan.
3:25). For the future this is sure: the most wonderful thing in
heaven will not be the golden street or the golden harps, but
golden souls on which is stamped the image of God-"predestinated to
be conformed to the image of his Son!" Praise God for such a
glorious prospect, such a victorious issue, such a marvelous
goal.
CHAPTER 7
Divine Chastisement
"Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when
thou are rebuked of him"(Hebrews 12:5).
It is of first importance that we learn to draw a sharp
distinction between Divine punishment and Divine chastisement -
important for maintaining the honour and glory of God, and for the
peace of mind of the Christian. The distinction is very simple, yet
is it often lost sight of. God's people can never by any
possibility be punished for their sins, for God has already
punished them at the Cross. The Lord Jesus, our Blessed Substitute,
suffered the full penalty of all our guilt, hence it is written
"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Neither the justice nor the love of God will permit Him to again
exact payment of what Christ discharged to the full. The difference
between punishment and
chastisement lies not in the nature of the sufferings of the
afflicted: it is most important to bear this in mind. There is a
threefold distinction between the two.
First, the character
in which God acts. In the former God acts as Judge, in the latter
as Father. Sentence of punishment is the act of a judge, a penal
sentence passed on those charged with guilt. Punishment can never
fall upon the child of God in this judicial sense because his guilt
was all transferred to Christ: "Who his own self bear our sins in
his own body on the tree." But while the believer's sins cannot be
punished, while the Christian cannot be condemned (Rom. 8:3), yet
he may be chastised. The
Christian occupies an entirely different position from the
non-Christian: he is a member of the Family of God. The
relationship which now exists between him and God is that of parent
and child; and as a son he must be disciplined for wrongdoing.
Folly is bound up in the hearts of all God's children, and the rod
is necessary to rebuke, to subdue, to humble.
The second distinction between Divine punishment and Divine
chastisement lies in the recipients of each. The objects of
the former are His enemies. The subjects of the latter are His
children. As the Judge of all the earth, God will yet take
vengeance on all His foes. As the Father of His family, God
maintains discipline over all His children. The one is judicial,
the other parental.
A third distinction is seen in The design of each: the
one is retributive, the other remedial. The one flows from His
anger, the other from His love. Divine punishment is never sent for
the good of sinners, but for the honouring of God's law and the
vindicating of His government. But Divine chastisement is sent for
the well-being of His children: "We have had fathers of our flesh
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much
rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For
they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure;
but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness"
(Heb. 12:9-10).
The above distinction should at once rebuke the thoughts which
are so generally entertained among Christians. When the believer is
smarting under the rod let him not say, God is now punishing me for
my sins. That can never be. That is most dishonouring to the blood
of Christ. God is correcting thee in love, not smiting in wrath.
Nor should the Christian regard the chastening of the Lord as a
sort of necessary evil to which he must bow as submissively as
possible. No, it proceeds from God's goodness and faithfulness, and
is one of the greatest blessings for which we have to thank Him.
Chastisement evidences our Divine son-ship: the father of a family
does not concern himself with those on the outside: but those
within he guides and disciplines to make them conform to his will.
Chastisement is designed for our good, to promote our highest
interests. Look beyond the rod to the All-wise hand that wields
it!
The Hebrew Christians to whom this Epistle was first addressed
were passing through a great fight of afflictions, and miserably
were they conducting themselves. They were the little remnant out
of the Jewish nation who had believed on their Messiah during the
days of His public ministry, plus those Jews who had been converted
under the preaching of the apostles. It is highly probable that
they had expected the Messianic Kingdom would at once be set up on
earth and that they would be allotted the chief places of honour in
it. But the Millennium had not begun, and their own lot became
increasingly bitter. They were not only hated by the Gentiles, but
ostracized by their unbelieving brethren, and it became a hard
matter for them to make even a bare living. Providence held a
frowning face. Many who had made a profession of Christianity had
gone back to Judaism and were prospering temporally. As the
afflictions of the believing Jews increased, they too were sorely
tempted to turn their back upon the new Faith. Had they been wrong
in embracing Christianity? Was high Heaven displeased because they
had identified themselves with Jesus of Nazareth? Did not their
suffering go to show that God no longer regarded them with
favour?
Now it is most instructive and blessed to see how the Apostle
met the unbelieving reasoning of their hearts. He appealed to their
own Scriptures! He reminded them of an exhortation found in
Proverbs 3:11-12, and applied it to their case. Notice, first, the
words we place in italics: "Ye have forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh unto you." This shows that the exhortations of the
Old Testament were not restricted to those who lived under the old
covenant: they apply with equal force and directness to those of us
living under the new covenant. Let us not forget that "all
Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable" (2 Tim.
3:16) The Old Testament equally as much as the New Testament was
written for our learning and admonition. Second, mark the tense of
the verb in our opening text: "Ye have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh." The Apostle quoted a sentence of the Word written
one thousand years previously, yet he does not say "which hath
spoken," but "which speaketh." The same principle is illustrated in
that sevenfold "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith (not "said") unto the churches" of Rev. 2 and 3. The Holy
Scriptures are a living Word in which God is speaking today!
Consider now the words "Ye have forgotten." It was not that these
Hebrew Christians were unacquainted with Prov. 3:11 and 12, but
they had let them slip. They had forgotten the Fatherhood of God
and their relation of Him as His dear children. In consequence they
misinterpreted both the manner and design of God's present dealings
with them, they viewed His dispensation not in the light of His
Love, but regarded them as signs of His displeasure or as proofs of
His forgetfulness. Consequently, instead of cheerful submission,
there was despondency and despair.
Here is a most important lesson for us: we must interpret the
mysterious providences of God not by reason or observation, but by
the Word. How often we "forget" the exhortation which speaketh unto
us as unto children- "My son, despise not thou the chastening of
the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him." Unhappily there
is no word in the English language which is capable of doing
justice to the Greek term here. "Paideia" which is rendered
"chastening" is only another form of "paidion" which signifies
"young children," being the tender word that was employed by the
Saviour in John 21:5 and Hebrews 2:13. One can see at a glance the
direct connection which exists between the words "disciple" and
"discipline": equally close in the Greek is the relation between
"children" and "chastening." Son-training would be better. It has
reference to God's education, nurture and discipline of His
children. It is the Father's wise and loving correction which is in
view. It is true that much chastisement is the rod in the hand of
the Father correcting His erring child. But it is a serious mistake
to confine our thoughts to this one aspect of the subject.
Chastisement is by no means always the scourging of His refractive
sons. Some of the saintliest of God's people, some of the most
obedient of His children, have been and are the greatest sufferers.
Oftentimes God's chastenings instead of being retributive are
corrective. They are sent to empty us of self-sufficiency and
self-righteousness: they are given to discover to us hidden
transgressions, and to teach us the plague of our own hearts. Or
again, chastisements are sent to strengthen our faith, to raise us
to higher levels of experience, to bring us into a condition of
usefulness. Still again, Divine chastisement is sent as a
preventative, to keep under pride, to save us from being unduly
elated over success in God's service. Let us consider, briefly,
four entirely different examples.
DAVID. In his case the rod was laid upon him for grievous sins,
for open wickedness. His fall was occasioned by self-confidence and
self-righteousness. If the reader will diligently compare the two
Songs of David recorded in 2 Samuel 22 and 23, the one written near
the beginning of his life, the other near the end, he will be
struck by the great difference of spirit manifested by the writer
in each. Read 2 Samuel 22:22-25 and you will not be surprised that
God suffered him to have such a fall. Then turn to chapter 23, and
mark the blessed change. At the beginning of v. 5 there is a
heart-broken confession of failure. In vv. 10-12 there is a
God-glorifying confession, attributing victory unto the Lord. The
severe scourging of David was not in vain.
JOB. Probably he tasted of every kind of suffering which falls
to man's lot: family bereavements, loss of property, grievous
bodily afflictions came fast, one on top of another. But God's end
in it all was that Job should benefit therefrom and be a greater
partaker of His holiness. There was not a little of
self-satisfaction and self-righteousness in Job at the beginning.
But at the end, when He was brought face to face with the thrice
Holy One, he "abhorred himself" (42:6). In David's case the
chastisement was retributive, in Job's corrective.
ABRAHAM. In him we see an illustration of an entirely different
aspect of chastening. Most of the trials to which he was subjected
were neither because of open sins nor for the correction of inward
faults. Rather were they sent for the development of spiritual
graces. Abraham was sorely tried in various ways, but it was in
order that faith might be strengthened and that patience might have
its perfect work in him. Abraham was weaned from the things of this
world, that he might enjoy closer fellowship with Jehovah and
become the "friend" of God.
PAUL. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be
exalted above measure (2 Cor. 12:7). This "thorn" was sent not
because of failure and sin, but as a preventative against pride.
Note the "lest" both at the beginning and end of the verse. The
result of this "thorn" was that the beloved apostle was made more
conscious of his weakness. Thus, chastisement has for one of its
main objects the breaking down of self-sufficiency, the bringing us
to the end of our selves. Now in view of these widely different
aspects chastenings which are retributive, corrective, educative,
and preventative, how incompetent are we to diagnose, and how great
is the folly of pronouncing a judgment concerning others! Let us
not conclude when we see a fellow-Christian under the rod of God
that he is necessarily being taken to task for his sins. In our
next meditation we shall, D.V., consider the spirit in which Divine
chastisements are to be received.
CHAPTER 8
Divine Chastisement
"My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint
when thou art rebuked of Him" (Hebrews 12:5).
Not all chastisement is sanctified to the recipients of it. Some
are hardened thereby; others are crushed beneath it. Much depends
on the spirit in which afflictions are received. There is no virtue
in trials and troubles in themselves: it is only as they are blest
by God that the Christian is profited thereby. As Heb. 12:11
informs us, it is those who are "exercised" under God's rod that
bring forth "the peaceable fruit of righteousness." A sensitive
conscience and a tender heart are the needed adjuncts. In our text
the Christian is warned against two entirely different dangers:
despise not, despair not. These are two extremes against which it
is ever necessary to keep a sharp look-out. Just as every truth of
Scripture has its balancing counterpart, so has every evil its
opposite. On the one hand there is a haughty spirit which laughs at
the rod, a stubborn will which refuses to be humbled thereby. On
the other hand, there is a fainting which utterly sinks beneath it
and gives way to despair. Spurgeon said, "The way of righteousness
is a difficult pass between two mountains of error, and the great
secret of the Christian's life is to wind his way along the narrow
valley."
I.Despising the Rod. There are a number of ways in which
Christians may "despise" God's chastenings. We mention four of
them:
1.By callousness. To be stoical is the policy of carnal
wisdom- make the best of a bad job. The man of the world knows no
better plan than to grit his teeth and brave things out. Having no
Divine Comforter, Counsellor or Physician, he has to fall back on
his own poor resources. It is inexpressibly sad when we see a child
of God conducting himself as does a child of the Devil. For a
Christian to defy adversities is to "despise" chastisement. Instead
of hardening himself to endure stoically, there should be a melting
of the heart.
2. By complaining. This is what the Hebrews did in the
wilderness; and there are still many mumurers in Israel's camp. A
little sickness, and we become so cross that our friends are afraid
to come near us. A few days in bed, and we fret and fume like a
bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. We peevishly ask, Why this
affliction? What have I done to deserve it? We look around with
envious eyes, and are discontented because others are carrying a
lighter load. Beware, my reader: it goes hard with murmurers. God
always chastises twice if we are not humbled by the first. Remind
yourself of how much dross there yet is among the gold. View the
corruptions of your own heart, and marvel that God has not smitten
you twice as severely. "My Son, despise not thou the chastening of
the Lord."
3. By criticisms. How often we question the usefulness of
chastisement. As Christians we seem to have little more spiritual
good sense than we had natural wisdom as children. As boys we
thought that the rod was the least necessary thing in the home. It
is so with the children of God. When things go as we like them,
when some unexpected temporal blessing is bestowed, we have no
difficulty in ascribing all to a kind Providence. But when our
plans are thwarted, when losses are ours, it is very different.
Yet, is it not written, "I form the light and create darkness. I
make; peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things" (Isa.
45:7)? How often is the thing formed ready to complain, "Why hast
thou made me thus?" We say, I cannot see how this can possibly
profit my soul. If I had better health I could attend the house of
prayer more frequently! If I had been spared those losses in
business I would have more money for the Lord's work! What good can
possibly come of this calamity? Like Jacob, we exclaim: "All these
things are against me. What is this but to "despise" the rod? Shall
thy ignorance challenge God's wisdom? Shall thy shortsightedness
arraign omniscience?
4. By carelessness. So many fail to mend their ways. The
exhortation of our text is much needed by all of us. There are many
who have "despised" the rod, and in consequence they have not
profited thereby. Many a Christian has been corrected by God, but
in vain. Sickness, reverses, bereavements have come, but they have
not been sanctified by prayerful self-examination. Oh brethren and
sisters, take heed. If God be chastening thee "consider your ways
(Hag. 1:5), "ponder the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26). Be
assured that there is some reason for the chastening. Many a
Christian would not have been chastised half so severely had he
diligently inquired the cause of it.
II . Fainting Under It. Having been warned
against "despising" the rod, now we are admonished not to give way
to despair under it. There are at least three ways in which the
Christian may "faint" beneath the Lord's rebukes:
1. When he gives up all exertion. This is done when we
sink down in despondency. The smitten one concludes that it is more
than he can possibly endure. His heart fails him; darkness swallows
him up; the sun of hope is eclipsed, and the voice of thanksgiving
is silent. To "faint" means rendering ourselves unfit for the
discharge of our duties. When a person faints, he is rendered
motionless. How many Christians are ready to completely give up the
fight when adversity enters their life. How many are rendered quite
inert when trouble comes their way. How many, by their attitude,
say, God's hand is heavy upon me: I can do nothing. Ah, beloved,
"sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" ((I Thess. 4:13).
"Faint not when thou are rebuked of Him." Go to the Lord about it:
recognize His hand in it. Remember thine afflictions are among the
"all things" which work together for good.
2.When he questions his sonship. There are not a few
Christians who, when the rod descends upon them, conclude that they
are not sons of God after all. They forget that it is written "Many
are the afflictions of the righteous (Psa. 34:19), and that "we
must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God" (Acts
14:22). One says, "But if I were His child I should not be in this
poverty, misery, pain." Listen to verse 8: "But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and
not sons." Learn, then, to look upon trials as proofs of God's love
purging, pruning, purifying thee. The father of a family does not
concern himself much about those on the outside of his household:
it is they who are within whom he guards and guides, nurtures and
conforms to his will. So it is with God.
3.When he despairs. Some indulge the fancy that they will
never get out of their trouble. One says, I have prayed and prayed,
but the clouds have not lifted. Then comfort yourself with this
reflection: It is always the darkest hour that precedes the dawn.
Therefore, "faint not" when thou art rebuked of Him. But, says
another, I have pleaded His promise, and things are no better. I
thought He delivered those who called upon Him; I have called, and
He has not answered, and I fear He never will. What, child of God,
speak of thy Father thus! You say He will never leave off smiting
because He has smitten so long. Rather say He has now smitten so
long I must soon be delivered. Despise not: faint not. May Divine
grace preserve both writer and reader from either sinful
extreme.
CHAPTER 9
God's Inheritance
"For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of
his inheritance" (Deuteronomy 32:9)
This verse brings before us a most blessed and wonderful line of
truth, so wonderful that no human mind could possibly have invented
it. It speaks of the mighty God having an "inheritance," and it
tells us that this inheritance is in His own people! God refused to
take this world for His inheritance-it will yet be burnt up. Nor
did heaven, peopled with angels, satisfy His heart. In eternity
past Jehovah said, by way of anticipation, "My delights were with
the sons of men" (Prov. 8:31).
This is by no means the only scripture which teaches that God's
inheritance is in His saints. In Psalm l35:4 we read, "For the Lord
hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar
treasure." In Mal. 3:17 the Lord speaks of His people as His
"special treasure" (see margin)-so "special" that the highest
manifestations of His love are made to them, the richest gifts of
His hand are bestowed on them, the mansions on High are prepared
and reserved for them! The same wondrous truth is taught in the New
Testament. In Ephesians 1 we behold the apostle Paul praying that
God would give unto His people the spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of their understanding being
enlightened that they might know "what is the hope of His calling,
and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints"
(v. 18). This is a truly amazing expression; not only do the saints
obtain an inheritance in God, but He also secures an inheritance in
them! How overwhelming the thought that the great God should deem
Himself the richer because of our faith, our love and worship!
Surely this is one of the most marvellous truths revealed in Holy
Writ-that God should pick up poor sinners and make them His
"inheritance"! Yet so it is.
But what need has God of us? How can we possibly enrich Him?
Does He not have everything-wisdom, power, grace and glory? All
true, yet there is something that He needs, yes, needs, namely,
vessels. Just as the sun needs the earth to shine upon, so God
needs vessels to fill, vessels through which His glory may be
reflected, vessels on which the riches of His grace may be
lavished. Mark that God's people are not only called His "portion,"
His "special treasure, but also His "inheritance. ' This suggests
three things. First, an "inheritance is obtained through death: so
God's inheritance is secured to Him through the death of His
beloved Son. Second, an "inheritance" denotes perpetuity-"to a man
and his heirs forever" are the terms often used. Third, an
"inheritance" is for possession, it is something which is entered
into, lived upon, enjoyed. Let us now consider five things about
God's inheritance:
1.God purposed to have such an inheritance: "Blessed is
the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath
chosen for his own inheritance" (Psa. 33:12). The "nation" here is
identical with the holy nation," the "chosen generation, royal
priesthood, peculiar people" of I Peter 2:9. This favoured people
was chosen by God to be His inheritance: it was not an afterthought
with Him, but decreed by Him in eternity past. Ere the foundation
of the world God fixed His heart upon having them for Himself.
2.God has purchased His people for an inheritance. In
Ephesians 1:14 we are told that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of His glory." So again in Acts 20:28 we read of
"the Church of God which He hath purchased with His own blood." God
has not only redeemed His people from bondage and death but for
Himself.
3.God comes and dwells in the midst of His inheritance:
"For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake
his inheritance" (Psa. 94:14) -a clear proof that these scriptures
are not referring to the nation of Israel after the flesh. Just as
Jehovah tabernacled in the midst of the redeemed Hebrews, so He now
indwells His church, both collectively and individually. "Know ye
not that ye (plural) are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you?" (I Cor. 3:16). "Know ye not that your body
(singular) is the temple of the Holy Spirit?" (I Cor. 6:19).
4.God beautifies His inheritance: Just as a man who has
inherited a house or an estate takes possession of it and then
makes improvements, so God is now fitting His people for Himself.
He who has begun a good work within His own is now performing it
until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). He is now conforming us
to the image of His Son: each Christian can say with the Psalmist,
"the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" (Psa. 138:8). Nor
will God be satisfied until we have been glorified. The Lord Jesus
Christ "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able
even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. 3:21). "When he
shall appear, we shall be like him" (I John 3:2).
5. And what of the future? God will yet possess, live
upon, enjoy His inheritance. In the unending ages yet to be,
God will make known the "riches of his glory" on the vessels of His
mercy (Rom. 9:23). The glory which God shall ever live upon-as upon
an inheritance-shall rise out of His people. What a marvellous
statement is that which is found at the close of Ephesians 2, where
the saints are likened unto a building "fitly framed together
(which) 36 groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord," of whom it is
said, "in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit." Wonderful and glorious is the picture
presented before us in Rev. 21: "And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;
and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, the new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will rest
in his love, he will joy over thee with singing; and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God" (vv. 1-3).
What a marvellous statement is that in Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord
thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy
over thee with singing." The great God will yet say, "I am
satisfied: here will I rest. This is Mine inheritance that I will
live upon forever, even the glory which I have bestowed on redeemed
sinners." Surely we have to say with the Psalmist, "Such knowledge
is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it"
(139:6). May Divine grace enable us to walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith we are called.
CHAPTER 10
God Securing His Inheritance
"He found him in a desert land and in the waste howling
wilderness; he led him about. He instructed him he kept him as the
apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10).
In the previous verse we have the amazing statement that the
Lord's "portion" is His people, and that there may be no
misunderstanding, the same truth is expressed in another form:
"Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." Here in our text we learn
something of the pains which God takes to secure His heritage.
There are four things to be noted and feasted upon.
1.Jehovah Finding His people. "He found him in a desert
land." It needs hardly to be said that the word "found" necessarily
implies a "search." Here then we have presented to our view the
amazing spectacle of a seeking God! Sin came in between the
creature and the Creator, causing alienation and separation. Not
only so, but, as the result of the Fall, every human being enters
this world with a mind that is "enmity against God." Consequently,
there is none that seeketh after God. Therefore, God, in His
marvellous condescension and grace, becomes the Seeker. The word
"found" not only implies a search but, when we consider the sinful
character and unworthiness of the objects of His search, it also
tells of the love of the Seeker. The great God becomes the Seeker
because He set His heart upon those whom He marked out to be the
recipients of His sovereign favours. God had set His heart upon
Abraham, and therefore did He seek and find him amid the heathen
idolators in Ur of Chaldea. God set His heart upon Jacob, and
therefore did He seek out and find him as a fugitive from his
brother's vengeance, when he lay asleep on the bare earth. So too
it was because He had loved Moses with an everlasting love that the
Lord sought out and found him in Midian, at "the backside of the
desert." Equally true is this with every real Christian living in
the world today: "I was found of them that sought me not; I was
manifest unto them that asked not after me (Rom. 10:20). Has God
"found" you? To help you answer this question, ponder the remainder
of the first clause of our text: "He found him in a desert land,
and in the waste howling wilderness." Is that how this world
appears unto you? Do you find everything under the sun only "vanity
and vexation of spirit"? Are you made to groan daily at what you
witness on every hand? Do you find that the world furnishes nothing
to satisfy the heart, yea nothing to even minister to it? Is
the world, really, a "waste howling wilderness" to you? Let
a second test be applied: when God truly "finds" one of His own He
reveals Himself. He imparts to the soul a realization of His
sovereign majesty, His awe-some power, His ineffable holiness, His
wondrous mercy. Has He thus made Himself known unto you? Has He
given you, in any measure, a vision of His Divine glory, His
sovereign grace, His wondrous love? Has He? "This is life eternal,
that they might know Thee, the One true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Here is a third test: If God has
revealed Himself, He has given you a sight of yourself, for in His
light we "see light." A most humbling, painful, and
never-to-be-forgotten experience this is. When God was revealed to
Abraham, he said, "I am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). When He
was revealed to Isaiah, the prophet said, "Woe is me for I am
undone, because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5). When God
revealed Him-self to Job, he said, "I abhor myself, and repent in
dust and ashes" (Job 42:6)-note, not merely I abhor my wicked ways,
but my vile self. Is this your experience, my reader? Have you
discovered your depravity and lost condition? Have you found there
is not a single good thing in you? Have you seen yourself to be fit
for and deserving only of hell? Have you, truly? Then that is good
evidence, yea, it is proof positive that the Lord God has "found"
you.
2. Jehovah Leading His People. "He led him about." The
"finding" is not the end, but only the beginning of God's dealings
with His own. Having found him, He remains never more to leave him.
Now that He has found His wandering child He teaches him to walk in
the Narrow Way. There is a beautiful word on God "leading" in Hosea
11:3: "I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms. Just
as a fond mother takes her little one, whose feet are yet too weak
and untrained to walk alone, so the Lord takes His people by their
arms and leads them in the paths of righteousness for His name's
sake. Such is His promise: "He will keep the feet of His saints" (1
Sam. 2:9). There is a threefold "leading" of the Lord:
Evangelical.-The Lord Jesus declared, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John
14:6). But again He said, 'No man can come to Me, except the Father
which hath sent Me draw him" John 6:44). Here then is how God
leads: He leads the poor sinner to Christ. Have you, my reader,
been brought to the Saviour? Is Christ your only hope? Are you
trusting in the sufficiency of His precious blood? If so, what
cause have you to praise God for having led you to His blessed Son!
Doctrinal.-The Lord Jesus
declared, "When He the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you
into all the truth" John 16:13). We are not capable of discovering
or entering into the Truth of ourselves, therefore do we have to be
guided into it. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God." (Rom. 8:14). It is He who makes us to lie down in
the "green pastures of Scripture and who leads us beside the "still
waters" of His promises. How thankful we ought to be for every ray
of light which has been granted us from the lamp of God's Word.
Providential.-"Thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them
not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from
them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by
night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go"
(Neh. 9:19). Just as Jehovah led Israel of old, so today He leads
us step by step through this wilderness-world. What a mercy this
is. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he
delighteth in his way" (Psa. 37:23). Yes, every detail of our lives
is regulated by the Most High.
All my times are in Thy hand, All events at Thy command, All
must come and last and end, As doth please our Heavenly Friend.
3. God Instructing His People. "He instructed him." So He
does us. It was to instruct us that God, in His great mercy, gave
us the Scriptures. He has not left us to grope our way in darkness,
but has provided us with a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path. Nor are we left to our own unaided powers in the study of the
Word. We are supplied with an infallible Instructor. The Holy
Spirit is our teacher, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and
ye know all things . . . the anointing ye have received of Him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (I John
2:20, 27). Right views of God's truth are not an intellectual
attainment, but a blessing bestowed upon us by God. It is written,
"a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven"
(John 3:27). No matter how legibly a letter may be written, if the
recipient be blind he cannot read it. So we are told, "the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are
spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2:14). And spiritual discernment is
imparted only by the Holy Spirit. "He instructed him." How
patiently God bears with our dullness! How graciously He repeats
"line upon line and precept upon precept"! Yet slow as we are, He
perseveres with us, for He has promised to perfect that which
concerns us (Psa. 138:8). Has He "instructed" you, my reader? Has
He taught you the total depravity of man and the utter inability of
the sinner to deliver himself? Has He taught you the humbling truth
"Ye must be born again," and that regeneration is the sole
work of God-man having no part or hand in it (John 1:13).
Has He revealed to you the infinite value and sufficiency of the
atoning sacrifice of Christ, that His blood cleanses "from all
sin"? Then what cause you have to be thankful for such Divine
instruction.
4. God Preserving His People. "He kept him as the apple
of his eye." A religion of conditions, contingencies, and
uncertainties is not Christianity-its technical name is
Arminianism, and Arminianism is a daughter of Rome. It is that God
dishonouring, Scripture-repudiating, soul-destroying system of
Popery-whose father is the Devil-which prates about human merit,
creature-ability, works of supererogation and a lot more
blasphemous rubbish, and leaves its blinded dupes in the fogs and
bogs of uncertainty. Christianity deals with certainties which
originated in the purpose and love of an unchanging God, who when
He begins a good work always completes it. "For the Lord loveth
judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever
(Psa. 37:28). How blessed is this! Did Jehovah "forsake" Noah when
he got drunk? No, indeed. Did He "forsake" Abraham when he lied to
Abimelech? No, indeed. Did He "forsake" Moses for smiting the rock
in anger? No, indeed, as His appearance on the Mount of
Transfiguration abundantly proves. Did He "forsake" David when he
committed those sins which ever since have given occasion for the
enemies of the Lord to blaspheme? No, indeed. He led him to
repentance, caused him to confess his awful wickedness, and then
sent one of His servants to say, "The Lord hath put away thy sin."
"The Lord is thy Keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The
Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from 'this
time forth and even for evermore" (Psa. 121:5-8). Here are the
covenant verities of our faithful God: here are the infallible
"shall's" of the triune Jehovah: here are the sure promises of Him
who cannot lie. Note there were no "if's" or preadventure's, but
the unconditional and unqualified declarations of the Most High. No
circumstances can ever place the believer beyond the reach of
Divine preservation. No change can alter or affect this Divine
certainty. Wealth may ensnare, poverty may strip, Satan may tempt,
inward corruptions may annoy, but nothing can ever destroy or lead
to the destruction of a single sheep of Christ; nay, all these
things only serve to display more manifestly and more gloriously
the preserving hand of our God. We "are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time"
(1 Peter 1:5). The rage of heathen monarchs, with their den of
lions and fiery furnace, may be employed to try the faith of God's
elect, but destroy them, harm them, they cannot. Oh brethren in
Christ, what cause we have to praise the finding, instructing, and
preserving, Triune Jehovah!
CHAPTER 11
Mourning
"Blessed are they that mourn" (Matthew 5:4).
Mourning is hateful and irksome
to poor human nature. From suffering and sadness our spirits
instinctively shrink. By nature we seek the society of the cheerful
and joyous. Our text presents an anomaly to the unregenerate, yet
is it sweet music to the ears of God's elect. If "blessed" why do
they "mourn"? If they "mourn" how can they be "blessed"? Only the
child of God has the key to this paradox. The more we ponder our
text the more we are constrained to exclaim, never man spake like
this Man!" "Blessed (happy) are they that mourn" is at complete
variance with the world's logic. Men have in all places and in all
ages, deemed the prosperous and the gay the happy ones, but Christ
pronounces happy those who are poor in spirit and who mourn. Now it
is obvious that it is not every species of mourning that is here
referred to. There is a "sorrow of the world which worketh death."
The mourning to which Christ promises comfort must be restricted to
that which is spiritual. The mourning which is blessed is the
result of a realization of God's holiness and goodness which issues
in a sense of our own wickedness-the depravity of our natures, the
enormity and guilt of our conduct and the sorrowing over our sins
with a godly sorrow. We intimated in our last that the eight
Beatitudes are arranged in four pairs; proof of this will be
furnished as we proceed. The first of the series is the blessing
which Christ pronounced upon those who are poor in spirit, which we
took to mean, they who have been awakened to a sense of their own
nothingness and emptiness. Now the transition from such poverty to
mourning is easy to follow, in fact, it follows so closely that it
is rather its companion.
The mourning which is here referred to is manifestly more than
that of bereavement, affliction or loss. It is mourning for sin.
'It is mourning over the felt destitution of our spiritual state,
and over the iniquities that have separated between us and God;
mourning over the very morality in which we have boasted, and the
self-righteousness in which we have trusted; sorrow for rebellion
against God, and hostility to His will; and such mourning always
goes side by side with conscious poverty of spirit" (Dr.
Person).
A striking illustration and exemplification of the spirit upon
which the Saviour here pronounced His benediction is to be found in
Luke 18. There a vivid contrast is presented to our view. First, we
are shown a self-righteous Pharisee looking up toward God and
saying, "God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast
twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess." This may
have been all true as he looked at it, yet this man went down to
his house in a state of condemnation. His fine garments were rags,
his white robes were filthy, though he knew it not. Then we are
shown the publican, standing afar off, who, in the language of the
Psalmist was so troubled by his iniquities that he was not able to
look up (Psa. 40:12). He dared not so much as lift up his eyes to
Heaven, but smote upon his breast, conscious of the fountain of
corruption within, and cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and
that man went down to his house justified, because he was poor in
spirit and mourned for sin.
Here then are the first birth-marks of the children of God, and
he who has never come to be poor in spirit, and has never known
what it is to really mourn for sin, though he belong to a church
and be an office-bearer in it, has neither entered nor seen the
kingdom of God. How thankful the Christian reader ought to be that
the great God condescends to dwell in the humble and contrite
heart! Where can we find anything in all the Old Testament more
precious than that?-that He, in whose sight the heavens are not
clean, who cannot find in any temple that man ever builded for Him,
however magnificent, a proper dwelling place, has said Isa. 66:2
and Isa. 57:15! "Blessed are they that mourn. Though the primary
reference be to that initial mourning, usually termed 'conviction
of sin,'' it is by no means to be limited to this.
Mourning is ever a characteristic of the normal Christian state.
There is much that the believer has to mourn over-the plague of his
own heart makes him cry, Oh wretched man that I am"; the unbelief
which "doth so easily beset us" and the sins which we commit that
are more in number than the hairs of our head, are a continual
grief; the barrenness and unprofitableness of our lives make us
sigh and cry; our propensity to wander from Christ, our lack of
communion with Him, the shallowness of our love for Him, cause us
to hang our harps upon the willows.
But this is not all. The hypocritical religion prevailing on
every hand, having a form of godliness but denying the power
thereof; the awful dishonour done to the truth of God by the false
doctrines taught in countless pulpits; the divisions among the
Lord's people, the strife between brethren, occasion continual
sorrow of heart. The awful wickedness in the world, men despising
Christ, the untold sufferings around, make us groan within
ourselves. The closer the Christian lives to God, the more will he
mourn over all that dishonours Him. With the Psalmist he will say:
119:53; with Jeremiah, 13:17; 14:17; with Ezekiel, 9:4.
"They shall be comforted." This refers first of all to the
removal of the conscious guilt which burdens the conscience. It
finds its fulfillment in the Spirit's application of the Gospel of
God's grace to the one whom He has convicted of his dire need of a
Saviour. It issues in a sense of free and full forgiveness through
the merits of the atoning blood of Christ. This Divine comfort is
the peace of God which passeth all understanding filling the heart
of the one who is now assured that he is "accepted in the Beloved."
God wounds before healing, abases before He exalts. First there is
a revelation of His justice and holiness, then the making known of
His mercy and grace.
"They shall be comforted" also receives a constant fulfillment
in the experience of the Christian. Though he mourns his excuseless
failures and confesses them to God, yet he is comforted by the
assurance that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses him from
all sin. Though he groans over the dishonour done to God on every
side, yet is he comforted by the knowledge that the day is rapidly
approaching when Satan shall be removed from these scenes and when
the Lord Jesus shall sit upon the throne of His glory and rule in
righteousness and peace. Though the chastening hand of the Lord is
often laid upon him and though "no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous," nevertheless, he is consoled
by the realization that this is all working out for him "a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Like the Apostle, the
believer who is in communion with his Lord can say, "As sorrowful
yet always rejoicing." He may often be called upon to drink of the
bitter waters of Marah, but God has planted nearby a tree to
sweeten them. Yes "mourning" Christians are comforted even now by
the Divine Comforter, by the ministrations of His servants, by
encouraging words from fellow Christians, and when these are not to
hand, by the precious promises of the Word being brought home in
power to his memory and heart.
"They shall be comforted." The best wine is reserved for the
last. Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
During the long night of His absence, the saints of God have been
called to fellowship with Him who was the Man of Sorrows. But,
blessed be God, it is written, "If we suffer with Him we shall also
be glorified together." What comfort and joy will be ours when
shall dawn the morning without clouds! Then shall "sorrow and
sighing flee away" (Isa. 35:10). Then shall be fulfilled the
saying-Rev. 21:3- 4.
CHAPTER 12
Hungering
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness; for they shall be filled"(Matthew 5:6).
In the first three Beatitudes we are called upon to witness the
heart exercises of one who has been awakened by the Spirit of God.
First, there is a sense of need, a realization of my nothingness
and emptiness. Second, there is a judging of self, a consciousness
of my guilt and sorrowing over my lost condition. Third, there is
an end of seeking to justify myself before God, an abandonment of
all pretences to personal merit, a taking of my place in the dust
before God. Here, in the fourth, the eye of the soul is turned away
from self to Another: there is a longing after that which I know I
have not got and which I am conscious I urgently need. There has
been much needless quibbling as to the precise import of the word
"righteousness" in our present text. The best way to ascertain its
significance is to go back to the Old Testament scriptures where
this term is used, and then turn on these the fuller light
furnished by the New Testament Epistles. "Drop down, ye heavens,
from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the
earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let
righteousness spring up together; I, the Lord have created it"
(Isa. 45:8). The first half of this verse refers, in figurative
language, to the advent of Christ to this earth; the second half to
His resurrection, when He was "raised again for our justification."
Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:
I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my
salvation shall not tarry; and I will place salvation in Zion for
Israel my glory" (Isa. 46:12-14). "My righteousness is near; my
salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the
isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arms shall they trust" (Isa.
51:5). "Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for
my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed"
(Isa. 56:1). "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Isa.
61:10). These passages make it clear that God's "righteousness" is
synonymous with God's "salvation." The above scriptures are
unfolded in the Epistle to the Romans where the "Gospel" receives
its fullest exposition, see 1:1. In 1:16, 17, we are told "I am not
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith." In 3:22, 24 we read, "Even the righteousness of
God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them
that believe, for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." In 5:19 the
blessed declaration is made, "for as by one man's disobedience many
were made (legally constituted) sinners, so by the obedience of One
shall many be made (legally constituted) righteous." While in 10:4
we learn, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every
one that believeth." The sinner is destitute of righteousness, for
"there is none righteous, no not one." God has therefore provided
in Christ a perfect righteousness for each and all of His people.
This righteousness, this satisfying of all the demands of God's
holy law against us, was wrought out by our Substitute and Surety.
This righteousness is now imputed-legally placed to the account of
the believing sinner. Just as the sins of God's people were all
transferred to Christ, so His righteousness is placed upon them,
see 2 Cor. 5:21. Such is a brief summary of the teaching of
Scripture on this vital and blessed subject of "Righteousness."
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness."
Hungering and thirsting express vehement desire, of which the soul
is acutely conscious. First, the Holy Spirit brings before the
heart the holy requirements of God. He reveals to us His perfect
standard, which He can never lower. He reminds us that "Except your
righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven."
Second, the trembling soul, conscious of its own abject poverty,
realizing his utter inability to measure up to God's requirements,
sees no help in self. This is a painful discovery, which causes him
to mourn and groan. Have you done so? Third, the Holy Spirit
now creates in the heart a deep "hunger and thirst," which causes
the convicted sinner to look for relief and seek a supply outside
of himself. The eye is now directed to Christ, "The Lord our
Righteousness" (Jer. 23:6). Like the previous ones, this attitude
begins in the unconverted, but is perpetuated in the saved sinner.
There is a repeated exercise of this grace, felt at varying
intervals. The one who longed to be saved by Christ now yearns to
be made like Him. Looked at in its widest aspect, this hungering
and thirsting refers to that panting of the renewed heart after God
(Psa. 42:1), that yearning for a closer walk with Him, that longing
for more perfect conformity to the image of His Son. It tells of
those Inspirations of the new nature for Divine blessing which
alone can strengthen, sustain and satisfy. Our text presents such a
paradox that it is evident no carnal mind ever invented it. Can one
who has been brought into vital union with Him who is the Bread of
Life, and in whom all fullness dwells, be found still hungering and
thirsting? Yes, such is the experience of the renewed heart. Mark
carefully the tense of the verb: it is not "Blessed are they which
have," but "Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst." Do you, dear reader? Or are you content with your
attainments and satisfied with your condition? Hungering and
thirsting after righteousness has ever been the experience of God's
saints: see Psalm 82:4; Phil. 3:8, 14, etc. "They shall be filled."
Like the first part of our text, this also has a double
fulfillment-an initial and a continuous. When God creates a hunger
and a thirst in the soul it is that He may satisfy them. When the
poor sinner is made to feel his need of Christ, it is that he may
be drawn to and led to embrace Him. Like the prodigal, who came to
the Father as a penitent, the believing sinner now feeds on the One
figured by the "fatted calf." He is made to exclaim "surely in the
Lord have I righteousness." "They shall be filled." Not with wine
wherein is excess, but "filled with the Spirit." "Filled" with "the
peace of God that passeth all understanding." "Filled" with Divine
blessing to which no sorrow is added. "Filled" with praise and
thanksgiving unto Him who has wrought all our works in us. "Filled"
with that which this poor world can neither give nor take away.
"Filled" by the goodness and mercy of God, till their cup runneth
over. And yet, all that is enjoyed now is but a little foretaste of
what God has prepared for them that love Him. In the Day to come we
shall be "filled" with Divine holiness, for we shall be "like him"
(I John 3:2). Then shall we be done with sin forever; then shall we
"hunger no more, neither thirst anymore" (Rev. 7:16).
CHAPTER 13
Heart Purity
"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God"
(Matthew 5:8).
This is another of the Beatitudes which has been grossly
perverted by the enemies of the Lord; enemies who have, like their
predecessors the Pharisees, posed as the champions of the truth and
boasted of a superior sanctity to that confessed by the true people
of God. All through this Christian era there have been poor deluded
souls who have claimed an entire purification of the old man, or
who have insisted that God has so completely renewed them that the
carnal nature has been eradicated, and in consequence that they not
only commit no sins but have no sinful desires or thoughts. But God
tells us: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us" (I John 1 18). Of course such people appeal to
the Scriptures in support of their vain delusion, applying to
experience verses which describe the legal benefits of the
Atonement. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin" does not mean that our hearts have been washed from the
corrupting defilements of evil, but that the sacrifice of Christ
has availed for the judicial blotting out of sins. "Old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17)
refers not to our state in this world, but to the Christian's
standing before God. That purity of heart does not mean sinlessness
of life is clear from the inspired record of the history of all of
God's saints. Noah got drunk; Abraham equivocated; Moses disobeyed
God; Job cursed the day of his birth; Elijah fled in terror from
Jezebel; Peter denied Christ. Yes, perhaps someone will exclaim,
But all these were before Christianity was established. True, but
it has also been the same since then. Where shall we go to find a
Christian of superior attainment to those of the apostle Paul? And
what was his experience? Read Romans 7 and see. When he would do
good, evil was present with him (v. 21); there was a law in his
members warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into
captivity to the law of sin (v. 23). He did, with the mind, serve
the law of God; nevertheless, with the flesh he served the law of
sin (v. 25). Ah, Christian reader, the truth is that one of the
most conclusive evidences that we do possess a pure heart is the
discovery and consciousness of the impurity of the old heart
dwelling side by side within. But let us come closer to our text.
"Blessed are the pure in heart." In seeking an interpretation to
any part of this Sermon on the Mount the first thing to bear in
mind is that those whom our Lord was addressing had been reared in
Judaism. As said one who was deeply taught of the Spirit: "I cannot
help thinking that our Lord, in using the terms before us, had a
tacit reference to that character of external sanctity or purity
which belonged to the Jewish people, and to that privilege of
intercourse with God which was connected with that character. They
were a people separated from the nations polluted with idolatry;
set apart as holy to Jehovah; and, as a holy people, they were
permitted to draw near to their God, the only living and true God,
in the ordinances of His worship". On the possession of this
character, and on the enjoyment of this privilege, the Jewish
people plumed themselves. "A higher character, however, and a
higher privilege, belonged to those who should be the subjects of
the Messiah's reign. They should not only be externally holy, but,
'pure in heart'; and they should not merely be allowed to approach
towards the holy place, where God's honour dwelt, but they should
'see God,' be introduced into the most intimate intercourse with
Him. Thus viewed, as a description of the spiritual character and
privileges of the subjects of the Messiah, in contrast with the
external character and privileges of the Jewish people, the passage
before us is full of the most important and interesting truth."
(Dr. John Brown). "Blessed are the pure in heart." Opinion is
divided as to whether these words of Christ are to be understood
literally or figuratively; whether the reference be to the new
heart itself received at regeneration, or to the moral
transformation of character which results from a Divine work of
grace being wrought in the soul. Probably both aspects of the truth
are combined here. In view of the late place which this Beatitude
occupies in the series, it would appear that the purity of heart
upon which our Saviour pronounced His blessing, is that internal
cleansing which accompanies and follows the new birth. Yet,
inasmuch as no heart purity exists in the natural man, what is here
affirmed by Christ must be traced back to regeneration itself. The
Psalmist said, "Behold Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and
in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psa. 51:6).
How far this goes beneath the outward renovation and reformation
which comprises such a large part of the efforts now being put
forth in Christendom! Much that we see around us is a hand
religion-seeking salvation by works-or a head religion, which rests
satisfied with an orthodox creed. But God looketh on the heart-an
expression which appears to include the understanding, the
affections and the will. It is because God looketh within that He
gives a "new heart" (Ezek. 36:26) to His own people, and "blessed"
indeed are they who have received such, for it is a "pure heart."
As intimated above, we believe this sixth Beatitude contemplates
both the new heart received at regeneration and the transformation
of character which follows God's work of grace in the soul. First,
there is a "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5) by which we
understand a cleansing of the affections, which are now set upon
things above, instead of things below; this is parallel with
"purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9). Accompanying this is
the cleansing of the conscious-"having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience" (Heb. 10:22), which refers to the removal of the
burden of conscious guilt, the inward realization that being
justified by faith we "have peace with God." But the purity of
heart commended here by Christ goes further than this. What is
purity? Freedom from defilement, undivided affections, sincerity
and genuineness. As a quality of Christian character, we would
define it as godly simplicity. It is the opposite of subtlety and
duplicity. Genuine Christianity lays aside not only malice, but
guile and hypocrisy. It is not enough to be pure in words and in
outward deportment; purity of desires, motives, intents, are what
should, and do in the main, characterize the child of God. Here
then is a most important test for every professing Christian to
apply to himself: Are my affections set upon things above? Are my
motives pure? Why do I assemble with the Lord's people?-to be seen
of men, or to meet with the Lord and enjoy sweet communion with
Him? "For they shall see God." Once more we would point out how
that the promises attached to these Beatitudes have both a present
and a future fulfillment. The pure in heart possess spiritual
discernment and with the eyes of their understanding they obtain
clear views of the Divine character and perceive the excellency of
His attributes. When the eye is single the whole body is full of
light. In the truth, the faith of which purifies the heart, they
'see God'; for what is that truth but a manifestation of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ-an illustrious display of the
combined radiance of Divine holiness and Divine benignity! And he
not only obtains clear and satisfactory views of the Divine
character, but he enjoys intimate and delightful communion with
God. He is brought very near God; God's mind becomes his mind;
God's will becomes his will; and his fellowship is truly with the
Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. "They who are pure in heart
'see God' in this way, even in the present world; and in the future
state their knowledge of God will become far more extensive and
their fellowship with Him far more intimate; for though, when
compared with the privileges of a former dispensation, even now 'as
with open face we behold the glory of the Lord,' yet, in reference
to the privileges of a higher economy, we yet see but 'through a
glass darkly'-we 'know but in part'-we understand but in part, we
enjoy but in part. But 'that which is in the part shall be done
away,' and 'that which is perfect shall come.' We shall yet see
face to face and know even as we are known (I Cor. 13:9-12); or to
borrow the words of the Psalmist, we 'shall behold his face in
righteousness, and shall be satisfied when we awake in his
likeness' (Psa. 17:15). Then, and not till then, will the full
meaning of these words be understood 'the pure in heart shall see
God.'" (Dr. John Brown).
CHAPTER 14
The Beatitudes and Christ
Our meditations upon the Beatitudes would not be complete unless
they turned our thoughts to the person of our blessed Lord. As we
have endeavored to show, they describe the character and conduct of
a Christian, and as Christian character is nothing more or less
than being experimentally conformed to the image of God's Son we
must turn to Him for the perfect pattern. In the Lord Jesus Christ
we find the brightest manifestations of the highest
exemplifications of the different spiritual graces which are found,
dimly reflected, in His followers. Not one or two but all of these
perfections were displayed by Him, for Me is not only "lovely," but
"altogether lovely." May the Holy Spirit who is here to glorify Him
take now of the things of Christ and show them unto us. First,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Most blessed is it to see how the
Scriptures speak of Him who was rich becoming poor for our sakes,
that we through His poverty might be rich. Great indeed was the
poverty into which He entered. Born of parents who were poor in
this world's goods, He commenced His earthly life in a manger.
During His youth and early manhood He toiled at the carpenter's
bench. After His public ministry had begun He declared that though
the foxes had their holes and the birds of the air their nests, the
Son of Man had not where to lay His head. If we trace out the
Messianic utterances recorded in the Psalms by the Spirit of
prophecy, we shall find that again and again He confessed to God
His poverty of spirit: "I am poor and sorrowful" (Psa. 69:29); and,
"Bow down thine ear, Oh Jehovah, for I am poor and needy" (Psa.
86:1); and again, "For I am poor and needy, and My heart is wounded
within me" (Psa. 109:22). "Blessed are they that mourn. Christ was
indeed the chief Mourner. Old Testament prophecy contemplated Him
as "the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief." See Him "grieved
for the hardness of their hearts" (Mark 3:5) Behold Him "sighing"
ere He healed the deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:34). Mark Him weeping
by the graveside of Lazarus. Hear His lamentation over the beloved
city, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered
thy children together" (Matt. 23:37). Draw near and reverently
behold Him in the gloom of Gethsemane, pouring out His petitions to
the Father "with strong crying and tears" (Heb. 5:7). Bow in
worshipful wonderment as you hear Him crying from the cross, 'My
God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Hearken to His plaintive
plea, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see
if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow" (Lam. 1:12). Third,
"Blessed are the meek." A score of examples might be drawn from the
Gospels illustrating the lovely lowliness of the incarnate Lord of
glory. Mark it in the men selected by Him to be His ambassadors: He
chose not the wise, the learned, the great, the noble, but poor
fishermen for the most part. Witness it in the company which He
kept: He sought not the rich and renowned, but was "the Friend of
publicans and sinners." See it in the miracles which He wrought:
again and again He enjoined the healed to go and tell no man what
had been done for them. Behold it in the unobtrusiveness of His
service: unlike the hypocrites who sounded a trumpet before them,
He sought not the lime-light, shunned advertising, and disdained
popularity. When the crowds would make Him their Idol, He avoided
them (Mark 1:45; 7:17). When they would come and "Take Him by force
to make Him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone" (John 6:15). When His brethren urged, "Show Thyself to the
world," He declined, and went up to the feast in secret (John 7) .
When He, in fulfillment of prophecy, presented Himself to Israel,
as their King, He entered Jerusalem "lowly, and riding upon an ass"
(Zech. 9:9). Fourth, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness.'' What a summary is this of the inner life of
the Man Christ Jesus! Before the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit
announced, "Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins" (Isa.
4:5). When He entered this world, He said, "Lo, I come to do Thy
will, Oh God" (Heb. 10:17). As a Boy of twelve He asked, "Wist ye
not that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:41). At the
beginning of His public ministry He declared, "Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). To His disciples He declared, "My
meat is to do the will of him that sent me (John 4:34). Of Him the
Holy Spirit has said, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest
wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil
of gladness above Thy fellows" (Psa. 45:7). Well may He be called
"The Lord our righteousness." Fifth, "Blessed are the merciful." In
Christ we see mercy personified. It was mercy to poor lost sinners
which caused the Son of God to exchange the glory of Heaven for the
shame of earth. It was mercy, wondrous and matchless, which took
Him to the Cross, there to be made a curse for His people. So it is
"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). He still exercises mercy to us
as our "merciful and faithful High Priest" (Heb. 2:17). So also we
are to be "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life" (Jude 21), because He will show us mercy in "that
Day" (2 Tim. 1:18). Sixth, "Blessed are the pure in heart." This
too was perfectly exemplified in Christ. He was the Lamb "without
spot and without blemish. In becoming Man, He was uncontaminated,
contracting none of the defilement's of sin. His humanity was
"holy" (Luke 1:35). He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). "In him was no sin" (I John 3:5),
therefore He "did no sin" (I Peter 2:22) and "knew no sin" (2 Cor.
5:21). "He is pure" (I John 3:3). Because He was absolutely pure in
nature, His motives and actions were always pure. "I seek not Mine
own glory" (John 8:50) sums up the whole of His earthly career.
Seventh, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Supremely true is this of
our blessed Saviour. He is the One who "made peace through the
blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20). He was appointed to be "a
propitiation" (Rom. 3:25), that is, the One who should pacify God's
wrath, satisfy every demand of His broken law, glorify His justice
and holiness. So, too, has He made peace between the alienated Jew
and Gentile: see Eph. 2:14-15. In a coming day He will yet make
peace on this sin-cursed and war-stricken earth. When He shall sit
upon the throne of His father, David, then shall be fulfilled that
word, "Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be
no end" (Isa. 9:7). Well may He be called "The Prince of Peace."
Eighth, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake." None was ever persecuted as was the Righteous One. What a
word is that in Rev. 12:4! By the spirit of prophecy He declared,
"I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up" (Psa. 88:15). On
His first public appearance we are told they "rose up, and thrust
him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon
their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong" (Luke
4:29). In the temple precincts they "took up stones to cast at him"
(John 9:59). All through His ministry His steps were dogged by
enemies. The religious leaders charged Him with having a demon
(John 8:38). Those who sat in the gate spake against Him, and He
was the song of the drunkards (Psa. 69:12). At His trial they
plucked off His hair (Isa. 50:6) , spat in His face, buffeted Him,
and smote Him with the palms of their hands (Matt. 26:67). After He
was scourged by the soldiers and crowned with thorns, carrying His
own cross, He was led to Calvary, where they crucified Him. Even in
His dying hours He was not left in peace, but was persecuted by
revilings and scoffings. How unutterably mild in comparison is the
persecution we are called on to endure for His sake! In like
manner, each of the promises attached to the Beatitudes find their
accomplishment in Christ. Poor in spirit He was, but His supremely
is the kingdom. Mourn He did, yet will He be comforted as He sees
of the travail of His soul. Meekness personified, yet shall He Sit
on a throne of glory. He hungered and thirsted after righteousness,
yet now is He filled with satisfaction as He beholds the
righteousness He wrought imputed to His people. Pure in heart, He
sees God as none other does (Matt. 11:27). As the Peacemaker, He is
owned the Son of God by all the blood-bought children. As the
persecuted One, great is His reward, having been given the Name
above all others. May the Spirit of God occupy us more and more
with Him who is fairer than the children of men.
CHAPTER 15
Affliction and Glory
"For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"(2
Corinthians 4:17).
These words supply us with a reason why we should not faint
under trials nor be overwhelmed by misfortunes. They teach us to
look at the trials of time in the light of eternity. They affirm
that the present buffetings of the Christian exercise a beneficent
effect on the inner man. If these truths were firmly grasped by
faith they would mitigate much of the bitterness of our sorrows.
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." This verse
sets forth a striking and glorious antithesis, as it contrasts our
future state with our present. Here there is "affliction," there
"glory." Here there is a "light affliction," there a "might of
glory." In our affliction there is both levity and brevity; it is a
light affliction, and it is but for a moment; in our future glory
there is solidity and eternity! To discover the preciousness of
this contrast let us consider, separately, each member, but in the
inverse order of mention. 1. "A far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory." It is a significant thing that the Hebrew word
for "glory"-kabod-also means "weight." When weight is added to the
value of gold or precious stones this increases their worth.
Heaven's happiness cannot be told out in the words of earth;
figurative expressions are best calculated to convey some imperfect
views to us. Here in our text one term is piled up on top of
another. That which awaits the believer is "glory," and when we say
that a thing is glorious we have reached the limits of human
language to express that which is excellent and perfect. But the
"glory" awaiting us is weighted, yea it is "far more exceeding"
weighty than anything terrestrial and temporal; its value defies
computation; its transcendent excellency is beyond verbal
description. Moreover, this wondrous glory awaiting us is not
evanescent and temporal, but Divine and eternal; for "eternal" it
could not be unless it were Divine. The great and blessed God is
going to give us that which is worthy of Himself, yea that which is
like Himself-infinite and everlasting. 2. "Our light affliction,
which is but for a moment." (1) "Affliction" is the common lot of
human existence; "Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly
upward" (Job 5:7). This is part of the entail of sin. It is not
meet that a fallen creature should be perfectly happy in his sins.
Nor are the children of God exempted; "Through much tribulation we
must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). By a hard and
rugged road does God lead us to glory and immortality. (2) Our
affliction is "light." Afflictions are not light in themselves for
ofttimes they are heavy and grievous; but they are light
comparatively! They are light when compared with what we really
deserve. They are light when compared with the sufferings of the
Lord Jesus. But perhaps their real lightness is best seen by
comparing them with the weight of glory which is awaiting us. As
said the same apostle in another place, "For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). (3) "Which is
but for a moment. Should our afflictions continue throughout a
whole lifetime, and that life be equal in duration to Methuselah's,
yet is it momentary if compared with the eternity which is before
us. At most our affliction is but for this present life, which is
as a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
Oh that God would enable us to examine our trials in their true
perspective. 3. Note now the connection between the two. Our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, "worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." The present is influencing
the future. It is not for us to reason and philosophize about this,
but to take God at His Word and believe it. Experience, feelings,
observation of others, may seem to deny this fact. Ofttimes
afflictions appear only to sour us and make us more rebellious and
discontented. But let it be remembered that afflictions are not
sent by God for the purpose of purifying the flesh: they are
designed for the benefit of the "new man." Moreover, afflictions
help to prepare us for the glory hereafter. Affliction draws away
our heart from the love of the world; it makes us long more for the
time when we shall be translated from this scene of sin and sorrow;
it will enable us to appreciate (by way of contrast) the things
which God had prepared for them that love Him. Here then is what
faith is invited to do: to place in one scale the present
affliction, in the other, the eternal glory. Are they worthy to be
compared? No, indeed. One second of glory will more than
counterbalance a whole lifetime of suffering. What are years of
toil, of sickness, of battling against poverty, of persecution,
yea, of a martyr's death, when weighed over against the pleasures
at God's right hand, which are for evermore! One breath of Paradise
will extinguish all the adverse winds of earth. One day in the
Father's House will more than counterbalance the years we have
spent in this dreary wilderness. May God grant unto us that faith
which will enable us to anticipatively lay hold of the future and
live in the present enjoyment of it.
CHAPTER 16
Contentment
"I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be
content" (Philippians 24:11).
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much
restlessness in the world as there is today? We very much doubt it.
Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time
and money expended daily in pleasure, discontent is everywhere. No
class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost
everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God's own people are
affected with the evil spirit of this age. Contentment! Is such a
thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a
mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth or is it
restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If practicable here and
now, may it be retained, or are a few brief moments or hours of
contentment the most that we may expect in this life? Such
questions as these find answer, an answer at least, in the words of
the apostle Paul: "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have
learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil.
4:11). The force of the apostle's statement will be better
appreciated if his condition and circumstances at the time he made
it be kept in mind. When the apostle wrote (or most probably
dictated) the words, he was not luxuriating in a special suite in
the Emperor's palace, nor was he being entertained in some
exceptional Christian household, the members of which were marked
by unusual piety. Instead, he was "in bonds" (cf. Phil. 1:13, 14);
"a prisoner" (Eph. 4:1), as he says in another Epistle. And yet,
notwithstanding, he declared he was content! Now, there is a vast
difference between precept and practice, between the ideal and the
realization. But in the case of the apostle Paul contentment was an
actual experience, and one that must have been continuous, for he
says, "in whatsoever state I am." How then did Paul enter into this
experience, and of what did the experience consist? The reply to
the first question is to be found in the word, "I have learned . .
. to be content." The apostle did not say, "I have received the
baptism of the Spirit, and therefore contentment is mine." Nor did
he attribute this blessing to his perfect "consecration." Equally
plain is it that it was not the outcome of natural disposition or
temperament. It is something he had learned in the school of
Christian experience. It should be noted, too, that this statement
is found in an Epistle which the apostle wrote near the close of
his earthly career! From what has been pointed out it should be
apparent that the contentment which Paul enjoyed was not the result
of congenial and comfortable surroundings. And this at once
dissipates a vulgar conception. Most people suppose that
contentment is impossible unless one can have gratified the desires
of the carnal heart. A prison is the last place to which they would
go if they were seeking a contented man. This much, then, is clear:
contentment comes from within not without; it must be sought from
God, not in creature comforts. But let us endeavor to go a little
deeper. What is "contentment"? It is the being satisfied with the
sovereign dispensations of God's providence. It is the opposite of
murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion-the clay saying to the
Potter, "Why hast Thou made me thus?" Instead of complaining at his
lot, a contented man is thankful that his condition and
circumstances are no worse than they are. Instead of greedily
desiring something more than the supply of his present need, he
rejoices that God still cares for him. Such an one is "content"
with such as he has (Heb. 13:5). One of the fatal hindrances to
contentment is covetousness, which is a canker eating into and
destroying present satisfaction. It was not, therefore, without
good reason, that our Lord gave the solemn commandment to His
followers-Take heed, and beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15). Few
things are more insidious. Often it poses under the fair name of
thrift, or the wise safeguarding of the future-present economy so
as to lay up for a "rainy day." The Scripture says, covetousness
which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5)-the affection of the heart being set
upon material things rather than upon God. The language of a
covetous heart is that of the horseleach's daughter, Give! Give!
The covetous man is always desirous of more, whether he has little
or much. How vastly different the words of the apostle-"And having
food and raiment let us be therewith content" (I Tim. 6:8). A much
needed word is that of Luke 3:14: "Be content with your wages"!
"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (I Tim. 6:6).
Negatively, it delivers from worry and fretfulness, from avarice
and selfishness. Positively, it leaves us free to enjoy what God
has given us. What a contrast is found in the word which
follows-"But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts,
which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money
is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows" (I Tim. 6:9,10). May the Lord in His grace deliver us from
the spirit of this world, and make us to be "content with such
things as we have." Contentment, then, is the product of a heart
resting in God. It is the soul's enjoyment of that peace which
passeth all understanding. It is the outcome of my will being
brought into subjection to the Divine will. It is the blessed
assurance that God doeth all things well, and is, even now, making
all things work together for my ultimate good. This experience has
to be "learned" by "proving what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2). Contentment is possible only as
we cultivate and maintain that attitude of accepting everything
which enters our lives as coming from the Hand of Him who is too
wise to err, and too loving to cause one of His children a needless
tear. Let our final word be this: real contentment is only possible
by being much in the presence of the Lord Jesus. This comes out
clearly in the verses which follow our opening text; "I know both
how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which
strengthens me" (Phil. 4:12, 13). It is only by cultivating
intimacy with that One who was never discontent that we shall be
delivered from the sin of complaining. It is only by daily
fellowship with Him Who ever delighted in the Father's will that we
shall learn the secret of contentment. May both writer and reader
so behold in the mirror of the Word the glory of the Lord that we
shall be "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
CHAPTER 17
Precious Death
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
saints" (Psalm 116:15).
This is one of the many comforting and blessed statements in
Holy Scripture concerning that great event from which the flesh so
much shrinks. If the Lord's people would more frequently make a
prayerful and believing study of what the Word says upon their
departure out of this world, death would lose much, if not all, of
its terrors for them. But alas, instead of doing so, they let their
imagination run riot, they give way to carnal fears, they walk by
sight instead of by faith. Looking to the Holy Spirit for guidance,
let us endeavor to dispel, by the light of Divine revelation, some
of the gloom which unbelief casts around even the death of a
Christian. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
saints." These words intimate that a dying saint is an object of
special notice unto the Lord, for mark the words "in the sight of."
It is true that the eyes of the Lord are ever upon us, for He never
slumbers nor sleeps. It is true that we may say at all times "Thou
God seest me." But it appears from Scripture that there are
occasions when He notices and cares for us in a special manner.
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble"
(Psalm 46:1). "When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with
thee" (Isaiah 43:2). "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of his saints." This brings before us an aspect of death
which is rarely considered by believers. It gives us what may be
termed the Godward side of the subject. Only too often, we
contemplate death, like most other things, from our side. The text
tells us that from the viewpoint of Heaven the death of a saint is
neither hideous nor horrible, tragic or terrible, but "precious."
This raises the question, Why is the death of His people precious
in the sight of the Lord? What is there in the last great crisis
which is so dear unto Him? Without attempting an exhaustive reply,
let us suggest one or two possible answers:
1. Their persons are precious to the Lord. They ever were
and always will be dear to Him. His saints! They were the ones on
whom His love was set before the earth was formed or the heavens
made. These are they for whose sakes He left His Home on high and
whom He bought with His precious blood, cheerfully laying down His
life for them. These are they whose names are borne on our great
High Priest's breast and engraven on the palms of His hands. They
are His Father's love-gift to Him, His children, members of His
body; therefore, everything that concerns them is precious in His
sight. The Lord loves His people so intensely that the very hairs
of their heads are numbered: the angels are sent forth to minister
unto them; and because their persons are precious unto the Lord so
also are their deaths.
2. Because death terminates the saint's sorrows and
sufferings. There is a needs-be for our sufferings, for through
much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts
14:22). Nevertheless, the Lord does not "afflict willingly"
(Lamentations 3:33). God is neither unmindful of nor indifferent to
our trials and troubles. Concerning His people of old it is
written, "In all their affliction he was afflicted" (Isaiah 63:9).
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them
that fear him" (Psalm 103:13). So also are we told that our great
High Priest is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Heb.
4:15). Here, then, may be another reason why the death of a saint
is precious in the sight of the Lord-because it marks the
termination of his sorrows and sufferings.
3. Because death affords the Lord an opportunity to display
His sufficiency. Love is never so happy as when ministering to
the needs of its cherished object, and never is the Christian so
needy and so helpless as in the hour of death. But man's extremity
is God's opportunity. It is then that the Father says to His
trembling child, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10). It is because of this that the
believer may confidently reply, "Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art
with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Our very weakness
appeals to His strength, our emergency to His sufficiency. Most
blessedly is this principle illustrated in the well-known words "He
shall gather the lambs (the helpless ones) with his arm, and carry
them in his bosom" (Isaiah 40:11). Yes, His strength is made
perfect in our weakness. Therefore is the death of the saints
"precious" in His sight because it affords the Lord a blessed
occasion for His love, grace and power to minister unto and
undertake for His helpless people.
4.Because at death the saint goes direct to the Lord. The
Lord delights in having His people with Himself. Blessedly was this
evidenced all through His earthly ministry. Wherever He went, the
Lord took His disciples along with Him. Whether it was to the
marriage at Cana, to the holy feasts in Jerusalem, to the house of
Jairus when his daughter lay dead, or to the Mount of
Transfiguration, they ever accompanied Him. How blessed is that
word in Mark 3:14, "He ordained twelve, that they should be with
him." And He is "the same yesterday and today and for ever."
Therefore has He assured us, "If I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am,
there ye may be also" (John 14:3). Precious then is the death of
the saints in His sight, because absent from the body we are
"present with the Lord" (II Cor. 5:8). While we are sorrowing over
the removal of a saint, Christ is rejoicing. His prayer was
"Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory" (John 17:24), and in the
entrance into Heaven of each one of His own people, He sees an
answer to that prayer and is glad. He beholds in each one that is
freed from "this body of death" another portion of the reward for
His travail of soul, and He is satisfied with it. Therefore the
death of His saints is precious to the Lord, for it occasions Him
ground for rejoicing. It is most interesting and instructive to
trace out the fullness of the Hebrew word here translated
"precious." it is also rendered "excellent." "How excellent is Thy
loving kindness, Oh God!" (Psa. 36:7). "A man of understanding is
of an excellent spirit" (Prov. 17:27). However worthily or
unworthily he may live, the death of a saint is excellent in the
sight of the Lord. The same Hebrew word is also rendered
"honourable." "Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women"
(Psa. 45:9). So Ahasuerus asked of Haman, "What shall be done unto
the man whom the king delighteth to honour?" (Esther 6:6). Yes, the
exchange of heaven for earth is truly honourable, and "This honour
have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord." This Hebrew word is also
rendered "brightness." "If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the
moon walking in brightness" (Job 31:26). Dark and gloomy though
death may be unto those whom the Christian leaves behind, it is
brightness "in the sight of the Lord": "at evening time it shall be
light" (Zech. 14:7). Precious, excellent, honourable, brightness in
the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. May the Lord make
this little meditation precious unto His saints.
THE END OF COMFORT FOR CHRISTIANS
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Index of Scripture References