Scripture Couplets
SALVATION BEFORE HELP.
"Lord, save me" (Mat_14:30). "Lord, help me" (Mat_15:25).
Two important, earnest, and impressive prayers. But please observe their order in the sacred narrative. Peter’s cry, "Lord, save me," comes before the Syro-Phoenician’s plea, "Lord, help me." Before the request for his assistance comes the call for his salvation. This is highly significant, and conveys a much needed and vitally important lesson.
"But I do ask God to help me," is often the reply of men and women when dealt with about their souls. There is hardly a Christian worker but has heard this statement many a time. And one cannot but feel that self-righteousness prompts that reply. No doubt it is true, for instinctively the most careless and depraved cry out for the help of the Almighty in times of distress and disaster. But it is not according to the Divine order. I must cry, "Lord, save me," before I cry, "Lord, help me." Before I have any right to ask for His assistance I must ask for His salvation. In fact, I have no claim on His willingness to help unless I have received His grace and mercy. This order is recognised in other portions of the Holy Book. For instance, the Gibeonites in a time of sore and desperate need sent an urgent message to Joshua, saying, "Save us and help us." (Jos_10:6); and the saint in the grand old 46th Psalm boldly exclaims: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Note the order-"save" then "help"; a "refuge," then a "present help"-yea, "a very present help."
It is all very well to say: "I do ask God to help me," but is that prayer answered? Ah, that is another thing. The heart-moving plea of the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15 was unheeded by the Saviour; yea, though the disciples begged Him to grant it in order to get rid of her (for undoubtedly that is the full significance of their conduct as indicated in Mat_15:23). And it was all because she had not recognised and observed the Divine order. She had, as a matter of fact, taken up an entirely false position, making a claim on Jesus as the "Son of David," a title she as a Gentile had no right to plead. It was only when she had taken her rightful place at His feet that her request for His help was granted. Oh, the blessedness of lying low at His feet in penitence and confession! Then, having become my Divine refuge from sin, He becomes my daily helper and strengthener. Having cried, Lord, save me," I have a humble right to cry daily, "Lord, help me."
I. "Lord, save me"-It was the Prayer of Sinking Peter for Himself, after attempting to do as Jesus did. Impetuous Peter asked the Lord for His invitation, and the Son of God could not do otherwise than invite him. And for a moment or two all seemed well. Peter, too, began to do the impossible, as all who trust the Saviour accomplish; but taking his eyes off the Master, he began to sink, and cried, "Lord, save me." This was a perfect prayer. It was short, direct, definite, earnest, and received an immediate reply. It does not take the Lord long to save us. Let the cry of penitence rise from a broken and a contrite heart and immediately He saves. Oh, sinking, soul, why do you not cry out to Him?
II. "Lord, help me." It was the Prayer of One for Another, the clamorous cry of a mother for her child, the expression of a desperate need that would not take "No" for an answer, the request of one prepared to take any lowly position provided she could secure the boon she coveted. And that prayer, too, was ultimately granted. What else could the Lord do? The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. What a rebuke this mother’s desperate plea is to many of our prayers for others! We will stir ourselves up, and lay hold on God, and then He will not deny the help we crave.
THE FACE OF THE LORD.
"Hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the Throne" (Rev_6:16).
"My heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek" (Psa_27:8).
What a startling contrast have we here in these two Scriptures! The first depicts a scene of unparalleled horror. There is nothing more awful in Holy Writ or in any other literature. Men and women crying out in terror for nature to hide them "from the face of Him that sitteth on the Throne," and crying in vain. But the second introduces us to a scene of peace and bliss. The blackness and the darkness have given way to the light of a bright summer morn. Instead of the anguishing cry of fear and dread, there is the wooing and soothing notes of worship. The same face to one company an unspeakable horror, but to the other an exquisite delight; the one fleeing from that holy countenance, the other seeking the same with wholehearted and earnest endeavour. What a startling contrast! How is it?
"No man can see Me (My face) and live" (Exo_33:20). Such was the Lord’s word to Moses. This certainly does not mean that He desires to hide himself from us. Away with such a thought. Why, He bids us seek His face! It simply means that the face of Jehovah, as involving the full blaze of His manifested glory, no mortal could bear, as the sight would overpower and shatter his frame. We have known instances of the sudden and unexpected sight of the long-lost face of son or daughter to so fill with joy the invalid parent that the transport shattered the feeble frame, and death intervened. For this reason in cases of this nature we speak of the wisdom of "breaking the news." Such a preparatory work is needed concerning the sight of the Lord’s face. This is forcibly illustrated in the two Scriptures before us. The fact that "they shall see His face" (Rev_22:4), by and by, is counted by believers as an inexpressibly privilege, because they are passing through the preparatory stages down here; whereas the mass of the mere worldlings are terrified at the prospect of beholding Him, because they are consciously unfit and unprepared. The best preparation for beholding His face by and by is to gaze into it here and now. How is this possible?
The first and most important preparatory step is the one Moses took, viz., the step to the Cleft Rock (Exo_33:22). There is another Rock, riven by a more awful storm, a Rock cleft by a thunderbolt of Divine justice- it is the Rock of Ages, that Rock which is Christ.
HOW TO SECURE SPIRITUAL IMMOBILITY
"I shall not be greatly moved." "I shall not be moved" (Psa_62:2, Psa_62:6).
Referring to the physical sufferings of one of his missionary brethren, Dan. Crawford suggestively writes that the burden "may have only looked to outsiders like a tombstone hung round his neck, whereas in reality it was only a weight necessary to keep down the diver while he was collecting pearls." This is a telling simile. Verily afflictions are weights. Yet they are not sent to crush us, but only to enable us to gather the precious pearls of Divine truth, and to add to our rich stores of Christian experience.
This was pre-eminently true of David the Psalmist. He was a man of affliction. Often the waves and billows went over him. But what precious lessons he learned and has passed on to us in his writings. This is seen in the Psalm from which we have taken our two Scriptures. When David wrote it he was evidently in great difficulties. He was surrounded by enemies, conspirators, and false friends. The Psalm is in four divisions. He first speaks to his enemies (1 to 4), then to himself (5 to 7), to his friends (8 to 11), and finally to the Lord (12). As he contemplates his foes he did not feel very sure of himself, and so he exclaimed, "I shall not be greatly moved." He was afraid he would be disturbed, and overcome just a little. But presently all such gloomy forebodings vanish. He became radiantly optimistic and gloriously dogmatic, and exultingly shouted, "I shall not be moved."
Both these verses are alike, but for one word. But that one word makes all the difference in the world. Why the change? What had brought it about? Was it because in the first he was addressing his enemies, and consequently must be cautious in his statements, whilst in the second he was addressing himself, and was trying to brace himself up? No, not exactly. The agreeable change was the result of giving his fears an airing. There is nothing like it. The microbe of unbelief cannot stand the clear light of day. Fears flourish in the dark. Drag them out into the light of His presence; tell Him all about them: tell some trusted Christian soul, too, and, lo, they vanish away. Then, after mournfully exclaiming, "I shall not be greatly moved," i.e., "I am bound to be moved a little," he began to think of the Lord, and that sure ground of confidence. Ah, He makes all the difference. Have you any fears? What a plague they are! But do not hide them any longer in your bosom. Just tell Him all; think a little more of Him, and, lo, they will disappear. And then, like David, you will boldly exclaim "I shall not be moved."
But moved by what, by whom? It is left indefinite for a purpose. You can just put in your own trouble and difficulty. But let us notice four powers that seek to move us.
I. Satan Seeks to Move Us (2Sa_24:1). There is no doubt as to the identity of the person referred to as "he." 1Ch_21:1 shows it was Satan. David was instigated by Satan to do this thing. And, alas, the enemy’s tactics succeeded only too well. He was greatly moved, and terrible were the results. The devil is constantly seeking to move us to do wrong, endeavouring to lead us to either go before or follow a long way behind, and even forsake our Master, and is perpetually plotting our overthrow. And how skilful he is. What chance have we against this old campaigner? Here is our safety: "For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved."
II. Sin Seeks to Move Us. In Act_7:9 we are informed that the reason the patriarchs sold their brother Joseph was that they were "moved with envy." Sin, in all its varied forms, seek to move us to do wrong. And, mark you, it is not only a temptation from without, but, more trying and dangerous still, it is one from within. Sin is a mighty enemy entrenched within us. But, thank God, if the Christian has an indwelling enemy he has an indwelling Friend. "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved." The secret of overcoming and of spiritual immobility is the presence of the Indwelling One.
III. Afflictions Seek to Move Us. The reason why Paul sent Timothy to visit the Thessalonians was lest any one of them "Should be moved by… afflictions" (1Th_3:3). They were evidently having a very rough time, and there was the great danger of becoming unsettled by these surging sorrows. But the antidote is this: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Those who cast their burdens upon the Lord, and perpetually confide in Him, will find themselves immovable.
IV. Friends Sometimes Seek to Move Us. Paul, believing himself to be in the will of God, was on his way to Jerusalem, but friends tried to dissuade him, yet he declared, "But none of these things move me" (Act_20:24). The only security from even well-intentioned but mistaken friends is this: "I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." It was this that helped Athanasius. He stood alone as the champion for the true and proper Deity of our Lord. "Do you know," said one to him, "that all the world is against you?" "Then," replied the brave defender, "I am against all the world."
TWO COVERINGS FOR SIN.
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper" (Pro_28:13) "Love covereth a multitude of sins" (1Pe_4:8. R.V.).
In an interview with a famous Gospel preacher the reviewer said: "His first words to me were, ‘Things are very different now from what they were 25 or 30 years ago. It was easy to work for God then, compared with what it is now. There was then a sense of sin, but where there is no sense of sin you have no fulcrum for your lever." Alas, how true are these words in our own time But if the sense of sin has been lost, the fact of sin remains. In the two verses before us two coverings for sin are given. In the one, covering of sins is denounced; in the other, commended. By bringing these texts together we note the contrast. There is a covering of sin allowable, if only the sin be another’s and not our own. But we reverse the order, hiding our own, and uncovering the sins of others.
I. The Covering of Sins Commended. There is a covering of sins which is not only allowable, but commended, the sin which is not my own but that of another. Human nature persists in reversing the order. Yea, alas, alas, so many make traffic with the sins of another!
This does not mean that we view sin differently in others than in ourselves. Sin is ever the same hideous monster wherever it be. I must never condone or excuse sin in either myself or in another. This just means that I must never make merchandise of the sins, faults, or failings of another fellow-mortal. It means that I will uncover the sins of others only to the Lord when alone with Him. It was said of one after she had gone, that "she was never known to speak ill of an absent friend." Could that be said of me, and of you?
Why should I cover the sins of others? 1st: On the common ground of the Golden Rule, doing to others as we would be done by. Sins have a strange way of coming home to roost. 2nd: But the Christian has a higher and a nobler reason for covering the sins of others-to cover sin is God-like. What He has done for me for Christ’s sake, I must do to others for His dear sake. Observe, there is no limit to this operation. "A multitude of sins."
II. The Covering of Sin Denounced. If love leads me to cover my neighbour’s sin, pride prompts me to cover my own. For the sinner naturally wishes to be thought better than he really is.
To uncover my sins does not mean (1) that I have to parade them before the public gaze. God forbid that we should ever gloat over our past, or refer to it in a spirit of bravado! Nor does it mean (2) that I have to uncover my sins to man, if the sin has just been between God and my soul. "I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord," was the Psalmist’s declaration (Psa. 32).
The Divine Covering. If I uncover my sin to the Lord, He will, by His Precious Blood, blot it out, and that is "better than covering. In the Old Testament sins could only be covered; in the New Testament sins are put away, blotted out.
REST GIVEN AND FOUND.
"Come. . . and I will give you rest." "Take. . . and ye shall find rest" (Mat_11:28-30).
It is safe to say that this is the best known and most beloved of all the sayings of our Lord Jesus. No human being can possibly estimate the multitudes who have been led into the Kingdom of His grace by the means of those precious words. Yet whilst so well known, few have noticed that there are two distinct Rests referred to. Those who can read the Greek declare there are two distinct words rendered in our English Bibles by the one word "rest." The first is a verb, the second a noun. The first signifies a temporary rest, one with the view of going on in the journey; the second stands for a more durable and lasting one. The first is a rest to the conscience; the second a rest to the soul. The first is a gift; the second a discovery.
This is recognised in the Book of Common Prayer, where in the Communion Service we have, "Come unto Me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you," i.e., a refreshing with a view to going on to a more permanent blessing. Oh, what a pity that so many seem to be content with the first, instead of pressing on to possess the second. In other words, mistaking the starting point for the goal.
I. The Rest that is Given. "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy ladem, and I will give you rest" (Mat_11:28).
Come! is one of the sweetest words in the Bible. The first come in the Bible (Gen_7:1), is one of salvation, and so is the last one (Rev_22:17). The blessing to be had for the coming is a precious one indeed, one of universal need. All do not hanker after pleasure, or crave intellectual treats, yet all are in need of rest.
He gives rest to the guilty conscience by His precious Blood.
II. The Rest that is Found. "Take My yoke upon you. . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Mat_11:30).
Whatever this means it is for those who have received the first, the temporary rest with a view to going on to the permanent one. This second word signifies a deep, abiding, permanent repose that is undisturbed in the turmoils of life. Israel had temporary rests all the way to Egypt, but they did not receive the permanent one until they reached the Land of Promise.
This rest is only found by wearing Christ’s yoke. The yoke in the Old Testament was a symbol of slavery. We read of the "yoke of the King of Babylon." Passing under the yoke meant good-bye to personal liberty. Christ demands an absolute submission, a full and complete surrender. And the first act of that submission we call consecration.
THE PURPOSE AND RESULT OF THE COMING OF CHRIST.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace" (Luk_2:14). "I came not to send peace but a sword" (Mat_10:34).
How glaringly contradictory do these statements seem to be! The first agrees with all our ideas of the purpose of His coming, and harmonises admirably with many other Scriptures; whilst the second is exactly the opposite. Some might be inclined to ask: Which is correct? Which have I to accept?
Which have we to accept? Why, both, for the two are correct, though they do seem to differ entirely. This view may seem illogical, but life proves many a proposition true that logic would readily demonstrate as false.
The first tells of His purpose in coming; the second the actual result of that coming. This phraseology is peculiar to the Bible where, sometimes, a person is declared to do only that which he permits.
This does not mean that our Lord’s purposes have been finally thwarted, that He came to bestow peace, but lo! His purposes are not, and will not be realised. What He has set out to do will assuredly be accomplished sooner or later.
But is there not another view of this matter-in order to establish peace, or in establishing peace, the sword of the Spirit is required? There are two pictures of our Lord Jesus in the Bible. The most familiar one is that of the Lord bearing the Olive Branch. He came to make peace by the Blood of His Cross, and to preach peace.
But there is another picture, and one not so well known, that of the Lord with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua saw the Lord, "over against him with His sword drawn in His hand" (Jos_5:13). Christ as the Man of War.
In Rev_1:16, John saw the Lord, when "out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword," teaching the mighty power of His Word. The Saviour we have to deal with is tender and compassionate. Yet One who can slay by a word.
I. Before Christ can establish His Peace in my heart He has to unsheath His Sword-In other words, before I can know Him as Peace Bringer, I must know Him as Peace Breaker. The unsaved soul is, by nature, wrapped up in a deep, deep peace, the peace of spiritual slumber and of death. A peace that is the herald of the awful storm of Judgment. A sleep from which there is no awakening if left to ourselves. He comes to disturb that false and awful peace.
Arctic explorers speak of the soul-subduing silences of the Arctic region. A strange peace reigns supreme. No life, nothing but a dreary chilling desolation. Everything is wrapped in the cold embrace of winter. Before the beautiful and refreshing peace of Spring time can visit that region there must be a great disturbance. The sun shines with its gladdening rays of warmth, the great ice field melts, and the result-an awful tearing and grinding, shrieking and rending, with explosions as of dynamite. So when the Sun of Righteousness shines upon souls wrapped up in the cold embrace of spiritual death, there is a disturbance, a breaking up of the stillness of spiritual death. To change the metaphor, the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God begins its cutting and thrusting. But after conviction comes conversion, after repentance comes peace through the Blood of His Cross.
II. The establishment of His Peace in the individual soul often means the unsheathing of the sword of persecution at home, in workshop, or elsewhere. Of the truth of this every Christian can fully vouch. Here is a worldly home, wrapped in carnal peace. One member of the family is converted. At once family peace departs, and persecution enters. The fact of the presence of Christ in that one life becomes a disturbance, making all uncomfortable. We have sometimes wondered why a veil was drawn over our Lord’s life at Nazareth. Perhaps it is a mercy that it was so. Was our Lord here speaking from personal experience? Was there strife and contention because of the presence of that Pure One? There are several significant facts in the New Testament.
His kinsmen thought Him mad (Mar_3:21). Even His mother and brethren shared the same view. And in Joh_7:5 we are informed His brethren did not believe Him.
But thank God, He gives peace to the persecuted ones.
III. It is also true to say that every saved soul is sent forth with a sword to make war upon the hosts of sin. Christ not only puts peace in my heart, but a sword in my hand. The note of warfare rings right through the New Testament Epistles. There are hosts of sin and wickedness to be attacked, and the Word of God is the weapon He puts into our hands. There is a call for volunteers. Who will step out on the Lord’s side!
IV. Peace of God-A Peace within. This peace baffles all description. It surpasses all thought. It is that holy calm which rests in God alone, and which He is willing to communicate to us. There are three steps to its enjoyment.
1. It becomes mine when I realise my standing in Christ, when I discovered I have peace with God on the ground of the shed blood of Christ.
2. It deepens and increases as I grow in grace. It is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal_5:22), comes to us by the aid of the Holy Spirit (Rom_14:17), and is the result of a deepened knowledge of God (2Pe_1:2), and of increased spirituality (Rom_8:6).
3. It follows the cultivation of the prayer-habit, as Php_4:7 clearly shows.
THE DIVINE ALCHEMIST.
"Instead of which (shields of gold) King Rehoboam made shields of brass" (2Ch_12:9-10). "For brass I will bring gold" (Isa_60:17).
The old alchemists spent their lives in seeking to discover a substance which would change the baser metals into those of value. But all their efforts only met with failure. What would they have given to be able to transform brass into gold! There is a heavenly Alchemist who can do this. What a contrast there, is between these two Scriptures! In the one brass is substituted for gold, and in the other gold for brass. The contrast is so great because one is the act of man, whilst the other is the act of God. Man, if left to himself, always substitutes the lower for the higher. Yet side by side with this degeneration we see the Divine Alchemist at work in regenerating, transforming and transfiguring.
Five years had passed since Solomon’s death, and they had been sad years of retrogression. During these decadent years the great split in the nation-the revolt of the nine and a half tribes-had taken place. Then, worse than all this, Judah "forsook the law of the Lord." In this time of sin and schism their old enemy, the King of Egypt, found an easy entrance into the land. Though the king and people humbled themselves and sought the Lord, God permitted Shishak to spoil Jerusalem, to appropriate the treasures of the Temple and of the king’s house, wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. Note the irony of the situation-Israel, when led by God out of Egypt, spoiled the Egyptians. Now the Egyptians, six hundred years afterwards, spoiled them, getting their own back with usury. Among the booty were three hundred solid gold shields, worth ‘a37500 each, used on special state occasions. Oh, how short lived is the glory which depends on the faithfulness of man! The Temple built by Solomon is robbed in the days of his son; and instead of the shields of gold which Shishak looted, Rehoboam made shields of brass. Yet, thank God, the Divine Alchemist is at work for His people. He is coming back again. And when He comes, He will bring back glory to Israel. Then, literally, as well as spiritually, for brass He will bring gold. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
But there is a message in all this for the backslider. When Rehoboam lost the pure gold what did he do? By all means he must keep up appearances. If he cannot afford golden shields, he must have something which resembles that precious metal-brass. And to avoid too close scrutiny by the people, he had them doubly guarded.
Is there a single Christian who has not at one time or another substituted brass for gold? Through unfaithfulness and sin we lose the pure gold of heart purity and communion with the Lord, of spiritual hunger and thirst after Divine things. And for all this gold, brass is substituted. All the outward acts of devotion and piety are kept up, and we look just the same as ever in the eyes of men. Scientists tell us of ice, and stone, and bronze ages. In religious experience we have these different periods. The ice stage is our state by nature the golden age is our state by grace. But, alas, there is sometimes the bronze age of mere externalism, when, though we have lost our first love, we keep up our round of Christian duties and perform all the outward acts of piety. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." Brass instead of gold. The appearance without the reality. "I bless His name, that I wax not pale, neither have I lost the colour of gold," wrote Samuel Rutherford, during a time of great testing. Can you say this? If not, pray put yourself into the hands of the Divine Alchemist, who can give gold for brass. Then you will be able to joyfully testify: "He restoreth my soul." Are you burdened by a sense of unworthiness? Then listen once again to Rutherford: "Often He makes gold of dross." Splendid! What cannot the Divine Alchemist do with us, if we will but surrender ourselves to Him?
WHITE, THEN WHITER THAN SNOW.
"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isa_1:18). "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psa_51:7).
"White as snow," "Whiter than snow." These are not synonymous terms. They differ in many respects. One was the Word of the Lord, whilst the other was the cry of a king. Three hundred years separate the two utterances. Both Scriptures point to clear and distinct truths. The first is the Lord’s promise, the second a penitent’s plea; the former describes the work of God when He forgives sin, the latter is a deep inward work of grace done afterward; the one is a righteousness imputed, the other a righteousness imparted. And, mark you, this order is always observed-I must be made white as snow, then whiter than snow.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord." This is a command none can afford to treat lightly, for it is a word of authority, being a "thus saith the Lord." What is behind a command is of extreme importance. If I say, "Move on," to loiterers in the street, they can afford to treat it lightly; if a policeman says the same, they will either have to "move on" or "move in." The law of the land is behind the man in blue. This is a word with all heaven behind it. Then notice, it is an appeal to reason: "Let us reason together." God appeals to mind as well as heart, to reason as well as to affections. And pray notice, it is a word, an importunate and imperative word, for the immediate present: "Come now"-not to-morrow, or the day after.
This is a word for the double-dyed sinner. Those who understand well the original language say that the word translated "scarlet" here really means the double-dyed, or twice-dipped. The scarlet colour in ancient times was the result of two dippings. What a word of hope is this then, for the vilest! None need despair, for Christ has died. Yet even the respectable sinners are included here, for, after all, are we not all double-dyed sinners, having been dipped in the vile pool of original corruption, and in the bath of actual transgression? Verily, we are sinners twice over, by choice as well as by birth.
"Scarlet." This word teaches the permanency of sin, for it is a fast colour. It has been said that there is no power in chemistry that can take the scarlet colour out without destroying the fabric. But what is impossible in chemistry is possible in grace. The red blood of the Son of God obliterates our scarlet sins, and the white robe of the spotless righteousness of God is thrown over the penitent one. Praise God for that word of hope: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." May it be so, dear reader, in your experience.
It is reported that away in the far North, on the brow of a hill covered with snow, illuminated by the light of the Polar star, a member of one of the Arctic Expeditions lies buried. A large stone covers the dead, and, on a copper tablet at the head of the grave, our text is inscribed: "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." There, amidst the eternal snows, man’s passionate longing for purity finds a voice. But, whiter than snow-surely David made a mistake. Can anything become whiter than snow? Ah, even the snowflake is not pure. It seems that nothing can touch this sin-cursed earth without becoming contaminated. Elements of earthliness are wrapped up in the bosom of every snowflake that falls upon the earth. It has been calculated that a slight fall of snow carries to the surface of the county of London alone 343 tons of solids. Even on the high pinnacle of the Alps it is not pure. Professor Tyndale took a sample of snow from the top of a high mountain, and found bits of steel filings and coal dust. Therefore you see this is the cry of the Psalmist for a deep purity, for a deeper and richer experience. It is the request of one who has known the joy of being made white as snow. Such a longing is the proof that the first has taken place. In fact, this is the very purpose God has in view in covering us with the white robe. He counts us white in order to make us what He counts us to be. Indeed, in nature this is so. Snow first hides all the vileness and blackness, and then whilst doing so has a bleaching effect. How white the paving stones and flags seem after snow has rested some time upon them. Will you not apprehend that for which also He apprehended you? Make David’s prayer yours. Thank God, He can answer it.
BEND OR BREAK-WHICH?
"The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars" (Psa_29:5.) "A bruised reed shall He not break" (Isa_42:3).
"Bend us, O Lord!" was the prayer of Evan Roberts, frequently offered during the great Welsh Revival, when facing congregations gathered together in the chapels and churches of Wales. God graciously answered that prayer hundreds of times, for we know His mighty Presence was manifested, and multitudes were bent before the heavenly breeze. It would be well if that prayer were offered more frequently by us, for without that holy, awful Presence meetings are powerless and fruitless. It is His presence that produces conviction of sin. May God grant us more and more in our gatherings an overwhelming sense of His presence!
But even in that sanctuary where the heavenly gales are blowing, there are some who refuse to bend. And what then? They who refuse to bend in grace will be broken in judgment. Frequently we have heard the phrase: "If he won’t bend, then he must be broken," by which is meant that if the gentler methods do not accomplish the desired purpose, harsher measures must be adopted. This is the teaching of our two texts. Those who bend like the bruised reeds will not be broken; those who refuse to bend, like the cedars, must be broken. Better, infinitely better, be a reed, shaken, bent, by the wind of God, than the proud cedar tree, erect and defiant, to be hurled down, without any possibility of recovery, by the fiery indignation of God.
I. He Breaks Not the Bruised Reed. How comforting this has been to countless thousands. The R.V. margin gives "dimly burning wick!" This is the condition of many. Instead of burning brightly, they are only smouldering and smudging, and in consequence more of a nuisance than a help. Such deserve to be extinguished. But our Blessed Lord does not possess an extinguisher. If He so bears with us, should we not bear with one another?
This is not only a word for the sickly Christian, but in the figure of the bruised reed we have a comforting word for the convicted sinner. For wounds and bruises are to be found in the service of sin. What bruises that traveller from Jerusalem to Jericho received when he fell among thieves. Remember, they who break the law of God are bruised in the act. But the fact is, we are all weak as bruised reeds. How frail is the bruised reed! Alas, the unsaved so often think themselves as strong as cedars when in reality they are as weak as bruised reeds. "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." And why not break the reed? Because the bruised reed bends submissively to Him in lowly penitence. He was broken in its stead.
Though He breaks not the bruised reed-
II. He Breaks the Cedars. In the 29th Psalm we have a vivid description of a thunderstorm. The pealing of heaven’s artillery has often roused poetical imagination. The inspired poet here sees in thunder an emblem of the voice of God.
The cedars of Lebanon have ever been famous. Wood for the Temple was procured from thence. One who has visited the forest of Lebanon writes: "As we stand beneath the giant arms of those old patriarchs of a hundred generations, there comes a solemn hush upon the soul as if by enchantment. The girth of the largest is more than 41 feet, the height of the highest may be 100. Some of them are supposed to be quite 3500 years old. Thus, at this rate of increase, they must have been growing ever since the flood. But they are not all erect. Some are struck down by lightning, broken by enormous loads of snow, or torn to fragments by tempest."
Note that word "Yea!" Even such mighty cedars as these of Lebanon find no escape. And why? They do not bend. There they stand, gripping the earth firmly, lifting their proud heads haughtily to the skies as if defying the living God. For this the cedar trees are not to blame. Not so men and women. Do you think it is a light thing to live a life of defiance to God? Listen to this parable. The reed advised the cedar to bow to the coming storm; but the cedar haughtily scorned the advice; so the mighty wind flouted it, broke it, blasted it, tore it up by the roots, and tossed it aside in its anger, whilst it passed over the weak bending reed unharmingly. Remember there is the world of difference between being humbled and humiliated. They who humble themselves shall be exalted; but they who refuse to humble themselves shall most certainly be humiliated. "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
THE TWO IMPORTANT LOOKS.
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved" (Isa_45:22). "Look to yourselves, that we lose not" (2Jn_1:8). A lady journalist in America consulted an oculist with regard to a trouble in her eyes. After a careful examination the specialist said: "Your eyes are tired; you must rest them. Have you any wide views from your house?" "Oh, yes," she replied. "From the front porch I can see the noble peaks of the Blue Ridge, and from the rear windows I can look out upon the glorious Allegheny Foot Hills." "Very well," said he, "that is just what you need. When your eyes feel tired, look steadily at your mountains for ten minutes-twenty minutes would be better; the far away look will rest them." Just so. And there is a deep spiritual lesson here. For this is a world with weary, tired eyes. Oh, how weary is the world! But there is a cure. There is a glorious far away look that rests and refreshes, a look nor merely to the hills, but away and beyond to the God of the hills. "Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills? Whence should my help come? My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth" (see margin of Psa_121:1-2). This is the look that brings rest and refreshment to mind and heart when burdened by work or distracted with care. And this faraway look also brings comfort to sad and sorrowful souls. But the pity is that so few have learned its value and tasted of its joys. Friend, try the far-away look!
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved." This is a message direct from the Lord Himself. And important are its issues. Salvation is dependent upon it. The look that saves is a look backward-a look to the Cross. Such a look brings rest to the weary soul and to the troubled conscience. There is life for such a look. The look that saves is also a look upward. Note the Psalmist’s determination in Psa_5:3. Look and live was the first message we needed; live looking is the second. "Looking unto Jesus." The look that saves is also a look into. Scholars tell us that in the Greek the word translated "unto" means not only "at," but "into." Thus the verse could read, "looking into Jesus." Not only looking at His works, His miracles, His beautiful life, but looking right into Him and reading His heart. The look that saves is also a look forward. "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Thus is readily seen how important is looking to the Lord. According to a famous preacher, in Isa_45:22, we have the greatest possible blessing-"salvation"-offered to the largest possible number-"all the ends of the earth"-on the simplest possible terms- "Look unto me"-on the highest possible security-"for I am God."
But there are some who object to the simplicity of these conditions. "How paltry and mean to make my salvation and happiness dependent upon a look," they say. But really, looking is not the vain and useless thing that it might appear to be. As has well been said: "Almost all knowledge comes from looking. We look at the physical world, and are taught what nature has to teach us. We look at books, and we learn what printing has to teach us. We look at men-their faces, their acts, their characters- and we discover what mankind has to teach us. Not to look is to shut ourselves off from almost all sources of information. Our eyes are more than organs of discernment; they are channels of reception. Our visions become our possessions."
How blessedly simple is all this. Why, looking is the simplest thing in the world, something even weak invalids and weak wailing bairns can do! How good of our God to make salvation dependent upon something we all can do. But possibly there may be some who are saying: "I cannot really do even this, for mine iniquities have taken hold of me, so that I am not able to look up" (Psa_40:12). The publican was like this, yet he cried to the Lord for His forgiveness, and he went down to his house justified.
"Look unto Me," "Look to yourselves." What is the meaning of these two apparently contradictory Scriptures? Just this: whilst the first is necessary for our salvation, the second is essential for the reception of a full reward, and is only another way of saying, "Beware of pickpockets." It is a solemn fact that many of God’s dear children will not receive a reward. Saved souls, but lost lives. This is the teaching of 1Co_3:14, 1Co_3:15. Beware! Look to yourself. Don’t let the enemy rob you of the fruits of your walk and service. A careful examination of 2Jn_1:8 shows that what was in the mind of John was loss through the reception of false teaching. How applicable this is to our own times, for error is to be met with on every hand. Be on your guard! But don’t forget that for every look to yourself let there be ten looks to thy Lord. "Ten to one," let that be your motto.
THE SECRET OF A GREAT CHANGE.
"Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone" (Hos_4:17), "Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him" (Hos_14:8).
What a startling change we have here! The first speaks of a nation hugging its idols in spite of prophetic warnings concerning the dire consequences of such conduct, whilst the second Scripture depicts a nation-the same stubborn and wilful people of Israel-throwing away these very selfsame idols. Naturally we are interested in tracing the reason for swift and sudden decisions, especially if they are those of a strong-willed and stubborn folk, and we are not left in ignorance of the secret. We might remark that the discovery of the secret of such a change is not merely interesting, it is a vital matter, affecting our own moral and spiritual condition, for herein is disclosed God’s way of weaning us from the world, and from vice and sin and self.
First, we are introduced to a nation wedded to its idols. Those were sad, sad days in the history of God’s chosen people. Prophet after prophet had been sent with messages of love to a backsliding people, but all to no purpose, for they persisted in their evil courses. And now comes the Divine verdict: "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone." To be left alone was just what they desired, yet no worse thing could possibly have happened to them. Sometimes when men and women of the world are pressed by earnest Christians to become concerned about their souls, and so seek the Lord in repentance and faith, they exclaim: "Why do you trouble me? Leave me alone." We are told that travellers in Arctic regions are sometimes so overcome with the cold that, sinking down exhausted upon the snow, they beg of their companions as a special favour, to be left to rest and sleep for a wee while. But that request is never granted. How false and cruel would be these fellow travellers if they did not shake the drowsy one, compiling him to keep on the move, for to be left alone means death. "Let us alone" (Luk_4:34), was the sinner’s ignorant cry of the Saviour. Nay, more than that, it was a cry inspired by the evil one. May God never grant that request of any reader of this page!
"Hugging idols-I make no pretence to godliness, but I am not doing that," is that what you say? Pray remember this, that what a man thinks most of-money, position, pleasure, appetite, applause-that is his god. Frankly now, answer this question: "What comes first in your life? Who, what, is your first thought in the morning, and your last thought at night?" Can you say:
"I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long."
Not one unsaved soul can answer in the affirmative. And, please remember, whatever comes first in your life is your god. Hugging sins and pleasures. Is that true of you? Perhaps, alas! some would sorrowfully confess that it is not so much they hugging their sins as their sins hugging them in a dreadful embrace. Oh! He loves you too much to leave you alone just yet. If in Hos_4:17 He says "Let him alone," in Hos_11:8, He exclaims, "How shall I give you up, Ephraim?"
The sequel is seen in our second Scripture, where we have a nation throwing away its idols. But how was, or rather, how will this be brought about? This stupendous change is the result of the expulsive power of a new affection, brought about by personal contact with the Lord, by hearing Him and observing Him. This is a prophecy that will be fulfilled by and by in the history of the Jews. But it may be fulfilled in every experience here and now. Wedded to idols and idols wedded to you, yet there is deliverance through Him. To know Him is life eternal, with all its accompanying blessing. "I have heard Him"-why, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. "I have observed Him"-that is how affection springs.
It is reported that a great sculptor spent eight years in producing the face of the Lord Jesus, and at last wrought one in which the emotions of love and sorrow were so perfectly blended that beholders wept as they looked upon it. Subsequently being solicited to employ his great talent on a statue of Venus, he replied: "After gazing so long into the face of Christ, think you I can now turn my attention to a heathen goddess?" And he spurned the offer. Here is the secret of weanedness from idols:
"I have heard the voice of Jesus,
Tell me not of aught beside;
I have seen the face of Jesus,
All my soul is satisfied."
YE ARE COMPLETE, THEREFORE BECOME SO.
"Ye are complete in Him" (Col_2:10). "Labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand. . . complete" (Col_4:12).
Anyone could be excused if, after reading these two texts, they exclaimed: "Really now, which of these have I to believe? " Here in the first, the great Apostle assures the Colossian Christians that they are complete in Christ, and yet by the second text I see that their dear friend Epaphras, was agonising in prayer for them, in order that they might become complete. Now, which is right?" "Which have you to believe?" Why, both, to be sure, for they are equally correct. The one refers to our standing, whilst the other refers to our state. In other words, Paul says:" You are complete, therefore you must become so.
Of course, it goes without saying that this is not in accordance with the usual method of human reasoning; but then we must ever remind ourselves that God’s thoughts are often different to ours. Who would dream of exhorting Christians to seek maturity, to become complete because they were complete? Reason says: "Become complete in order to be complete." God says: "Ye are complete, therefore strive to become so." Reason says: "I must become a saint by doing saintly things." God says: "You are a saint, therefore become one." (Note "To be" in Rom_1:7, are in italics, showing that they are not in the original; therefore it reads, "Called saints." See also 1Co_1:2.) Well might it be said that man is constantly making a goal of what God views as a starting-point. Such a blunder competitors in earthly races would never dream of making.
But let us illustrate our first Scripture. There are two shops in the same line of business in the same busy thoroughfare. Though both are owned by industrious tradesmen, having equal chances of success, how differently they have fared! One is well stocked with goods, which are shown to the best advantage by a shop-front and fittings of the latest and most expensive pattern; whilst the other is but a poor affair, with a scanty stock and a wretched old-fashioned shop-front. It is surely evident that whilst one finds business a pleasure and a delight, to the other it is but a dreary and a doleful task. Let us go to the less fortunate tradesman and solicit an explanation. "Ah!" says he, "that is easily given. The other man over the way began where I can only hope to end. His father is wealthy and gave him a splendid capital to begin his business career; such a sum of money I can only hope to have at the end of years and years of strenuous toil."
There are many in the great business of Christian living who can only hope to end where so many others begin. They begin to read the Bible and pray, try to live good lives, knock off this evil habit and that sin, and attend the services of the sanctuary, hoping at the end to gain God’s favour and everlasting bliss. But their life is a miserable struggle, and all their efforts are doomed to utter failure. The true believer begins where these vainly hope to end. He begins with a splendid capital. He commences his career by being counted righteous before God, by possessing, through Christ, the favour and wealth of God. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Brother, you, too, can begin the business of Christian living by a glorious capital. "Of His fulness have we all received" can become your testimony.
"Ye are complete in Him." How emphatic this is. "Ye are," not "Ye shall be." And how inclusive, too- "Ye." The weakest saint is included in that "Ye." Observe, "in Him," not "in myself." Thus it is not a matter of attainment, but of faith. What comfort there is in beginning housekeeping with a house completely furnished; not to do so often means years of scraping and weary struggle. But there is this difference: a completely furnished house depends upon ‘a3 s. d., whereas a completely furnished soul is dependent upon faith. How glorious this is!
"That ye may stand complete." We usually confine our prayers to the unsaved; not so the early Christians. They prayed earnestly that the Lord’s people might live holily and unblameably, for they recognised that the greatest hindrance to the evangelisation of the world is the worldly lives of Christians. Our second text preaches that, although counted complete, I am experimentally incomplete. But the Lord desires that I should make true in myself what is already true for me in Christ, or as it has been put, to turn a fact of doctrine into a fact of experience and attainment. (Note Lev_14:7, Lev_14:8. Though pronounced clean, the leper had a work to accomplish in order to be clean.) Then pray remember that the Lord counts the trusting soul complete in order to make it so. Oh! He desires to make me what He has already counted me to be! And He will place no obstacle in his way.
THE ARM OF THE LORD IS TOWARD, OR UNDER YOU-WHICH?
"He saith, all day long I have stretched forth My hands" (Rom_10:21). "Underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deu_33:27).
"The eternal God is thy refuge." The word translated "refuge" is a very strong one, and is not often met with in the Bible. It means infinitely more than a temporary place of safety, a mere shelter. It is, as the R.V. points out, a dwelling place, a habitation, a. home. You are caught in a sudden storm whilst in a public park, and with all speed you make for the shelter provided by the authorities-it is a refuge, and very acceptable-but it is not home. You are attempting to cross one of the main thoroughfares in a busy city, and finding yourself in danger fly to the refuge in the centre of the road. That little oasis in the midst of surging traffic is very welcome- but it is not home. Now, God in Christ is all this to the trusting soul-and very much more-for He is a home. After all, what is it that makes home? Is it not the loving arms of father and mother? Do you feel quite at home with God? If you feel uneasy at the thought of God’s presence, if there is a lack of homeliness in God for you, let Him throw His arms around and underneath you, and He will chase every fear away.
What a contrast is this expression to that quoted by Paul in Rom_10:21 : "All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." Certainly if the everlasting arms are not beneath you, they must be stretched forth in earnest pleading. The luxury of resting in the everlasting arms is known only by those who have responded to His loving invitation. But note, "all day long." What an example of patience and intense earnestness! God is depicted as stretching forth His hand for an entire day. How trying is the holding forth of the hands only for a little while. Here He waits long and patiently. How much longer will you keep Him in that uncomfortable attitude?
The arm of God is a symbol of power, therefore there is a thought of might in this figure. But there is also a thought of affection and love in the metaphor. Isaiah in his prophecy has much to say about the arm of the Lord, but Moses is concerned about the arms-not might only, but also love. The Bride in Solomon’s Song could say: "His left arm is under my head, His right hand doth embrace me." Thank God! Though the Almighty’s right hand is stretched out to defend us from all perils and dangers, His left hand binds us to His great heart of love.
But there is another important thought. He holds out His arms not only to rescue us from danger, but to satisfy His great heart of love. Men and women hunger for the love of little children, and never seem so happy as when they are folding the little ones to their bosoms. It is thus the hunger of their hearts is met. And is this not so with our God? Oh, if not for your own sake, yet for God’s sake come to Him. And He will rest in His love.
BEHIND THY BACK.
"Thou hast cast Me behind Thy back" (1Ki_14:9).
"Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back"
(Isa_38:17).
What an amazing contrast! In the first God is speaking to a King, in the second a king is speaking to God. In the former a sinner is seen casting God behind his back, whilst in the latter God is seen casting, not the sinner, but the sinner’s sin behind His back. Again we remark, what an amazing contrast! How magnanimous of the Lord to deal so mercifully with the repentant soul! But then, it is just like Him.
Some Scripture texts need a great deal of explanation, but these two are as clear as noonday, and require no interpretation. Yet, though they may be read clearly afar off, we may see additional beauty in them by closer inspection. Note first:
I. The Sinner Casting God Behind his Back. Our first Scripture formed part of a message addressed by God to Jeroboam, first king of the ten tribes. There are reasons for believing that, before his elevation to the throne, he was a humble follower of Jehovah, for when his eldest son was born he gave him the name of Abijah, which means, "Jehovah is my father," or "Jehovah is my desire." However, no sooner did he become king than he made the blunder of his life-erected golden calves for his subjects to worship. Merely worldly policy dictated such a step. He took counsel with himself and not with the Lord (see 1Ki_12:26). Now his sin seems more heinous when we note that he knew that it was for this very sin God had permitted the revolt (see 1Ki_11:33). Warnings were sent to him, but to no purpose, and now God permits his eldest son to be smitten with an incurable malady. Anxious about his beloved son, the king bethought himself of the despised and neglected prophet of God; but, not willing to face him himself, like a coward, sent his wife, bidding her to disguise herself, and take only the present of an almost destitute person. But her efforts to disguise herself were all to no purpose, and the Lord gave the prophet this stern message to send to the king by his wife.
Now could there be a more serious and damning charge? To cast behind the back is an act expressive of utter disregard and contempt. It signifies that God had been treated as of no value, and of no consequence, as worthless and useless.
But let us come a little closer. Cannot God lay such a charge at the door of every one of us? Truthfully can He say to thee, dear reader, "Thou hast cast Me behind thy back." Do you deny it? Well, now, can you say, "I have set the Lord always before me?" That is to say, you have always made Him your model and ideal, have ever kept Him in mind, recognising His presence with you?
If you cannot-and who dare say that he has—if He is not before you He must be behind you! And what about God’s law? In the prayer of penitence offered in Neh_9:26, Israel confessed that their fathers had "cast Thy law behind their backs." Have you always loved and kept His laws? The fact is, we were born with our backs to God. And whilst some deliberately and wilfully cast Him behind their backs, the vast majority do it unthinkingly and carelessly, yet nevertheless it is done just as certainly. What a relief it is to turn to our second Scripture.
II. God Casting the Sinner’s Sin Behind His Back. This is part of good King Hezekiah’s outburst of praise to God on his recovery from a most serious illness. He remembered, and placed on record, that, though in common with his fellows, he had cast God behind his back, yet, on confessing his sin, and seeking mercy, God had cast his sin behind His back. And there are thousands to-day who can, and do, give the same glad and joyous testimony. This is not according to our deserts. If we received our due, He would treat us as we have treated Him. And does He act thus because He thinks lightly of sin? For answer to that question go to Calvary. Jesus, our Lord, suffered in our stead. It is because God cast His beloved Son behind His back that He can now cast the repentant sinner’s sin behind His back.
"My sin is ever before me," moaned another king in heartbroken sorrow. Ah! that is it; when the sinner sets his sins before his own face and confesses them to the Lord, then it is that the merciful Lord sets them behind His back. Alleluia!
SPIRITUAL UNCONSCIOUSNESS.
"And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him" (Jdg_16:20). "Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone " (Exo_34:29).
It seems almost sacrilege to place Samson and Moses side by side, seeing the former was the slave of passion, whereas the latter was the slave of God, yet we do so for a specific purpose, viz., to place the two in contrast, and that we might emulate Moses.
There is nothing new or strange in unconscious acts. There are many things in life which we do quite unconsciously, through sheer force of habit. For instance, the accomplished pianist or organist does not think about the notes he has to strike. It is easy to see what a merciful provision this is which saves our feeble consciousness from being burdened with the heavy daily load. Had we to think how we were to manage every step we take, how we were to masticate our food, how to act or speak, or any other action which we now automatically perform, the mind would be crowded to distraction with these competing elements, reason would snap under the intolerable strain, and the world would be turned into a raving Bedlam.
It is when the unconsciousness has to do with the spiritual realm we need to be on our guard.
There are two kinds of unconsciousness. Samson was unconscious of spiritual loss, whereas Moses was unconscious of spiritual gain. The first was tragic; the second was blessed; the first was fatal to service; the latter was one important bit of service, and increased his usefulness.
I. Unconscious Spiritual Decline. One cannot help pitying Samson, fool though he was. "He wist not that the Lord was departed from him," but he ought to have known that his evil living would lead to this loss. Reading the life of Samson, we have the same feeling of grief as when reading the life of Burns, the Scottish poet-it is the what might have been which oppresses us. There were great possibilities for Samson, yet they were never fully realised. It is a very solemn and awful thing to hinder God’s purposes for us.
God did not forsake him immediately. He bore long with him-at least a score of years did He suffer him, giving deliverance upon deliverance.
The phrase "departed from him" had only reference to service, not to salvation. Though he had played fast and loose with sin, he was still in the Heavenly family. "Departed" meant powerlessness in service for God.
It is an awful thing to know that the Lord may depart from us, so far as power in service is concerned, and yet we be unconscious of it. It means that we can get so hardened by the deceitfulness of sin that we are not as sensitive as formerly.
II. Unconscious Spiritual Gain. For forty days and forty nights Moses had been alone with God. Beholding the glory of the Lord, he had been changed into the same image. And if we were more often alone with the Lord our countenances too would be oftener radiant.
Unconsciousness is the invariable sign of true holiness.
ON OR UNDER-WHICH?
"I bare you on eagles’ wings" (Exo_19:4). Gathered you under My wings (Mat_23:37). What a contrast have we here. We certainly have in the first a noble and majestic figure of speech. All the might of God bearing Israel up. What a wonderful relationship is here shown between God and His redeemed people. That was what God was to His people in grace under the Old. Covenant.
But which is the safer of the two-"on" or "under"? In the New Testament, under the New Covenant, God hides us under His wings. Even the Psalmist knew of this, as we see in Psalm 91: "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust." No position so near to the heart of God, and no position so warm and comfortable, as well as safe.
DRAWN OR DRIVEN-WHICH?
"Draw me, we will run after Thee" (Son_1:4).
"So He drove out the man" (Gen_3:24). One is always interested in the utterances of Spirit-filled and much-used men of God. Early in the Welsh Revival, Evan Roberts said: "There is no driving in anything which pertains to God; it is Satan that drives; God persuades, draws." And then, lifting up his voice, cried: "Draw us. Lord; draw us by thy Holy Spirit."
Meditating much on this statement, and searching the Word, we find that God does both, as above Scriptures show. But with this difference-references to His drawing are usually in connection with salvation, whereas His driving is usually in connection with judgment. So there is placed before us the choice: Whether we shall be amongst the drawn ones or the driven! God loves to draw, but hates to drive. Blessed are they who are drawn; woe to those who are driven.
I. The Sinner Drawn.
1. A Personal Plea.
a. It is a personal plea-"Draw me."
b. This is the language of an awakened soul, conscious of being away from God.
2. A Confession of Weakness. This is the language of conscious weakness Away from God, and unable to run in the way of His commandments. If He will only draw, then "we will run."
3. Language of Helplessness. This is the language of one who longs to follow the Lord Jesus, but is conscious of the alluring and awful fascination of sin.
4. Confession Prompted by a Sense of Unworthiness. The language of one who feels he deserves to be driven rather than drawn.
5. Request Granted "The King hath brought me." God loves to draw. This is seen in nature. The tides are caused by the drawing power of the moon. Evaporation, and in consequence the fertilizing showers, is the result of the drawing power of the sun. The growth and position of plants, trees, and flowers, depend upon the alluring and attracting power of the sun. But what about the world of men and women? Ah, no one offers this prayer in vain.
6. How Does He Draw.
a. The Ancients declared that the god Jupiter had a chain of gold which he could at any time let down from Heaven, and by it draw the earth and all its inhabitants to himself. Only a fable, yet there is a suggestion in it. It is true that our God, the only true God, has a golden chain, which in the "fulness of time" He let down from Heaven to earth to draw His erring creatures to Himself- and the Golden Chain is the Lord Jesus Christ, for is it not written: "Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be," and did He not Himself say: "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me?" (Joh_12:32). God draws through the Atoning Death of His Beloved Son.
b. He draws also by His sympathy and love. As we read the sacred records we discover His loving sympathy with all.
7. The Result. In our text there are three blessed results of His drawing.
a. Run after the Lord. Only the drawn ones can follow after the Lord in the way of loving obedience. Observe, run, not crawl. And note the power of influence-"We," not merely the suppliant; so others are influenced.
There is said to be a hill in Ayrshire up which cyclists are able to free-wheel, but have to pedal hard to get down. There is a vein of metallic ore in the hill which sets up a magnetic current up the hill. We do know that the Christian runs up the Hill Difficulty because drawn by the Lord.
b. Communion. "The King hath brought me up unto His chambers."
c. Joy and Delight. "We will be glad and rejoice in Thee."
II. The Sinner Driven.
1. After the Sad Fall, sinful man driven out of the garden (Gen_3:24), yet not driven out in judgment until the promise was given of a Saviour, and provision made for a covering.
2. After his Atrocious Deed, "Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear, behold Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from Thy face shall I be hid" (Gen_4:13-14).
These are awful words.
Warning. If not drawn to God by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atoning Death, we shall, by and by, be driven to the Great White Throne.
THE TWOFOLD PEACE.
"Peace with God " (Rom_5:1). "Peace of God" (Php_4:7).
Introduction. When the great Atlantic Cable was laid, the first message flashed across it was one by Queen Victoria to the President of America: "Peace on earth, good-will toward men." This is the first great need of mankind. The time is coming when peace will be universal on the earth. In the meantime peace can become the individual possession of each one. Indeed, this is really essential to universal peace.
What a vast difference there is in the two texts at the head of this meditation. "With God" and "of God" refer to a twofold peace vital to human happiness. We may have the first without the second, though we can never have the second without the first. The first peace is dependent on faith; the second is dependent on prayer. The first is a peace outside of me; the second is a peace within me. If the first describes a state between God and myself, the second describes a condition within my being.
"Peace with God"-A Peace Outside of Myself. Peace is difficult to define. It may be understood as harmony, unity, concord. Rom_5:1, implies a previous state of enmity, of warfare between.
"We have peace," not we make peace. "Peace with God" can never be ours without personal surrender to God on our part, yet it is the fruit of the personal surrender of the sinner’s Saviour, and not of the sinner. Formerly sinners were asked if they had made their peace with God. Though the questioner meant well, it was wrong. A better phrase is: Have you found peace.
In Ephesians 2, three facts concerning peace are given.
1. He Made Peace (2Ti_4:15). How did He make it? Not by declaring it-that He did later. He made it by shedding His Blood (see Col_1:20). "Peace with honour," Lord Beaconsfield’s familiar phrase, describes the peace Christ made. All the attributes of God go to making up the Atonement, Thus this peace honours the Law of God. Every attribute of God is in perfect accord. By His death He satisfied all His righteous requirements and liberated His mercy and love.
2. He Preached Peace (2Ti_4:17). When did our Lord first proclaim peace? We have no record that He ever preached peace before His atoning death. The first time He preached peace is recorded in Joh_20:19-31. If an ambassador were to go to a rebellious people carrying tidings of peace, after proclaiming it he would produce his authority. Jesus stands in the midst saying, "Peace," and when He had said so, He showed them His hands and His side-His authority, for His hands and side bore the marks of His passion.
3. He is Our Peace (2Ti_4:14). The peace which Christ preached has its security in the person of Christ! He is the security and guarantee of peace with God.
SIX BRIEF WATCHWORDS.
1Ti_6:11-19.
I. "Flee" (1Ti_6:11). An honourable Flight.
II. "Follow" (1Ti_6:11). A Glorious Pursuit.
III. "Fight" (1Ti_6:12). A Perpetual Conflict.
IV. "Lay Hold" (1Ti_6:12 and 1Ti_6:19). A Treasure to Grasp.
V. "Keep" (1Ti_6:13-16; 1Ti_6:20). A Treasure to Guard.
VI. "Charge" (1Ti_6:17-19). A Warning to Give.
Autor: James Smith