Scripture Studies - Vol. IV; No. 2 - March 1997 =============================================== In this issue: Old Testament Study - Gen. 26:34-27:40 A Study of Christ - John 1:11 A Study in Psalms - Psalm 27 Bibliography and Suggested Reading Postscript: Dangers of Delaying Repentance Footnotes ---------------------------------------------------- "Scripture Studies" is published and edited ten times a year by Scott Sperling. Please feel free to upload "Scripture Studies" to any BBS or online service. If you or anyone that you know would like to be added to the subscription list, free of charge, send your request to: Scott Sperling 20 Pastora Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 or, via email at: ssper@aol.com Back issues are available via ftp at: sanar.kaiwan.com/user/ssper/ or on the World Wide Web at: http://www.kaiwan.com/~ssper/sstdys.html Unless noted otherwise, scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. May God bless you as you study His Word. =========================================================== Old Testament Study - Genesis 26:34-27:40 ========================================= Preparation for the Birthright Blessing --------------------------------------- 26:34When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. 27:1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. 2Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3Now then, get your weapons--your quiver and bow--and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." 5Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.' 8Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." 11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." 13His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." 14So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. ---------------- We come now to one of the most puzzling, painful, pitiful episodes in the Bible. In this episode, we have four people in a godly family all demonstrating a lack of faith in God and a selfish desire to fulfill their own purposes at the expense of fulfilling God's desire and purpose. All are guilty in this episode. This episode is proof that godly people can and do act abominably at times, proof that even the godly (some may say, especially the godly) need redemption and salvation from themselves. Yet, throughout this episode, God shows that He is in control. God thwarts the plans of all those involved. They all learn the lesson of Num. 32:23: "You may be sure that your sin will find you out." And as we will see in the discussion at the end of this study, we also may learn a valuable lesson from this episode concerning our own birthright and inheritance. The events in this episode are a continuation of the tension and strife of Isaac's family described in Genesis 25. Recall that in Genesis 25, we learned that Rebekah favored Jacob, while Isaac favored Esau (because Isaac "had a taste for wild game"). This favoritism served to split the family down the middle, with Rebekah and Jacob on one side, and Isaac and Esau on the other. This split in the family is very evident in the episode here in Genesis 27, as we see Isaac and Esau plan the celebration surrounding the bestowal of the birthright blessing, without consulting Rebekah and Jacob. We then see Rebekah and Jacob scheming to disrupt the bestowal of the birthright blessing without directly confronting Isaac and Esau. It seems that all lines of communication had been severed between the two sides of the family. The events described here in this passage are a continuation of the events described in Genesis 25 in yet another way. In Gen. 25, we saw that Esau "despised his birthright" (Gen. 25:34), demonstrating this attitude by selling it for a mere bowl of stew. Here, Esau demonstrates his despising of the birthright by marrying from among the local pagans: "When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite" (26:34). Surely, Esau had been told of Abraham vehemence that Isaac not marry from among the local pagans (see Gen. 24:3ff). This action by Esau was in direct contempt of the desires of the Grand Patriarch of the family. The fruits of this action demonstrate the foolishness of it: "They" (referring to Esau's wives, and possibly also Esau) "were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah" (26:35). We are not given the reasons for the grief, but we can speculate that Esau was being influenced by the pagan culture of his wives, quite possibly also joining in their pagan religious rites. This indeed would have been a great source of grief for any godly parents. However, despite the grief that Esau caused his parents, Isaac still favored Esau. Moreover, despite the oracle of God that "the older will serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23), Isaac in defiance of God was determined to give the birthright blessing to Esau. For this end, "[w]hen Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, 'My son. . . I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons--your quiver and bow--and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.'" (vs. 3-4). As mentioned above, there are no innocents in this episode, and so in vss. 3-4, we see Isaac's selfishness, and lack of faith in God. We see his selfishness in not confiding in Rebekah and Jacob concerning the birthright blessing. The bestowal of such a blessing should have been a family celebration that all took part in. But Isaac knew that there would be contention over Esau's receiving of the blessing. All in the family knew that in the Lord's oracle (Gen. 25:23), Jacob was chosen by God to receive the birthright. Moreover, Esau himself sold his birthright to Jacob (Gen. 25:31ff). Nevertheless, Isaac ignored these things and, to selfishly get his way, Isaac on the sly called Esau in to have him prepare a meal. This was to be some sort of a private birthright celebration between just Isaac and Esau. The meal was requested by Isaac to encourage him in his favoritism of Esau, for Esau was favored by Isaac because he "had a taste for wild game" (Gen. 25:28). Ironically, Esau was to buy back his birthright with a meal of venison. We see a lack of faith in God by Isaac, one of the great patriarchs, because he acts in defiance of the Lord's oracle. Isaac is in effect demonstrating that he does not believe that God will do what is best for His people. Isaac, in his defiance, puts his own will above the will of God. God gave Abraham promise after promise concerning the blessings that He will bestow on Abraham's offspring. In giving the oracle that "the older will serve the younger", God stated that these blessings would come through Jacob. Because Isaac favors Esau, he desires that Esau not Isaac get the birthright blessing. Isaac would have been wise to bring his unhappiness with the oracle to God in prayer, rather than act to nullify it. Isaac feelings are reminiscent of Abraham's desire that Ishmael be the chosen offspring. Abraham, to his credit, brought to God in prayer his desire: "And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!'" (Genesis 17:18). The Lord, in answer, stated His will: "Yes, but Your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him" (Gen. 17:19). Then God went on to tell Abraham that Ishmael too would be blessed: "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation" (Gen. 17:20). This satisfied Abraham. Through prayer, Abraham came to an understanding and acceptance of God's perfect will in the situation. So too Isaac could have come to an understanding and acceptance of God's perfect will if he had sought the will of God in the matter. Isaac however did not go to God in prayer, but instead, sought to work the situation out according to his own will. He sought rather the "tasty food" of Esau. This whole episode, for all involved, was motivated by desires of the flesh. We will never know how the situation would have unfolded if everyone--Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob--had sought God's perfect will, but we know the result would have been satisfactory to all. Moreover, we would have praised God for His love and His wisdom. As it was, noone sought God, everyone went his own way, and the result was disastrous for all, as we shall see. By the way, this all took place "[w]hen Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see" (vs. 1). Isaac used his age as an excuse to proffer the blessing. He said to Esau: "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death" (vs. 2). However, Isaac was not on the verge of death. In fact, he lived another forty or so years. But since he was acting outside of the will of God, he had the fear that death would prevent him from fulfilling his own plan. Those who are within the will of God need not fear death. They can say with David: "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me" (Ps. 138:8). But those who walk their own way, and follow their own purposes, must always be looking over their shoulders, wondering if they will be able to carry out their plans. Isaac was all set, so he thought. However, "Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau" (vs. 5). How sad! That Rebekah must eavesdrop on Isaac to learn that the birthright blessing is about to be given to her son. This shows how far the tension and strife seen in Genesis 25 had gone to ruin the family. Rebekah, as we learned in Genesis 25, favored Jacob. Also, she remembered the oracle of God that said (in effect) that Jacob would receive the birthright. When she overheard Isaac's plan to proffer the blessing upon Esau, she must have felt a sense of urgency. She must have felt pressured that she had to do something, anything, to make sure that Jacob received the blessing. In essence, she felt that she needed to help God out in carrying out His plan. How foolish we are! Don't we know that God's promises will be fulfilled? Don't we realize that God has the power to fulfill what He Himself has promised? Rebekah felt a sense of urgency to see that the promise was fulfilled; God however felt no sense of urgency. He knew that Isaac was going to live another forty years. Rebekah's response to what she overheard was not to confront Isaac directly, nor to go to God in prayer that He might change Isaac's heart, but was to come up with her own scheme: "Rebekah said to her son Jacob: 'ŠNow, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.'" (vss. 8-10). Rebekah here shows contempt for the power of God and the holiness of God, by coming up with a sinful scheme in her attempt to fulfill a promise of God. Motive, means, and ends: all three must be pure. Rebekah had the right motive, and was striving for the right ends, but the wrong means made her guilty of wrongdoing. Listen all: God will not have us sin to carry out His will. If we are within the will of God, we can be sure that motive, means and ends will all three be pure. If any one of these three is not pure, we can be sure that we are not acting within the perfect will of God. In no sphere does the ends justify the means, especially in doing the work of God. "In personal life, in home life, in Church life, in endeavors to win men for Christ, in missionary enterprise, in social improvement, and in everything connected with the welfare of humanity we must insist upon absolute righteousness, purity, and truth in our methods, or else we shall bring utter discredit on the cause of our Master and Lord."[1] Yes, Rebekah was zealous that the will of God be fulfilled, but zeal for God's work must never lead to sin. In any case, Rebekah's scheming, rather than furthering the will of God, served to delay the fulfillment of the oracle of God, as we shall see. Jacob's response to Rebekah was typical of the moral attitude of many today: "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing" (vss. 11-12). Jacob was not so much concerned that Rebekah's scheme was immoral, but he was worried that he might get caught. Many today base their morality upon the chance of getting caught, rather than on true righteousness. Many, even Christians, with no compunction doctor their expense report, cheat on their taxes, steal small items from their place of business, etc. because they know they will not get caught. Such a moral attitude demonstrates a lack of faith in the omniscience of God. God sees these "small" immoral acts, and they are hateful to Him, for God is holy. And "small" though they may be, such trespasses bring dire consequences, for "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (James 2:10). Rebekah removed Jacob's item of hesitation by vowing to accept full responsibility herself: "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." (vs. 13). And so, Jacob went along with Rebekah in her scheme, slaughtering the goats, putting on the clothes of the first born Esau, even wearing goatskin to simulate Esau's hairy body. The Deception ------------- 18He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" 19Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing." 20Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The Lord your God gave me success," he replied. 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." 22Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23He did not recognise him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24"Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied. 25Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing." Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me." 27So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. 28May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness--an abundance of grain and new wine. 29May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." -------------- Whereas earlier Jacob hesitated at Rebekah's scheme, here Jacob displays unusual boldness in carrying out the deception. He was fully in on it. How foolish Jacob must have looked entering Isaac's room covered with goatskin, pretending to be Esau, yet he stated assertively: "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing" (vs. 19). Deception leads to more deception; lie follows lie; Jacob's sin leads to greater sin. Isaac asks: "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" Jacob replies: "The Lord your God gave me success" (vs. 20). Surely Jacob ducked as he said this, expecting a lightning bolt from heaven! How could he have the boldness to say such a thing?! He attributes to God aid in his deception. He was the first in a long line of those who have tarnished the name of God by doing evil in His name. Isaac apparently suspected that something was amiss. He musters the waning abilities of all his senses to determine if the visitor really is Esau. In his questioning, Isaac recognizes the voice of Jacob, so he asks to touch his skin, and finds: "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau" (vs. 22). This doesn't make sense, so Isaac asks again: "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob again lies: "I am." Not quite satisfied, Isaac asks "Esau" to come near to him: "Come here, my son, and kiss me" (vs. 26). It was fragrance of "Esau" that convinced Isaac: "When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him" (vs. 27). The blessing that Isaac gave was not mere rantings of an old man, but was a prophecy inspired by God. Unbeknownst to Isaac, the Spirit of God used him to bestow upon Jacob the blessing that was intended by God for Jacob, even though Isaac intended it for Esau. The blessing was consistent with the oracle given by God before the twins were born: "The older will serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). Here Jacob says: "Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you" (vs. 29). In this blessing, Isaac correctly prophesies that the nation of Israel will come from Jacob's offspring. By the way, all through this episode, we see that everyone involved placed great value upon the blessing that Isaac was to give. Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob all knew (by faith) that the birthright blessing was bestowed by Isaac by inspiration of God Himself. The elaborate deception by Rebekah and Jacob, and the bitter anguish that Esau feels when he finds out that Jacob received the blessing (vs. 34ff) demonstrate the importance of the blessing to all involved in this episode. Someone might say (in a lawyerly manner): "Wait. The blessing that Isaac gave to Jacob doesn't count because it was received by Jacob through deception." This argument misses the fact that Isaac was speaking prophetically, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The blessing that Jacob received was the blessing intended by God for Jacob. The words that Isaac spoke were not his words, but the words of God. If, indeed, Jacob had not deceived Isaac, and Esau was sitting under the hand of the blessing, Isaac by inspiration would have given Esau the blessing intended for Esau, the one that he later did give Esau (vs. 39-40). Despite the deceptions and the defiance of God by all those involved in the episode, God was in control of the situation. Jacob received Jacob's blessing. Esau received Esau's blessing. Esau Returns ------------ 30After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing." 32His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau." 33Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him--and indeed he will be blessed!" 34When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me--me too, my father!" 35But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." 36Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" 37Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" 38Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. 39His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." ------------- When Esau came in from hunting, he was clearly anxious to receive the blessing: "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing" (vs. 31). And why wouldn't he be anxious? Esau had probably given up hope for getting the birthright blessing. After all, the oracle of God said that "the older will serve the younger". And then, Esau had himself sold his birthright to Jacob. So certainly, it was with great joy that he entered his father's room, expecting to be blessed, after all. Isaac's response to Esau is significant: "Who are you?" (vs. 32). We have already discussed (in our study of Genesis 25) that Esau typifies the worldly. He is typical of those who place all value on gratifying worldly desires. He is typical of those who live for the moment, with no concern about how his actions affect the future. He is typical of those who cultivate the respect of men, with no concern about his relationship to God. And so here, he is typical of the man who lives with only regard for his own will and desires, with no thought of the desires and purposes that God has for his life, who then goes in the end to the Father expecting a blessing. The response that such people will receive from God will be the same one that Esau received from Isaac: "Who are you?" Many will hear similar words from Christ on the judgment day: "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23). Esau responded to his father's question: "I am your son. . . your firstborn, Esau" (vs. 32). This response caused quite a shock to Isaac: "Isaac trembled violently" (vs. 33). Isaac's trembling sprung from his fear of God. Isaac realized that God was in control of the situation, and that by God's will, Jacob had received the blessing that Isaac had intended for Esau. Isaac realized anew that God is sovereign. Isaac's trembling also sprung from his realization that he had been fighting against God. This is a scary place for a man of God to be. As the writer of Hebrews stated: "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). Don't fight against God. You will always lose. Submit to Him: it's much easier. To Isaac's credit, he did now submit to God's will: "I blessed [Jacob]--and indeed he will be blessed" (vs. 33). Isaac would not attempt to rescind Jacob's blessing. He knew that it was inspired by God. Esau's response was severe anguish: "When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry" (vs. 34). Esau had changed over the course of his life. When he sold his birthright to Jacob, Esau "despised his birthright" (Gen. 25:34). But the rashness of youth turns into the wisdom of age, and so Esau now realizes his foolishness in despising the birthright. Esau now has a family and desires to receive the inheritance of the birthright. Again Esau is typical of the worldly man who, with his worldly attitude, despises the magnificent inheritance that God has set aside for him. He rejects the terms of the inheritance--to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior--and so despises his birthright. But there will come a time when he will regret this decision, for the Lord has said: "As surely as I live. . .every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God" (Rom. 14:11; Isa. 45:23). For many, this repentance comes too late, and they will hear the dreadful words: "I never knew you". All must heed the advice of the Lord: "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). Esau, true to his nature, blames another for his loss of the inheritance: "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" (vs. 36). Yes, Jacob was cunning, but Esau was not without blame in his worldliness and despising of the birthright. And yet, we do feel for Esau. We find it very difficult to side with Jacob in the matter. We dislike the fact that Jacob is the representative of the people of God, the new patriarch through the bestowal of the blessing. Our sympathies are with the one who was deceived, not with the deceiver Jacob. This is the shame of ill-gotten gain. This is the shame of religious hypocrisy. The world sees the actions of the Jacobs in the church, and blames the whole church. Jacob miserably failed in living up to his calling. He was the chosen man of God, but instead of being patient and waiting for the bestowal of God's blessings, he attempted to grasp them prematurely through deceit. In doing so, his actions have become a black stain upon the people of God. Esau begs for a blessing from his father: "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" (vs. 38). Esau recognized that the blessings of prophecy that Isaac bestowed were inspired by God. Isaac, through faith (see Heb. 11:20), does give Esau the appropriate blessing (such as it was): "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck" (vss. 39-40). Esau was the father of the nation of Edom, and this prophecy was fulfilled throughout the history of Edom with amazing accuracy.[2] Another Look at the Episode --------------------------- It may seem easy for us to look at Jacob and castigate him for his deceit, but are we any better? It turns out that this episode is an amazing allegory concerning our inheritance. We are Jacob. Just as Jacob came to Isaac in the name of the first born son Esau, so also we come to the Father for our inheritance in the name of the first born son Christ. Just as Jacob "took [Esau's] best clothes" (vs. 15) and wore them in the presence of his father, so also we come before our Father clothed in the righteousness of Christ. As Paul said: "For all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Gal. 3:27). Just as Jacob came to his father in the aroma of the first born son, so also we come before the Father in the aroma of Christ. Again, as Paul said: "For we are to God the aroma of Christ" (II Cor. 2:15). And just as Jacob came to his father in the body of Esau (in effect) by wearing the goatskins, so also we come to the Father in the body of Christ. Finally, just as Jacob, by being the second-born son, did not deserve the inheritance, so also we in our sin do not deserve the great inheritance our Father has set aside for us. So, do not be so quick to judge Jacob. You are him. Praise our Father for bestowing the birthright blessing upon us despite our deceit in trying to gain it. Yes, Father we praise You for the blessings that You shower upon us, though we deserve none of them. Help us by Your Spirit to live lives worthy of all that You have done for us. We also praise You for Your word, that through the history related here and acted out so long ago, we can learn so much about ourselves and Your relationship to us, Your love for us, Your great mercy. In the name of Christ, in whose body, in whose fragrance, clothed in His righteous, we pray these things, Amen. =========================================================== A Study of Christ - John 1:11 ============================= With this article, we continue our study of the prologue of John's Gospel. For this month's study, we will use a fine sermon given by C. H. Spurgeon concerning John1:11. This sermon was given on June 9th, 1872, and can be found in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. XVII, pg. 325 (No. 1055). John 1:11 - The Rejection of Christ by His Own ---------------------------------------------- He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. (John 1:11) [3] I would very frankly confess at the outset that I am not about to preach from the words of this text, and that I have selected it solely because it contains an epitome of man's behaviour towards the Saviour. He came unto His own people, the Jews, and answered in every particular to the descriptions which their prophets had given, but as they were looking for a temporal leader who should dazzle them with an earthly kingdom, they would not acknowledge the true Messiah; and, though, he continued to come unto them preaching to them, and working such miracles among them as no other man did, so that their unbelief was without excuse, they still rejected Him. This was a gross act of ingratitude. It was superlative kindness which brought Jesus to that nation in particular and to the sons of men in general: it was supreme ingratitude when that nation, alas, in this representing us all, would not receive Him, but rejected the Lord of glory. I use our text as an illustration of the ingratitude of men towards our Lord, and it is upon that subject that I intend to preach at this time. I lay the charge against not only those who lived in Christ's day, but against mankind in general, against this assembly in particular, against myself also in sad measure. We have treated the Lord ungratefully, and have not rendered unto Him according to the benefits received. In commencement, we shall speak upon the fact that those among whom Jesus lived were guilty of ingratitude towards Him: and then, secondly, coming home to ourselves, we shall dwell more at length upon the lamentable fact that we too are guilty of ingratitude towards Him; and we shall close by observing what then? what follows out of this? what lessons are we to learn from it? I. First then, the people among whom our Lord dwelt were guilty of ingratitude towards Him. They were a favoured people above all nations. It was a distinguishing mark of divine favour that the Messiah should be born among them. They ought to have received Him with delight. His signs and evidence of Messiahship were clear enough. He wrought among them unexampled miracles, and He spake as none other man spake: yet they rejected Him, treating their best friend as though He had been their worst foe. This was a high-handed act of national ingratitude. Special cases occurred in our Lord's life involving still greater ingratitude. Among the people of Israel many became partakers of our Lord's healing power. Many eyes did He bless with light; into many deaf ears did He cause sound to enter; not a few lame men leaped as an hart at His bidding, and many that were sick of palsy and all manner of diseases were suddenly restored by His word. Yet the mass of these healed ones did not become His disciples, for the number of His male disciples, after He had ascended, was about one hundred and twenty; yet our Saviour had not healed one hundred and twenty merely, but, according to the evangelists, many hundreds--I might, without exaggeration, say many thousands had been partakers of His divine power, and yet they did not worship Him. Whence came this obstinacy of unbelief? Strange ingratitude this must have been, that a man should owe to Christ his eyes, and yet refuse to see in Christ his Saviour: that he should owe to Christ the tongue with which he spake, and yet should be silent in the great Physician's praise. Yet so it was, many were healed, but few believed. We know, moreover, that our Lord fed thousands of hungry persons. He multiplied loaves and fishes, and fed crowds, so that they did all eat and were filled. For a time He was very popular with them, as anyone will be who has loaves and fishes to distribute; and they would have made Him a king, for idle men much desire a monarch who will supply their needs, and relieve them from personal labour. Yet these persons had no affection for His person or doctrine, but followed Him simply and alone for what they could get from Him. Many of these selfish followers, doubtless, gave their voices against Him and shouted "Crucify Him, crucify Him." They ate bread with Him and lifted up their heel against Him. Surely, after sitting at a table so marvellously supplied, reason itself would have suggested to every feaster that their host must be a prophet sent of God, if not God Himself. 'Tis strange, 'tis passing strange, 'tis [wondrous] that men receiving so much at His hands should still remain unbelievers in Him. The same treatment was dealt out to our Lord when He acted as the teacher of the people. He taught them pure truth in the best conceivable manner, and small indeed was His reward. They could not complain of His sermons that they were dull and unattractive, or that they were austere and devoid of sympathy. We never read that a hearer ever fell asleep under Christ's preaching, as Eutychus did under the lengthy discourse of Paul; neither were any terrified by his looks, as men have been by fierce fanatic leaders; His ministry was pleasing, and charmed the ear, yet it was ill requited. When His sermon at Nazareth was finished, what was His reward? They took Him to the brow of the hill, and they would have cast Him down headlong had He not escaped. When He taught the Jews in the temple, "they took up stones again to stone Him" (John 10:31). In return for His arguments of mercy, they assailed Him with the weapons of malice. Though, by declaring the glad tidings of salvation, He rendered to His hearers the most precious service, some of them in return sought to entrap Him in His speech, and others gnashed their teeth in rage against Him. He brought light into the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Sometimes, when He found around Him a more select audience than usual, the great Teacher would not merely preach the elements of the gospel, but would go more deeply into the mysteries thereof, but He had no thanks for so doing. On one occasion He spake to them concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, but He had cast His pearls before swine; they turned again to rend Him, and many of those who had followed Him up to that point forsook Him, and walked no more with Him. Even the disciples who were true at heart to Him did not always prize His sayings well enough to keep them in their minds; and they were not influenced by His teaching and example so much as they should have been. How often must the tender bosom of our Lord have been wrung with anguish over human unkindness. The adder's tooth of unthankfulness left its print upon Him. Men returned unto Him evil for good, and for the heaped up measure of His benevolence they filled up equally high the measure of their hate. What a plaintiveness is there in that question which He asked after He had healed ten lepers, and only one of them returned to thank Him,-- "Were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine?" (Luke 17:17), as if He had expected at least that they would thank Him; it was the least they could do in return for so matchless a boon as deliverance from a deadly disease. Surely, whenever our Lord looked upon the handful of His followers He must have recollected the hosts upon whom He had conferred benefits, and said within Himself, "Where are the nine?" From that thankless generation the meek and lowly One received no recompense of love for His temporal and spiritual bounties. Here and there a grateful woman ministered to Him of her substance, and now and then a thankful soul became His disciple; but, for the most part, there was no response to His love, save such as that which Jerusalem heard when for His tearful cries of compassion He received shouts of murderous hate, demanding that He should be crucified. Dear brethren, the further our Lord Jesus Christ went on in life the more did He experimentally know the base ingratitude of mankind. He lived for them; in obedience to His Father He spent His whole life for men. He lived first for God's glory, and next for love of men. His meat and drink it was to do men good. He forgot Himself, He utterly renounced all ambitious purposes, and gave Himself away that He might seek and save the lost. As a mother devotes herself to her babe so did Jesus lay Himself out for men; nay, no mother ever loved her babe as Jesus loved His own which were in the world; and yet, continually, in every way, men sought to take away His life, which was more valuable to them than it was to Him; for it was for their sakes only that He continued still to live on earth. How often had He to escape their cruel hands, and, when His hour was come, how eagerly did they conspire to hound Him to His death. One would have thought when the mob stood in the street of Jerusalem howling out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" that He must have been a common informer, who had betrayed men for pelf, or a poisoner who had secretly tainted the bread of the people with a deadly drug, or a blasphemer who had profaned every holy thing; or a wretch whose character was doubly dyed in infamy. Instead of which, there stood before that furious crowd the meekest among men, the most inoffensive, and, at the same time, the most generous, the most self-denying, the most tender man of all of woman born. Yet, how lustily they cry, "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" and, when the question is put by the Roman Governor, "Why, what evil hath He done?" they can give no answer to it, and, therefore, they drown the question with their shouts, "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" Oh, base ingratitude of men to recompense such a life as His with a cruel death. At last that evil generation had its way with the Man of Sorrows and they took Him after He had been scourged, and led Him away to be crucified. We know well that He needed not have died even then. One thought of His could have averted the arrows of death; He had but to will it and the nails would have sprung from their places, and from the cross the Lord would have leaped into the midst of His foes, to their horror and dismay. He was dying for men; for men each pang He suffered, for men the thorn-crown, for men the nailed hands, for men the pierced side, for men the bleeding feet, for men the gall cup, for men the pain, and for men the thirst. "He saved others, Himself He could not save" (Matt. 27:42). It was the greatest sacrifice that man had ever made for man, and yet how was it requited? The cruel crowd stood around Him, and scoffed at His pains, they made jests upon His person, they insulted His faith, they mocked His prayers. O thou dear Christ of God, fain would we have covered Thy sacred body from those lewd and brutal eyes, and sheltered Thy tender spirit from those inhuman taunts, but so it could not be. Man is allowed to be infamous that Thou mayst suffer to the uttermost, and, in so doing, redeem Thy people. See the contrast, Jesus loves and man hates. He dies for sinners, and sinners insult Him in His agonies. When our Lord had died and had lain in the grave three days, and had risen again, His rising was for men. He might have gone into His glory if He had pleased, but He tarried for forty days to minister blessings to His people. The requital which He received from the Jewish people was of the same evil character. They doubted whether He had risen from the dead at all, and there were those who were base enough to invent that idle tale concerning the stealing of His body at night by His disciples. They laid imposture to the door of the Son of God, and charged the Perfect One with acting a lie. O man, how mad thou must be! What strange insanity of iniquity is this that thou dost thus requite thy loving Lord! Methinks I hear a murmur among you, as though you said, "Ah, but this was the guilt of the Jews; the crime of unbelievers. All were not so cruel." But, surely, you have forgotten that in this ingratitude even those who were nearest to Him had a share. Those who were His immediate companions were ungrateful to Him. What think you of him who said when his Lord had been anointed by a loving woman's hand for His burial, that it was a waste? That what was given to anoint the King of glory might have been sold for much, grudging an offering to that divinely generous One, who had given up all for us? One would have thought that those who abode with Him would have unanimously delighted in every honour shown to Him, and one is apt to imagine that they should oftener have interposed to screen Him, if they might, from the ills of poverty, weariness, and want. Among them all was there not one who should have pressed hospitality upon Him again and again, that He might no longer cry, "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have not where to lay my head"? At any rate, when it came at last to the dying struggle, should not His bosom friends have watched with Him one hour? Might they not have guarded Gethsemane's gates when He left them outside the wall? And the three who came within a stone's cast of His grief, and could hear His groans, could they not have for borne to slumber? Must they sleep while the Lord is in an agony? He excused them, but could they excuse themselves? The case of Judas was peculiarly afflicting to our Redeemer's sensitive soul. In him treason reached its climax and base ingratitude outdid itself. Yet Judas was an apostle, the keeper of his Master's purse, the friend who ate bread with Him and lifted up his heel against Him. Shame on thee, Judas! But, alas! thou art not alone; others follow thy hideous example, and some such may be among us. "Lord, is it I?" (Matt. 26:21). But, where were the rest of the disciples? Did they not accompany their Lord to the judgment-seat and come forward and boldly bear there to do Him service. "All the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56). One ventured where he saw his Master's ill-treatment, but he thrice denied Him, and added oaths and curses, saying, "I know not the man" (Matt. 26:74). Thus acted those whom He had carried in His bosom and loved even to the end. Those to whom He had opened up His inmost soul, who had eaten with Him His last solemn meal before His passion, untrue to all their protestations of affection, sought every man his own safety, and left Him to His fate. Call you not this ingratitude? What is worse than the ingratitude of bosom friends and brethren? The indictment lies against all that were of His day with whom He came in contact, from the worst even to the best. Where is the advocate who will plead their cause? There was none faithful, no, not one. Ingratitude stained all. II. Yet, let us not think severely of them and forget ourselves, for we, too, are in the same condemnation. This is our second point, we also have been ungrateful to our Lord. While I have been turning over this subject in my own mind it has deeply affected me; but I feel quite powerless to produce it before you so that you shall be affected in the same manner, unless God the Holy Spirit shall now be pleased to melt your hearts. Remember, that to bring a charge of ingratitude against a man is a very strong thing to do. I would not like to be called untruthful, I should grievously feel it, but to be called ungrateful is equally degrading. Can any accusation be more dishonouring? Ingratitude is a mean and despicable vice; he who is guilty of it is unworthy of the name of man. A soldier who had been kindly rescued from shipwreck, and hospitably entertained, was mean enough to endeavour to obtain from Philip of Macedon the house and farm of his generous host. Philip, in just anger, commanded that his forehead should be branded with the words, "The ungrateful guest." That man must have felt like Cain when the mark of God was upon him; he must have desired to hide himself forever from the gaze of man. Prove a man ungrateful, and you have placed him below the beasts, for even the brutes frequently exhibit the most touching gratitude to their benefactors. The old classic story of Androcles and the lion rises loose upon him, crouched at his feet and acknowledged him as a friend. Only the most despised creatures are used as metaphors of ingratitude; for instance, we speak of the ass which drinks, and then kicks the bucket it has emptied, but we never speak thus of nobler animals. An ungrateful man is thus lower than the animals; inasmuch as he returns essentially infernal. Ingratitude to friends is vile, to parents it is worse, to the Saviour it is worst of all. Therefore, what I shall have to say must not be received with coolness, as though the charge were a trivial one; it is a very serious matter that we should be open to an indictment for ingratitude towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear, then, and sorrow as ye hear, for I also mourn as I speak. I lay the charge first against believers--against those of us who are Christians, and are therefore most indebted to Christ's love and grace. And we will observe at the outset that every sin of the believer has in it a measure of ingratitude; for, since our Saviour has suffered by reason of our sins, we are ungrateful when we wander into sin; since He came to destroy the works of the devil, it is ungrateful to build again that which He has destroyed. Shall that very sin which was the murderer of our Beloved be harboured by us? The very thought is treason. Since these sins of mine were my best friend's worst enemies, and more to be blamed than the Jews or the Romans, would it not be a shameless want of love to make them my bosom companions? Our sins were the nails and our unbelief the spear; away, then, with them all! Brethren, if we do not watch most carefully against our besetting sins we shall be false to our Redeemer. If a woman saw her husband's murderer before her, and gave her heart to him, what should we think of her? May the Lord by His grace prevent us from being equally shameless. May grace enable us to take vengeance on our sins, because they drew down vengeance on our Saviour. Saints are especially ungrateful to the Lord Jesus when they allow any rival to set up His throne in their hearts. He, "the chief among ten thousand and the altogether lovely" (Song. 5:10), deserves to be admired and adored by our souls, not only beyond all others, but to the exclusion of all others. If your hearts were capacious enough to hold a thousand times more affection than they now contain, the Lord Jesus would deserve it all; if our hearts were as wide as heaven, yea, as vast as seven heavens in one, Jesus having bled and died for us ought to monopolise all our love. Yet we must confess that a wife, a child, a friend will steal away our hearts. Ambition for position, love of pleasure, desire to please, joy in wealth, will invade and conquer a province of our hearts. Oh, base ingratitude, which allows us to set up Dagon in the temple where the Crucified One alone should reign! Oh, wretched unfaithfulness, which pines after these fleeting things in preference to the eternal lover of souls! How common is this ingratitude! Do I address a single child of God but what must acknowledge, "I am indeed guilty"? I sorrowfully confess my own offences against the infinite love of Jesus in this respect, and will do so before God far more at large than here would be either fit or profitable. How often, too, might we be charged with ingratitude when we lose large measures of the grace which we have already received. We have power given us at times by the Holy Spirit to rise above the dead level of man's ordinary life, and we climb the mountain, and stand upon a higher platform altogether. There are times with us when we love the Lord with all our hearts, when our faith mounts to assurance, and all our graces are bright and strong: but we come down from that mountain almost directly, our feet slide from the glorious elevation. It seems far easier to mount than it does to tarry aloft upon the wing. The Holy Spirit admits us into peculiar nearness to the heavenly Father, and then we act inconsistently and lose our communion, and come to follow afar off as so many do. We have the sweet flavour of divine love in our mouths, and yet desert the banqueting table--what is this but ingratitude? Is it not a slighting of the precious gifts of Jesus' grace? He permits us to lean our heads on His bosom, and we will not do so. He stands at our door and knocks, and we refuse to open to Him. He calls us to take our fill of loaves, and we turn to the poor husks of earth. Have we not grievously provoked Him? Would He not long ago have divorced His unfaithful spouse, if it had not been true that He hateth putting away? Smite on your breasts beloved, and confess your ill manners towards your best Beloved. Could we, any of us, plead innocence if the charge were brought in another way, namely, that we render Him but little service, and give Him but lukewarm love? How much have we done for Jesus after all? How much have we ever loved Him? how much do we love Him now? I ought to have said how little, I must correct myself. If we hear of the death of Christ upon the cross, we listen to it as coldly as though it were a thrice told tale with which we had no concern. How is this? Are our hearts like an adamant stone? A silly story of a lovesick maid will bring tears to our eyes far sooner than the tragedy of the cross. If we did but see one of our fellow-creatures suffer but a millionth part of what the Lord of Glory bore for us, we should be moved infinitely more than we are now when Calvary is before us. Whence comes it? Is not this black ingratitude? Who can extenuate such want of tenderness? Our love to Jesus, is it love at all? When I read of some of the saints giving up all that they have, crossing the sea, penetrating into barbarous regions, bearing their lives in their hands, sacrificing comforts, and living day by day on the verge of death, amid fever and wild beasts, and all that they might honour Christ, I am utterly ashamed. What are we, my brethren? Unto what shall we liken ourselves? Like a Colossus such men bestride their age, while we, base things, hide our dihonourable heads for shame at our spiritual littleness. The love of Christ to us is like that ancient furnace which was heated seven times hotter, while our love is like a solitary spark which wonders within itself that it is yet alive. May the Holy Spirit change this, and give us yet to glow and burn with sacred fire, like the bush in Horeb when it was aglow with deity. The same humiliating reflections arise when we meditate upon the consecration, or rather non-consecration, of our substance to the Redeemer's cause. What a small proportion do the most of us give to His work, or to His poor! If you were to take the numbers of churchmembers, and the contibutions to missions, you would hardly dare to say how little per head is given. It is so trifling, that it is rather an insult to the Saviour than an offering to Him. Some hearers even try to cheat the minister whom they flock to hear, and evade every claim even from the church to which they belong. For the most part, when Christians take stock of what they have, and then calculate what they have given, they have great cause for shame. If our estimate of Christ's worth be according to our gifts to Him, there are some who would not give twenty pieces of silver for Him. To some these remarks are more applicable than to others; to many congregations more needful than to you, for, thank God, there are those among you who delight to honour the Lord with their substance; but these are the last persons to think that they have done enough--in fact, those who do most for Christ are the first to feel that they do far too little. Furthermore, brethren, how often is ingratitude shown to our Lord Jesus by neglect of His commands. Some professors need to be driven to obedience. If you tell the man who earnestly loves Christ his duty, he is charmed to know it, and to attend to it at once; but love to Christ is so low in some professors' hearts that you must hammer the precept into them again and again, and again, and again; and yet will they linger long before they will fulfill their Master's will. They must be persuaded and threatened ere they will yield. Fervent gratitude runs with winged feet wherever Jesus bids it go. If we were more jealously obedient to our Lord, it would be evidence that we were more grateful to Him. Now, I feel, brethren, in my heart as if I would be glad to have done preaching, for I want to get alone, and sigh and weep this sermon over by myself. I want to confess and mourn apart over my own conscious ingratitude to my ever-blessed Lord, whom, nevertheless, I love. I do remember well the time when I imagined that if the Lord would only give me pardon through the atoning blood, nothing would be too difficult for me to attempt for His dear sake; and yet, though I have been cleansed from sins and accepted in Christ Jesus, I am too often sluggish in my Master's errands. Well do I remember when I first began to preach His word, I thought if I might but have opportunities of pleading with men for Jesus I would pour out my very soul while I urged them to flee from the wrath to come. Alas, although I am not altogether without zeal for God, my zeal falls far short of what it should be. Fain would I speak fire, fire which should melt your hearts, and then set them on flame with ardent love to Jesus. I cannot reach my own ideal and I doubt not that if I could I should be still faulty. I charge not you, my brethren, with ingratitude without confessing and acknowledging it in myself. Come, my brethren, let us not confess with our lips only, but with inward penitential grief; let us seek godly sorrow which worketh practical repentance. May we, in the power of the Holy Ghost, resolve that we will love our Lord better for the future, and yield to the sweet constraints of His love. Now, I have a heavy task, indeed, and that is to speak of some whose ingratitude to Christ is even greater, if greater can be, for they utterly refuse to trust Him. I desire to speak with you to whom I have preached in vain these many years. The one topic of every Sabbath day in this place is Jesus Christ crucified. I have other things to say unto you, but this is repeated over and over again; and you are told without ceasing that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and that "whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Notwithstanding all this, up to this moment many of you refuse to trust Him, you "stumble at the word being disobedient" (I Pet. 2:8), and you thus make the rock of salvation to be a rock of offence to you. If you deny it I will ask you, why then have you not accepted Him for your Saviour? Why are you still alienated in your hearts from Him? Perhaps your reply is that you do not think of these things. Is this, then, your conduct towards the dying Saviour, that you will not even think of Him? Is He nothing to you? Do you despise His blood? Perhaps it is that you do not understand; then surely in your case it must be a willful blindness of understanding, for the truth has been put before you as painly as words could utter it, neither know I how I could have spoken more clearly. You have rejected up to this moment the Christ who died for sinners. Do you know what you have done? I wish He would stand here upon this pulpit at this moment, that you might see who it is that you have despised. See Him with ruby drops still glistening upon His crown of thorns, His face bruised, His countenance lined with grief, His eyes red with tears, His shoulders furrowed with the lash, His hands and feet wounded with the nails, and His side gashed with the lance--this is the man of sorrows whom you have refused! Look now on Him whom you have pierced! Can you in His presence continue your rejection? Will you still bar your hearts against Him? Will you now say to Him to His face, "Son of God, bleeding for human sin, we will not trust Thee. Son of man, dying in the stead of sinners, we will not yield to Thee"? Yet you have said that in His presence, which is everywhere real, though undiscerned by eye or ear. With those eyes of fire which discern from heaven everything that is done on earth, He has seen you impudently refusing to be saved by Him. Alas, I have now to go further. Some have not been content with rejecting the Lord, but have gone the length of opposing Him, have made His gospel the theme for jest, and treated His people with indignity. It always staggers me that men should treat the meek and lowly Jesus and His gracious gospel so roughly. There is something so tender and so meek about the Saviour, that I pity from my soul the wretch who had the heart to smite Him in the face, or was so base as to insult with spittle that dear and sorrowful visage. Once in the sack of a city, when the fierce soldiery had commenced a general massacre, a little child was seized by a rough warrior, who was about to kill him, but stayed his hand when the little one said, piteously, "Please, sir, don't kill me, I am so little." Methinks the Saviour's meek and gentle manners might be a similar argument for staying the hand of wrath. Who can harm the harmless Lamb of God? Persecutor, what evil has Jesus done to you? Reviler, what has He ever said to injure you? When has He given you an ill word or look? Ah, it is to His silence that you owe your life; should He accuse you, you would be undone forever, yet He has not accused You to the Father but has pleaded for your reprieve. Sometimes in our police courts you may have seen an inhuman husband brought before the magistrate for having maltreated the poor unhappy woman who is linked to him for life. The policeman has taken him in the very act of assaulting her, her poor sickly face bears evidence of his brutality; she can scarcely stand, for his cruelty has put her life in jeopardy. Watch her closely. The magistrate asks her to give evidence against the creature who has so cruelly injured her. She weeps and shakes her head, but says not a word. She is asked, "Did he not ill treat you yesterday?" She is long before she speaks, and then not a word is uttered against the husband whom she still loves, though there is nothing lovable about him. She declares that she cannot bear to appear against her husband, and she will not. What a stone must that man's heart be if he does not love her henceforth all her days. But, see a nobler counterpart. There is the Lord whom you have injured by your hard speeches and cruel mockeries. See you not His face all marred with your bruises, yet He does not accuse you to the Father, but when He opens His mouth to speak for sinners, He cries, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). He must be ingratitude incarnate who can continue to use Him or His cause despitefully. There is no chivalry, nay, there is no manhood, in the heart which treats despitefully one who neither provokes nor retaliates. I must add, before I close this point, that some are ungrateful to Christ, from whom, above all others, such conduct ought never to have proceeded. The text says-- "He came to His own, and His own received Him not." In this very place the Lord Jesus has come to those who appeared to be His own. You, sir, were your mother's own boy, and she, now in glory, was an ardent lover of the Saviour, and when Jesus came to you He might have said, "This is the son of one of my dearest friends, the son of a woman whose whole heart was mine; surely her son will love me too." Yet you did not respond to Him. Jesus has come to your house, and found there a wife who ardently loves Him, and He might well have said, "Surely the husband of my handmaiden will receive his wife's friend." Yet, you have shut the door upon Him. Possibly, I address an unconverted person who is not only the son of a Christian father, but the child of one of God's own ambassadors, yet he himself is an enemy to God. Surely a minister's children should be the Lord's, and yet ministers' sons and daughters have been seen amongst reprobates. I know not why it is, but sadly often has this been the case. Do I address one such? I pray that you may no longer be ungrateful to your father's God. Ay, and there are some here who years ago were sore sick, and on the borders of the grave, and they said, "Please God, if we ever get up again, we will seek the Lord." You were thus in a sense "His own" by your own voluntary vow; but you have not received Him. Again today the Lord Jesus comes to you, and shows His hands and side, and asks you why it is you break your promises to Him? why it is you love not your mother's Saviour? why it is you care not for your father's God? and what it is that has turned you against Him? Many good works has He shown you, and for which of these do you stone Him? He is full of love, and pity, and mercy, and power to save--for what reason do you reject Him? May the Lord grant that these appeals may have power with you, by the voice of the Holy Spirit. III. I close by answering the questiion what then? What comes out of all this? Why, first, let us appreciate the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must never lower our estimate of the bodily pains of Jesus; they were undoubtedly very great, but after all, His mental sufferings were far greater, and amongst the acutest of them must have been this, to be always treated with ingratitude by those whom He loved so well. Do I address here a tender heart which has bled from the stabs of ingratitude, a mother with an ungrateful son, a friend with a treacherous friend? You know that nothing stings more than unthankfulness, yet your Lord had to feel it day by day. He was ever more occupied in doing everything for men, and men on the other hand were doing everything against Him. He was from day to day like Sebastian the martyr, who was bound to a tree and made the target for a thousand arrows. The archers sorely shot at Him and wounded Him, but His love abode in strength, and so remaineth to this day. Next, admire the Saviour's love. When a man is kind and loving He will continue so until He meets with base returns, and then He is very apt to become indignant and stay the course of His benevolence. When we try to bring men together who have fallen out with each other, where ingratitude has been the cause of it, we use strong arguments. We have to say to the injured person, "You have been badly used, but labour to rise superior to it all. It is true that such ingratitude does deserve to forfeit your kindness, but do more than ordinary men would do, heap coals of fire on the ungrateful head." The Saviour knew that men would be unkind to Him, He knew it all beforehand, and when men were ungrateful He did not merely hear their words, but He read their hearts, and He knew that their hearts were yet more opposed to Him, yet He never turned aside from His course of love, He pressed on still through reproaches and shame and derision and every form of human evil till He had finished the redemption of His people. Admire His love and let it kindle in you love in return. Dear brethren, see next the mighty power of the pardoning blood of Jesus. Jesus can take away even this scarlet sin of ingratitude. Though He came to His own, and His own received Him not, yet to as many as received Him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on His name. Have you rejected Jesus fifty years? Come to Him even now, and He will blot out your sins in a moment. Have seventy years rolled over your guilty head, and have you remained deaf to all the appeals of mercy? Yet come and welcome, come and welcome. The gentle Saviour has not exhausted His pity. May His Spirit draw you now, and you shall find Him as ready to receive you as He would have been fifty years ago. Admire the grace which continues to invite, and the efficacy of the blood which is still able to cleanse. Another practical lesson is, let us see how we ought to forgive. If another man has injured me it is no reason why I should injure myself. Perhaps you do not see the application of that utterance. Well, here is the explanation of it. If I have loved a man and his only return is unkindness, shall I injure myself by leaving off loving him? After all, I sought a man's good and he has only returned me evil, do not let me bring myself down to his level. Let me rather seek to rise higher; and because of his evil seek to do more good to him, then shall I be like Christ, for He did so; when our sin abounded, His grace did much more abound. In our Lord's life, sin and love contested which should win the day. Man sinned yet more and more, and Christ loved yet more and more. On the cross He loved to the death and won the battle, and this day human ingratitude is beneath the feet of the conquering Saviour; love has won the day, and sin is crushed beneath its feet. O Christian, do battle in the same spirit, and the Lord help you to be more than conqueror through Him that loved you. Dear brethren and sisters, lastly, let us judge how we ought to live in the light of this subject. If we have been ungrateful up till now, shall we be so any longer? Nay, let us now on bended knee, with earnest soul cry to God to inflame us with something of the fire which set the Saviour on a blaze with sacred ardour for our good. Let us devote ourselves wholly to Him. Let us cry, "Bind the sacrifice with cords, even with cords to the horns of the altar" (Ps. 118:27). What manner of people ought we to be who owe so much to the grace of God. And, there is this mournful reflection, what will become of those who shall die after having lived a life of constant ingratitude to Christ? There is a limit even to His mercy, for death shuts the golden gate of love. Justice takes the place of mercy as soon as the impenitent man has closed his dying eyes. An excellent writer has well said that "Divine justice is love in flames," and so it is. When once love turns to jealousy, it is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are of juniper that have a most vehement flame. You may despise Him whose feet were pierced, and reject the Saviour whose heart was opened with the spear, but He will come again, I know not when, but His word is, "Behold, I come quickly" (Rev. 22:7). Beware, I pray you, for in that day this shall be the word, "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish" (Acts 13:41). In that pierced hand shall be a rod of iron, and He shall break His enemies in pieces like potters' vessels; His pierced feet shall be sandaled with light, and out of the mouth which now speaks promises shall come forth a two-edged sword with which to smite His adversaries. "Kiss the Son lest He be angry and ye perish from the way while His wrath is kindled but a little" (Ps. 2:12). He will forgive you now, He waits to be gracious to you now. Mercy now rules the day. But, let the sun of mercy go down, and the blackness of darkness shall abide forever. O provoke not the Lord! May His mercy turn your hearts by the power of His ever blessed Spirit, and unto Him shall be the glory forever and ever. Amen. =========================================================== A Study in Psalms - Psalm 27 ============================ Psalm 27 -------- Of David 1The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? 2When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. 4One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. 5For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. 7Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. 8My heart says of You, "Seek His face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. 9Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 10Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11Teach me Your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. ----------- This is a psalm of faith. It begins with a statement of faith, that God is David's light, his salvation, and the stronghold of his life (vs. 1). David expands on these things by describing God as his light (vs. 2-3), his salvation (vs. 4-6), and the stronghold of his life (vs. 7-14). David's Statement of Faith -------------------------- 1The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? ----------- David begins with a statement of faith: "The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" (vs. 1). That David begins with a statement of faith is somewhat unusual. In so many psalms, David begins in despair, and then ends in faith. In this psalm, however, despite the desparate situations that he faces, David maintains his faith throughout. David bases his faith on three aspects of God's relationship to him. As David says, the Lord is "my light", "my salvation", and "the stronghold of my life". David in the rest of this psalm expands on these three, but lets us note here how David personalizes these aspects of God's relationship to him. The Lord is "my light", and "my salvation", and "the stronghold of my life". God is gracious in that He desires us to appropriate Him for ourselves. To know that "God is light" (I John 1:5) is one thing; to say that the Lord is "my light" is quite another. To say "God is light" is a factual, intellectual statement coming from the mind. To say "the Lord is my light" is a statement that comes from the heart, based on a true relationship with God. The immediate result of David's appropriating for himself these aspects of God is courage. He says: "Whom shall I fear?. . . Of whom shall I be afraid?" (vs. 1). To have a close relationship with God, the Lord of the Universe, should inspire courage, after all, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (I John 4:4). "Courage is both a duty of man, and a gift of God."[4] Perfect faith drives out all fear. The extent to which we fear is the extent to which we fall short in faith. The Lord as David's Light ------------------------- 2When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. --------- John taught: "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5). David came to the same determination when he said: "The Lord is my light" (vs. 1). This realization came from David's knowledge that God is holy and righteous. And since God is righteous, David knew that his evil enemies would not prevail in the end: "When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall" (vs. 2). The evil man may score a temporary victory, they may win a battle or two, but in the end, "they will stumble and fall." God will bring this about. He is righteous, and thus, will judge righteously. Their downfall may not come in this life. They may prosper until the day that they die. But at that time, they will face God in judgment, where the ledger will be made correct. The prosperity of the wicked in this life can be a great stumbling block. The psalmist's faith was tried in this way: "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. 73:2-3). To overcome such doubts, we must realize that there is a big picture. We must realize by faith that, in the end, God will judge righteously, for "God is light". David realized this, and so was certain that his evil enemies would "stumble and fall". David realized that God is in control and will work everything to His purposes. So by faith, David could say: "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident" (vs. 3). David, through his faith that "the Lord is [his] light", made a resolution not to fear: "My heart will not fear". Only the peace of God that springs from faith could make such a resolution in the face of a besieging army. The Lord as David's Salvation ----------------------------- 4One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. 5For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. ------------ The Lord is David's light, and then also his "salvation". While "salvation" from the troubles and afflictions of this world is an important work of God for the believer, David focusses first on the "salvation" of God from the grave, to be in God's presence throughout eternity. This is David's supreme desire, as he tells us: "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple" (vs. 4). No better prayer could ever be prayed. Strive to make this the prayer of your heart. Again note that this is David's supreme desire from the Lord: "One thing I ask." He sought more than anything else to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of [his] life." He sought most of all to be in God's presence. This is contrasted to Solomon who, when offered by God to ask for anything, asked for wisdom. While it was laudable that Solomon did not ask for worldly riches, I believe he would have done better to pray this prayer of David's, for late in his life, despite his wisdom, Solomon strayed from the presence of the Lord. We should all ask of ourselves: "What is my 'one thing'?" Do I desire above all to "dwell in the house of the Lord", or am I more concerned with chasing after worldly riches and pleasures? Let's get focussed. "Divided aims tend to distraction, weakness, disappointment."[5] Isn't this all we need: to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of [our] life"? We have asked for so much more trivial things "of the Lord". Let us get to the heart of the matter. Let us first ask God to plant this desire in our hearts above all others, so that we may pray this prayer together with David. God is not only our "salvation" unto eternity, but also here on earth. David testifies by faith: "For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock" (vs. 5). The salvation of God bursts out of David in praise: "Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord" (vs. 6). So, when David's enemies will have "stumbled" and "fallen", David will be "sing[ing] and mak[ing] music to the Lord". Note that David's praise is loud praise, consisting of "shouts of joy". Loud praise is permitted, even appropriate many times. Isn't the salvation of God worthy of "shouts of joy"? Surely, if a touchdown scored by the home team merits shouts of joy, then the magnificent salvation of God does too. The Lord as the Stronghold of David's Life ------------------------------------------ 7Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. 8My heart says of You, "Seek His face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. 9Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 10Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. 11Teach me Your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. ----------- Finally, as David noted in verse 1, the Lord is the "stronghold of [his] life". In verses 7 through 14, David enumerates different ways that the Lord is "the stronghold of [his] life". First, the Lord is merciful in answering David's prayers: "Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of You, 'Seek His face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek" (vs. 7-8). David speaks to the Lord saying: "Hear my voice when I call", and the Lord speaks back directly to him through his heart: "My heart says of You, 'Seek His face!'" This is the work of the Holy Spirit: speaking to our hearts and urging us to a closer relationship with God. This is a demonstration of God's great mercy: that He would care about each of us personally, and speak directly to each of our hearts through His Spirit. Notice how David responds: "Your face, Lord, I will seek." Answer quickly the promptings of the Spirit! Don't delay in responding to the voice of your heart! Second, the Lord is the "stronghold of [David's] life" in not forsaking him: "Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me" (vss. 9-10). By all rights, God would be perfectly justified in forsaking us for our sin. David fears this when He prays: "Do not turn Your servant away in anger." But God is merciful and faithful, and the "stronghold of [our lives]". He has promised: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6). Even if everyone else forsakes us, even if our own "father and mother" forsake us, "the Lord will receive [us]." He is our "stronghold" because He is the only thing in this world that we can truly depend on. Third, the Lord is the "stronghold of [David's] life" in protecting him from his enemies and leading him to safety: "Teach me Your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (vss. 11-13). The Lord teaches us His way in order to lead us safely through times of trouble. Note that implicit here is that the Lord does not cause us to avoid trouble, but rather leads us safely through the trouble. This is a mercy, though we may not see it as such at times. We would rather that He blast all trouble from our presence, so that we would never see it. He chooses to lead us through the trouble in order to strengthen us, in order to cause us to grow spiritually, in order to cause us to turn to Him and depend upon Him. There will come a time, after we have left this fallen world, when we will see no trouble as we "see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living". For now, though, we must depend on the Lord to teach us His way, and lead us in His straight path. David ends the psalm with an exhortation for us: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (vs. 14). This is perhaps the most difficult command to carry out, to "wait for the Lord". We would much rather that God tell us to do something. But if we were commanded to do something to get out of our troubles, we would give ourselves all the credit. When we are brought to a helpless situation and told to "wait for the Lord", when deliverance does come, we know it has nothing to do with our abilities, but it is the work of the Lord. We praise You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. When we wait for You, You always come through. We praise You that You are our "light", our "salvation", and the "stronghold of our lives", though we deserve none of these things. Be glorified in our lives. Help us by Your Spirit to be Your faithful servants. In the name of Jesus, we pray these things, Amen. Bibliography and Suggested Reading ---------------------------------- Alexander, Joseph A. Commentary on the Psalms. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1991. (Originally published in 1864). Augustine. Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Peabody, Mass.:Hendrickson, 1994. Calvin, John. A Commentary on Genesis. 2 Vols. in 1. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1965. (Originally published in 1554). Calvin, John. The Epistles of Paul the Apostle. Grand Rapids: Eerdman's, 1965. (Originally published 1548). Candlish, Robert S. Studies in Genesis. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1979. (Originally published in 1868). Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991. Chrysostom. Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 14. Peabody, Mass.:Hendrickson, 1994. Dickson, David. A Commentary on the Psalms. Reprint Edition. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1959. (Originally published in 1653). Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments. 3 Vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdman's, 1993. (Originally published in 1866). Keil, Carl & Delitzsch, Franz. Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Reprint Edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971. (Originally published ca. 1880). Meyer, F. B. Devotional Commentary on Philippians. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1979. Morgan, G. Campbell. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Revell, 1992. Morris, Leon. Expository Reflections on the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991. Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdman's, 1971. Moule, H.C.G. Philippian Studies. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975. (Originally published 1927). Pink, Arthur W. Exposition of the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975. (Originally published 1945). Pink, Arthur W. Gleanings in Genesis. Chicago: Moody, 1981. Plumer, William S. Studies in the Book of Psalms. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1990. (Originally published in 1867). Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1991. Silva, Moises. Philippians. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992. Smith, Chuck. Audio Tapes on Genesis. Costa Mesa, CA: Word for Today, 1985. Smith, Chuck. Audio Tapes on Psalms. Costa Mesa, CA: Word for Today, 1988. Spurgeon, Charles. The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications. Spurgeon, Charles. The Treasury of David. 6 Volumes bound in 3. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson. (Originally published ca. 1880). Strauss, Lehman. Devotional Studies in Philippians. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Bros., 1959. Thomas, W. H. Griffith. Genesis: A Devotional Commentary. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1988. Vaughan, Charles John. Epistle to the Philippians. Minneapolis: Klock & Klock, 1985. (Originally published 1872). ---------- Postscript: Dangers of Delaying Repentance ------------------------------------------- "Vice, as it groweth in age, so it improveth in stature and strengthŠso we shall dwindle and prove more impotent, for it feedeth upon our vitals, and thriveth by our decay; it waxeth mighty by stripping us of our best forces, by enfeebling our reason, by perverting our will, by corrupting our temper, by debasing our courage, by seducing all our appetites and passions to a treacherous compliance with it; every day our mind groweth more blind, our will more rusty, our spirit more faint, our passions more headstrong and untamable; the power and empire of sin do strangely by degrees encroach, and continually get ground upon us, till it hath quite subdued and enthralled us. First we learn to bear it; then we come to like it; by and by we contract a friendship with it; then we dote upon it; at last we become enslaved to it in bondage." -- Isaac Barrow (ca. 1650) ---------- Footnotes ---------- 1. W. H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional Commentary, pg. 252. 2. Key events in the history of Edom can be found in: I Sam. 14:47; II Sam. 8:14; I Kings 11:14; II Kings 14:7; II Chron. 26:2; II Kings 16:6; II Chron. 28:17. 3. All scripture passages cited in this sermon are taken from the King James Version. 4. William Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms, pg. 359. 5. Charles Spurgeon, A Treasury of David, Vol. II, pg. 2.