This is a wretched world, and the reason is not difficult to find. Sin and disobedience to God, with its attendant corruption ending in death, has turned this world, which should have been an Eden of delight, into a scene of wretchedness and woe. And yet for these 6,000 years the world has been preserved from absolute ruin and chaos. Why did not God destroy the entire human family in the flood? Why did He not overthrow the whole world at the time of Sodom’s doom? Why, above all, when His beloved Son was rejected and crucified, did He not smite finally the whole guilty race of Adam? His infinite patience, mercy, and love are the answer. His purposes of grace and blessing, for those who would hear His voice of mercy, were not to be thwarted by Satan’s plots and man’s sin. So, with each signal act of sparing mercy, He continued to work:in the family of Noah, in the nation of Israel, and now through believers in the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world.

      During all this time He has had fruit in souls brought to know and to trust in Him. These have in turn become “the salt of the earth” by their lives and testimony, may we say, justifying the forbearance of God, and preserving the earth from complete self-destruction by the awful power of evil. Thus from Seth to Noah there was this testimony. From Abraham onward there has been the same. Yet God is manifestly the One who has wrought; for He has begun a fresh work when, for instance, some time after the flood there seems to have been no testimony until the call of Abraham.

So it is after all His work, and the glory will be all His.

      Does not this fact of a preservative element in the earth emphasize the responsibility of those who take the place of being God’s witnesses? “If the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?” It is this feebleness of testimony to the truth that marks the lukewarm Laodicean state of the professing Church (Rev. 3:15-17); it is an indication of the near coming of the Lord Jesus to remove His own to heaven, and leaving the world for judgment. Then let those who know the Lord see that the salt of divine grace and truth is not wanting in their lives and testimony. For this, as for all else, the grace of our Lord Jesus is alone sufficient.

            (From Help and Food, Vol. 40.)

We are told distinctly who wrote Psalm 34:“A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.” Do you remember that incident in David’s life? He was afraid he was going to be slain by King Saul and fled to the court of the Philistines and waited on the king of the Philistines. Just think, David who had overcome the giant Goliath became so discouraged that instead of trusting God he fled to the enemies of his people. He was even ready to go with the Philistine king to battle and would have gone out with them against his own people. How terribly David had fallen! There is no telling how far a saint of God will fall if he gets his eyes off the Lord, if unbelief triumphs instead of faith. Of course it will be only a temporary thing.

      The Philistines themselves said to Achish, King of Gath, “What are you doing with this fellow? This is the man who slew Goliath.” But Achish said, “Oh, Saul has turned against him, and he is going to be my keeper now; he is going to fight for us.” But they said, “We do not want this fellow around. If we go to battle he will turn against us.” They knew that his heart was really with his own people, and they said, no, he cannot go. David was afraid, and we read, He “feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate” (1 Sam. 21:13). What a picture! David, the man after God’s own heart, God’s anointed, feigning himself to be crazy because he was now afraid of the Philistines. What a disgusting picture! But no more disgusting than for you or me to go off with the world and act like the world—we who have been called out from it to glorify the Lord Jesus. God came in grace and delivered David from all that, and when he got back among his own people again he wrote this Psalm. David was delivered because Achish would not have him. He was feeling better now; he was back in the right place; he was delivered from the association of the Philistines.

      Verses 1 to 4 are an ascription of praise. “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” If only he had done that in the beginning he would not have failed so dreadfully in the palace of the king of the Philistines; but he had to have that bitter experience to bring him to an end of himself and to thrust him upon God. How often that happens to children of God.

      In verses 5 to 10 you have a wonderful story of his own personal experience of the delivering power of God. That fifth verse has a marvelous lesson, “They looked unto Him and were lightened; and their faces were not ashamed.” “They looked unto Him.” Unto whom? Unto the LORD. And what happened? “They were lightened:and their faces were not ashamed.” Literally it means, “they became radiant.” “They looked unto Him, and became radiant:and their faces were not ashamed.” Remember what the apostle tells us in 2 Corinthians:“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (3:18). Do you want to become a radiant Christian? Do you want to be a Christlike believer? Then do not be self-occupied; do not be looking in all the time trying to see how you are getting along. If you are occupied with your bad self only, you will get discouraged; if occupied with your fancied goodness, you will get puffed up; but if you look away to Him, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2), what happens? “They looked unto Him, and became radiant.” They not only received light themselves, but also they gave out light. Moses went into the presence of God, and when He came from the mount he was radiant; the people could not stand it. What made him radiant? He had been gazing on the face of God. If you want to be a radiant believer, fix your eyes upon Christ. “We all, [reflecting as in a mirror] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” There is not a great deal of radiancy about some of us. We are so grumpy; we are so dull. The Scots have a good word for that:it is “dour,” just glum, and it only tells the story that we are not looking unto Jesus. As we gaze upon His face we become like Him, and the loveliness of Christ shines out in our lives. “They looked unto Him, and became radiant:and their faces were not ashamed.” David says, as it were, “I know, for I remember when I was not radiant.” But he proceeds, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (34:6). Can you say that?

      And now David learned that he did not need to go to the Philistines for protection. God had a protector for him. “The angel of the LORD encamps round about those who fear Him, and delivers them” (34:7). And he is so delighted at what he has found that he wants everybody else to share it with him and exclaims, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints” (34:8,9). When he speaks of fearing the LORD he does not mean to be afraid of Him, but he means that reverent godly fear that should characterize us. “For there is no want to those who fear Him” (34:9). If you are going about with head drooping all the time, it tells the story that you are not living in His presence, for “there is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not want any good thing” (34:9,10). There are many things that you and I think we want that are not good for us, but if we seek Him, if the Lord withholds something that we wanted very much, we can be sure it would not be a good thing for us.

      It is a great thing to learn to depend on Him. That verse we quote so often does not promise that He will do every thing we ask:“Be careful [or anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). And then what? And you will get everything for which you ask? No, “And the peace of God, that passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (4:7). If you have told Him about it you can leave it with Him and be at perfect peace, and say, “I know that He will do the right thing.” “Those who seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.”       The next group of verses, from 11 to 16, give us the path of life for the believer. “Come, children, hearken unto Me:I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile” (34:11-13). What had David been doing in the court of Achish? He had been speaking guile, and he got nothing but misery out of it. Now he is saying that if you want happiness and peace, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (34:13-16).

      Part of this passage (34:12-16)is quoted in 1 Peter 3:10-12. Notice that Peter stops at “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (3:12), but the psalmist continues, “to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” Why does Peter not quote that? Because this is not the day when God is cutting off the wicked; this is the day of grace. While the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, He is still dealing with them in mercy, giving them a chance to be saved. The day of judgment has not yet come.

      The next verses give us the experience of the trusting soul:“The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto those who are of a broken heart, and saves such as be of a contrite spirit” (34:17,18). What a lot of sad hearts there are in the world, and how the Lord loves to heal those hearts! “He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds” (Psa. 147:3). The world is full of people with broken hearts and shattered hopes, but what a wonderful thing that “the LORD is nigh unto those who are of a broken heart.”

            (From Studies on the Psalms, Horizon Press, San Diego, CA.)

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psa. 119:103). The psalmist had not only heard the words of God, but fed upon them:they affected his palate as well as his ear. God’s words are many and varied, and the whole of them make up what we call “the Word.” The psalmist loved them each one individually as well as the whole of them; he tasted an indescribable sweetness in them. He expresses the fact of their sweetness, but as he cannot express the degree of their sweetness he exclaims, “How sweet!” Being God’s words they were divinely sweet to God’s servant; he who put the sweetness into them had prepared the taste of his servant to discern and enjoy it. The psalmist makes no distinction between promises and precepts, doctrines and threatenings; they are all included in God’s words, and all are precious in his esteem. Oh, for a deep love for all that the Lord has revealed, whatever form it may take.

            “Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” When he did not only eat but also speak the word by instructing others, he felt an increased delight in it. The sweetest of all temporal things fall short of the infinite deliciousness of the eternal word; honey itself is outstripped in sweetness by the Word of the Lord. When the psalmist fed on it he found it sweet; but when he bore witness of it, it became sweeter still. How wise it will be on our part to keep the Word on our palate by meditation and on our tongue by confession. It must be sweet to our taste when we think of it, or it will not be sweet to our mouth when we talk of it.

Sweet to look back, and see my name
In life’s fair book set down!
Sweet to look forward, and behold
Eternal joys my own!

Sweet to reflect how grace divine
My sins on Jesus laid!
Sweet to remember how His blood
My debt of suffering paid!

Sweet to look upward to the place
Where Jesus pleads above!
Sweet to behold Him, and attend
The whispers of His love!

Sweet on His faithfulness to rest,
Whose love can never end!
Sweet on His covenant of grace
For all things to depend!

Sweet, in the confidence of faith,
To trust His firm decrees!
Sweet to lie passive in His hands,
And know no will but His!

From Hymns of Grace and Truth, Horizon Press, San Diego.

What is bitterness? Let us look at some people in the Bible who were bitter.

      Esau “cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry” when he learned that his twin brother Jacob had cheated him out of his father’s blessing (Gen. 27:30-35; also Heb. 12:15-17).

      The Egyptians made the lives of the children of Israel “bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick” (Exod. 1:13,14). Later, an even greater load was laid upon the Israelites when they were required to gather the straw to make brick as well as making the bricks, with no reduction in the daily output of finished product (Exod. 5:6-14).

      After losing her husband Elimelech and both her sons, Mahlon and Chilion, Naomi said, “Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:3-5,20,21).

      Hannah “was in bitterness of soul” because of being childless and the constant provocations by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah (1 Sam. 1:2-10).

      Mordecai “cried with a loud and a bitter cry” when he learned that the king had signed a decree to exterminate the Jews from the land (Esth. 3:12-4:3).

      Job complained, “God … breaks me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not suffer me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness” (Job 9:13-18; also 10:1; 13:26; 23:2).

      Peter “went out and wept bitterly” after denying His Lord three times (Matt. 26:69-75).

      That same Peter later diagnosed in Simon the sorcerer “the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” after Simon had sought to purchase the power to give the Holy Spirit to people (Acts 8:17-23). 

Causes of Bitterness

      What were the causes of these people’s bitterness? Perhaps the predominant reason was their perception (rightly or wrongly) of being treated unfairly. Esau, the children of Israel in Egypt, Naomi, Hannah, Mordecai, and Job all chafed under the intense injustice of their situation. One can just hear them crying, “Why me?” Of course, we are allowed to view each of these situations from God’s perspective and can see that in each case God was testing His people and in most cases preparing them for a blessed outcome to their trial. Some of these instances of unfair treatment could have been avoided by more godly treatment on the part of the antagonist (such as Esau’s father and brother, Egypt’s Pharaoh, and Hannah’s husband).

      The cause of Simon Peter’s bitter weeping was just the opposite—the realization of how horribly and unfairly he had treated His Lord.

      What about Simon the sorcerer (sometimes referred to as Simon Magus in extra-biblical literature)? Why did Peter label him as having “the gall of bitterness”? Wasn’t Simon simply being covetous and proud? The earlier description of Simon may shed some light on this:“There was a certain man, called Simon, who beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries” (Acts 8:9-11). So it wasn’t that Simon wanted something he didn’t have. When the apostles came to Samaria and demonstrated far greater power than he possessed, Simon became bitter about losing the adulation and worship of the people of Samaria who were turning to Christ and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. No doubt there was also “bitter envying” in Simon’s heart (Jas. 3:14) that carried over from the underlying animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews. 

Exhortations Concerning Bitterness

      With these examples in mind, let us see what the inspired apostolic writers of Scripture have to say about bitterness.

      The apostle Paul writes, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice; and be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:31,32). It may be difficult to tease distinct meanings out of the words bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and malice. He uses all of them, along with their opposites in the following verse, to make sure the reader gets the point. However, “bitterness” seems to have the quality of sharpness or harshness, making biting comments, nasty putdowns, and cruel gossip.

      The apostle Paul also writes, “Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them” (Col. 3:19). What would cause a husband to be bitter toward his wife? Solomon suggests some possibilities:“It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house” (Prov. 21:9; 25:24). “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman” (Prov. 21:19). “A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike” (Prov. 27:15; 19:13). In addition, a husband who has a difficult time with his boss or fellow employees may tend to take it out on his wife. He doesn’t dare say anything to his boss for risk of losing his job, and he comes home expecting compassion and sympathy from his wife. However, if his wife has had a difficult day at home and greets her husband with, “Honey, would you please change junior’s diaper and entertain him while I fix supper?” that might throw him over the edge if he is not careful.

      The exhortation of Scripture is for husbands not to be bitter against their wives.  Do wives ever have reason to be bitter toward their husbands? Hannah certainly did, and so do many other wives. But the admonition that the apostle gives to husbands must certainly apply to wives as well:“Be not bitter against them.”

      What if we are treated unfairly or unjustly. Do we have a right to be bitter? No doubt the best thing to do in this situation is to consider the One who was treated more unfairly and unjustly by far than anyone in the history of man. How did this Man respond to such treatment? He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

A Root of Bitterness

      I have encountered personally or heard of a number of professed Christians who have been totally consumed with bitterness for years and years. One woman continued to be bitter toward her husband for many years after he died because of the way he had treated her. What a physical, emotional, and spiritual toll that woman’s bitterness took on her!  Another woman was bitter toward her sister because she perceived that her sister had received a larger share of their parents’ inheritance. It wasn’t that the woman was impoverished and her sister wealthy. Far from it. It was simply the perceived unfairness of it all that consumed her with bitterness. I cannot help but think that if she had simply cast that burden upon the Lord (Psa. 55:22) she would have ended up infinitely more wealthy materially, emotionally, and spiritually. Also, she would have had more friends.

      Just a couple of weeks ago as I write this, in November 2008, an inmate at the Baltimore City Detention Center told me that he had come to realize that a root of bitterness in him was the underlying cause of his criminal activity and incarceration. Since I had never heard an inmate express such an insight in my 24 years of prison ministry, I asked him to tell me more about it.  He said that he had been bitter toward his mother for many years (I did not ask him to elaborate). When he got married, he transferred his bitterness to his wife. That ultimately led to adultery, divorce, substance abuse, other kinds of criminal activity, and incarceration.

      What a horrible bondage it is to be enmeshed in a root of bitterness! It is hurtful to everyone around. It totally destroys the Christian’s testimony for the Lord. And the one who is filled with bitterness is hurt most of all—among the most miserable persons on the planet. 

Deliverance from Bitterness

      Can one ever be delivered from bitterness? Let us look at the rest of the stories of Naomi, Hannah, Mordecai, and Job.

      The Lord gave Naomi’s daughter-in-law Ruth to her as a gentle encourager. Ruth, by going about her business of providing a living for herself and her mother-in-law, and by sharing with Naomi the ways the Lord was blessing her each day, helped to restore to Naomi an appreciation of the grace of God (Ruth 2:20-22). Ultimately, great honor came to Naomi as the mother-in-law of the great-grandmother of King David.

      Hannah simply committed her cause to the Lord:“If Thou wilt … give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Sam. 1:11). Before long we hear Hannah exulting, “My heart rejoices in the LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD … I rejoice in Thy salvation” (1 Sam. 2:1), and her son Samuel ultimately became one of the most renowned leaders in the history of the children of Israel.

      Mordecai marshaled all of the Jews living in Shushan to engage in a three day fast that the LORD might change the heart of the king (Esth. 4:16). In the end, we find not only the cause for Mordecai’s bitterness removed but Mordecai himself promoted to be “next unto King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews” (Esth. 10:2,3).

      Job, after losing his children, his wealth, and his health, became bitter toward God for the seeming injustice of these losses. However, the LORD worked with him and revealed Himself more fully to Job so that Job could say in the end, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 43:6). “So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (43:12).

      My dear reader, are you nursing bitterness, resentment, or a grudge in your heart toward God or another person. You may be placing an inordinate focus on a loss that you have experienced or an injustice you have endured. However, the Lord has something far better in mind for you, something that will cause you totally to forget your loss or injustice. He may even now be using another believer to encourage you to get your focus off yourself and onto the Lord (as Ruth did with Naomi). He may be speaking to you directly (as He did with Job). Or He may want you to turn to Himself in prayer and fasting (as did Hannah and Mordecai) as you seek a reversal of the cause of your bitterness or else deliverance from the bitterness itself.

      Of one thing you can be sure:if you continue nursing and pampering your bitterness, you will never discover the blessing the Lord had in mind for you when he sent you the trial in the first place.

            “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain you:He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psa. 55:22).

 “And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

 Faith—blest answer to each yearning,
 Hope—bright lamp so ceaseless burning,
  Needed now our hearts to prove.
 But beyond life’s storms and tossings,
 Earth’s enticements and engrossings,
  Stretches forth an endless Love.

 Faith will cease when sight is given;
 Hope is needed not in heaven,
  But its atmosphere is Love.
 Faith to keep our souls from drifting,
 Hope our vain affections sifting,
  But our rest is in His Love.

 Higher than the heavens around us
 Is the love that sought and found us,
  Free, unfathomable love.
 Deeper than the depths of ocean,
 Swifter than the lightning’s motion;
  Vain attempt its worth to prove.

 He who doth so deeply love us,
 And in faithfulness doth prove us,
  Measures not His wealth of love.
 Still for us too deep its meaning,
 Till this moment’s intervening
  Fades, and we’re caught up above.

 Hope shall reap her full fruition
 When each blood-bought son’s petition
  Comes in answer from above,
 When the Lord, with shout descending,
 Speaks the rapture now impending,
  “Rise, and come away, My love.”

 Faith and Hope forever ceasing,
 Love eternally increasing.
  Oh, the depth of Jesus’ love!
 We shall be forever learning.
 Ever needing, ever yearning
  For that priceless, precious love.

 (From Help and Food, Vol. 10.)

The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, perhaps more than any other New Testament epistle, describes the spiritual blessings that God has given to the believers in His Son:He has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (1:3). “He has chosen us in Him [that is, Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (1:4). He has “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself” (1:5). “He has made us accepted in the beloved” (1:6).

        In Him “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (1:7). In Him “we have obtained an inheritance” (1:11). He “has quickened us together with Christ … and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (2:5,6). “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (2:10). “He is our peace” (2:14). In Christ we “are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (2:22). He has sealed us by the Holy Spirit “unto the day of redemption” (4:30). (See also 1:8,9,22; 4:8,11; 5:25-27.)

        We are not to take these blessings lightly, or for granted. God intended that we should appreciate them, meditate upon them, enjoy them, use them for His glory, and worship Him because of them. As we grow spiritually, we will find ourselves spending more time meditating upon Christ, seeking to understand and lay hold of our blessings in Christ, seeking to discern God’s perfect will for every aspect of our lives, and attempting to serve God through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

        Correspondingly, as we grow spiritually we more and more will be reckoning ourselves dead to sin (Rom. 6:11), not allowing sin to reign in our mortal bodies (Rom. 6:12), fleeing youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22), and gaining victory over the world through faith (1 John 5:4). As we become increasingly victorious in our conflicts with fleshly lusts and worldly pleasures, and as we focus our attention more on the Lord and those things that are pleasing in His sight, we increasingly will be brought face to face with another foe—Satan and His demons.

        As long as we are content to live our Christian lives in a lukewarm fashion, on a plane of mediocrity, bestirring ourselves only occasionally to engage in any activity that brings us face to face with God, the presence of Satan and/or his henchmen will not be very evident to us. If we are content to conform outwardly to the customs of Christianity—attending worship, prayer, or Bible study meetings once or twice a week, mindlessly reading a Bible chapter occasionally, and saying prayers by rote each night—we are not likely to experience very much of the combat described in Ephesians 6. Rather, I suggest, Satan’s activity in our lives will take the form primarily of (1) keeping us content with our lukewarm involvement in the Christian life and keeping us from even beginning any serious meditation upon Christ and His will for us; or (2) tempting us to sin in such a way as to cause upset among and/or estrangement from our brothers and sisters in Christ; or (3) leading us to behave in ways that will tend to hinder our unsaved friends and neighbors from responding to the gospel. Each of us—even as true believers in Christ—has such a native ability to sin, to be self-willed and self-centered, that Satan and his demons often do not have to exert much effort to keep our hearts on self and off of Christ.

        However, once a believer starts taking positive steps to learn more about his God and his Saviour, to know and to do His will, and to be of service to Him, Satan’s cohorts are immediately stirred into a new kind of action—action aimed at putting a quick end to such exercises and activities. In Ephesians 6 we find instruction for combating Satan’s attacks in such instances. This is spiritual warfare of the highest kind. It does not so much have to do with resisting temptations aimed at stirring sinful flesh into activity, but with defending against attacks designed to discourage us from pursuing our course of seeking to honor, obey, serve, and worship God.

        “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers … against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:10-13). God does not leave us to our own strength in defending against the host of spiritual enemies arrayed against us (6:12). Every spiritual weapon and piece of armor is provided by God. All He asks of us is to use this armor faithfully and entirely—“Put on the whole armor of God” (6:11,13).

        Our enemy is wily, shrewd, cunning. He knows the weaknesses of each one of us and exploits these weaknesses to the fullest. And He attacks when we least expect it—often right on the heels of a great victory over sin or Satan (compare Judg. 7:19-22 with 8:24-27; compare 1 Ki. 18:40 with 19:1-4). Clad with the whole armor of God, our areas of weakness will be protected and we will be ready to stand against the devil “in the evil day”—the moment of special attack.

        Our combatants include a whole host of spiritual powers of wickedness. Satan himself, unlike Christ, does not possess the divine attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, self-existence from past eternity, and the like. He is, indeed, extremely powerful, highly knowledgeable, intelligent, and wise, and moves very rapidly. But he does not have the power to be all places at all times. Therefore, he has set up a vast system of under-devils, with different ranks (such as “principalities” or arch-demons, 6:12) and different charges, such as the responsibility to watch over a specific person to keep him from setting his mind too much on spiritual things and from being obedient to God (compare Dan. 10:12,13).

        Note that our struggle is “against spiritual wickedness in high places” or “in the heavenlies” (6:12 JND). We have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (1:3 JND). God has raised up Christ and “set Him down at His right hand in the heavenlies” (1:20 JND). God “has raised us up together, and made us sit down together in the heavenlies” (2:6 JND). As we find ourselves more and more led by the Spirit to enter into the heavenlies to meditate upon Christ and upon our blessings, we will find our enemies—“spiritual powers of wickedness”—also there in the heavenlies, arrayed against us to keep us from the enjoyment of our Lord and Saviour and the blessings He has imparted to us.

 

The Girdle of Truth

        Let us consider now some of the specific schemes and stratagems used by these satanic powers to attack God’s children, and the specific pieces of armor provided by God to protect His children against these attacks.

        The first piece of armor the Christian warrior is to put on is truth. “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (6:14). Since Paul was writing to the Ephesians from a prison in Rome where he was guarded by a Roman soldier, it may well be that the analogies he drew in Ephesians 6 were to Roman armor. The girdle or belt of the Roman soldier’s armor was very important because almost everything else fastened to it. If the belt was not in place, then the other parts of the armor would not be in proper functioning order. In a similar way, truth—the revealed truth of God in the Holy Scriptures—is the foundation for all other pieces of the Christian’s armor. Typically, Satan’s first area of attack when we are first saved is in regard to the truth, particularly as concerns the person and work of Christ. The apostle John gives a word of warning to the little children, or spiritual babes, to beware of antichrists, that is, those who deny that Jesus is the Christ or that He is the Son of God (1 John 2:18-27). God desires that we come into the “knowledge of the Son of God” and “that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine … whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:13,14). There are many false teachers around who superficially cannot be distinguished from the true ones because they teach a mixture of truth and error. We must put on the girdle of truth, testing every new teaching that we encounter by the Word of God. We must be like those of Berea who “searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

 

The Breastplate of Righteousness”

        “Having on the breastplate of righteousness.” One of Satan’s chief devices to draw our attention away from Christ is to bring before our thoughts our own past sins—particularly those sins of the recent past and those we have committed since our conversion. He may taunt us:“Do you really think God is paying any attention to your attempts to worship Him (or know Him, or learn His will), considering how you lost your temper (or yielded to a bad habit) yesterday? How can you call yourself a saved person when you keep sinning so frequently?” And we often listen to his taunts, and start thinking about ourselves and our sinful lives, and perhaps start wondering whether God has really forgiven us all those many times we have sinned against Him. The armor we need to protect us against such attacks of Satan is “the breastplate of righteousness.” This, I believe, refers first and foremost to the practical application of the truth of our justification. “To him who works not, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5; also 3:21-28; 4:1-8). If we are true believers in Christ’s atoning work on the cross, and thus have been justified by faith, then we should always abide in the confidence of this wonderful fact. So when Satan attacks us with respect to our recent or past sins, we can confidently face him “having on the breastplate of righteousness,” assured that we have been justified and that all our sins—past, present, and future—have been atoned for by the shed blood of Christ. A further aspect of the breastplate of righteousness has to do with our practical righteousness, or refraining from sin in our daily lives. The more we succeed in this regard, the less ammunition Satan will have with which to attack us.

 

The Gospel of Peace

        “Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” On that most famous night in Israel’s history, when the destroying angel passed throughout Egypt slaying the firstborn of each household, the Israelites were instructed to eat the passover lamb “with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand” (Exod. 12:11). They were to be ready to escape from Egypt at a moment’s notice. Similarly, spiritual shoes are a necessary part of the Christian’s armor in “standing against the wiles of the devil.” The shoes depict the believer’s preparedness or readiness with the gospel of peace. In Romans 10:15 we find a strikingly similar expression:“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace.” The beauty of the feet of the gospel preacher—seemingly surpassing the beauty of his mouth—lies in the willingness of the preacher to go to out of the way places, wherever the Lord sends him, to proclaim the gospel of peace. Notice in the Book of Acts how frequently the Lord sent His servants such as Philip, Peter, and Paul to distant places to proclaim the gospel—sometimes to an audience of only one or two people (Acts 8:26-39; 10:1-48; 16:9-34). We all should “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5), even if not gifted as an evangelist. And we are enjoined to “be ready always to give an answer to every man who asks you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). Satan, on the other hand, is always ready to whisper into our minds a thousand excuses for not sharing the gospel with others:“too busy,” “too tired,” “too much effort,” “have a headache,” “not the appropriate time,” “might give me a dirty look,” “might not be my friend any more.” If our feet are shod with the preparedness of the gospel of peace, we will not allow Satan’s excuses to hinder us from going where God sends us and speaking to those to whom He directs us.

        I would suggest that the gospel of peace is not necessarily limited to the good news of how to be saved. Being peacemakers, living peaceably with others, manifesting a peaceful spirit before all, are of great value in today’s world of upset and turmoil. “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9). “Follow peace with all men” (Heb. 12:14). “Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). This includes also the ministry of restoration to the Lord. “If your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother” (Matt. 18:15). “If a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness” (Gal. 6:1). “He who converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:20). This is often difficult and trying work, and Satan will seek to dissuade us from such work as much as from evangelistic work. So how necessary it is to be always in readiness for such service, prepared to go where we are sent, prepared to ignore Satan’s excuses, having our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

 

The Shield of Faith

        “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked [one].” Another tactic of Satan is to cast fiery darts into the minds of the believers. What is the nature of these darts? No doubt it varies according to the temperament and spiritual maturity of each individual believer. For some, the darts may be blasphemous thoughts and doubting questions implanted by Satan and his demons in the minds of believers. For example:“How do you know there really is a God?” “The Bible is a bunch of lies and fantasies.” “Are you sure the truth of God is found in the Bible and not in the Qur’an or the teachings of Buddha?” “Jesus was an imposter, not the Son of God.” “You were never really saved; you only think you were.” No doubt we all, on occasion, have experienced some such thoughts flitting into our minds. Most are able to dismiss them immediately as untrue and invalid. However, some believers may become very upset and agitated by such thoughts, thinking that they initiated the thoughts and hence that God must be angry with them, or wondering if they could really be saved and think such thoughts. To protect against these darts we need to take the shield of faith, that is, unflinching, unshakeable belief in the Word of God—that what God says in His Word is true. The fact that such thoughts most often come when one is positively seeking to worship, please, or serve God, and the fact that we are horrified at them, should be sufficient evidence to us that the thoughts did not originate with us but were really the fiery darts of the wicked one. Thus, our best response to such darts is to dismiss them immediately by confirming our belief in God’s Word, and then going on about our business.

        For others, the darts may take the form of words or pictures that bring to mind past sins, habits, or indulgences. For a former alcoholic such a dart might be, “Wouldn’t a cold beer taste good right now?” For one with a past history of sexual sin the dart might be a lewd picture implanted in his mind. Again, one must combat such darts with the shield of faith, the confirmation that I now belong to Christ and am dead to those old habits, and the immediate dismissal of such thoughts and pictures from one’s mind. If one is not careful to take up the shield of faith, there will be a tendency to dwell on these thoughts; this may lead in turn to fantasies and longings for the old life; and this, if not checked, may lead to a sliding back into those old habits and sins. It is important to note here that while Satan is absolutely delighted if his darts result ultimately in a Christian falling back into old sin patterns, he is still happy, and has achieved his immediate objective, if he succeeds in getting the believer’s thoughts onto something other than the Lord.

 

The Helmet of Salvation

        “Take the helmet of salvation.” Our failure with regard to other parts of the armor may result in doubts arising in our minds as to whether we are saved. Without the girdle of truth I may fall into believing those who proclaim that it is possible to lose one’s salvation. Without the breastplate of righteousness I may allow Satan to convince me that if I were really saved I would not have committed so terrible a sin. Without the shield of faith I might start believing that those blasphemous thoughts that have popped into my mind have issued from my innermost being, and then think that this indicates that I very likely have never been saved. Satan may use yet other ways and means in addition to these, such as taking advantage of physical weakness or mental depression, to bring doubts into the believer’s mind as to his salvation. As far as Satan is concerned, no doubt the next best thing to preventing a person from becoming saved in the first place is making him either think that he has lost it or doubt that he ever had it. In such a condition, the individual will have little interest or ability to pray, worship, serve, or commune with the Lord. Either he will spend his time fretting about whether he really is saved, or else will tend to give up hope and fall back into his pre-Christian life style.

        To combat such satanic efforts to make us doubt our salvation, we need to be armed with the “helmet of salvation,” that is, by continually having fresh in our minds and memories those Scriptures that speak of the assurance of our salvation. “These things have I written unto you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13). This eternal life cannot be lost, for Christ said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28). Also, we “are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5). If a believer sins, he does not lose his salvation; he does lose his joy of salvation (Psa. 51:12) and fellowship with his Father, but not his salvation. And even this fellowship is restored when he confesses his sin:“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin…. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7,9).

        If Satan suggests (as always, in a way that will make you believe the thought originated in your own mind) that you never really trusted Christ to begin with, you might review in your mind those verses that speak of the way of salvation. Remind yourself and your tormentor that you have acknowledged to God your sin and guilt, that you have owned that you deserve God’s eternal punishment, and that you have placed your trust for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ who bore the penalty for your sin on the cross. Then quote John 6:37—“Him who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out”—and ask God to protect you from the enemy.

        Taking the helmet of salvation may also refer to having a complete, balanced understanding of what is entailed in our salvation. Our salvation has past, present, and future aspects. “Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us” (2 Cor. 1:10). There are many New Testament Scriptures that present to the believer his eternal portion in the heavens, to be totally delivered from the presence of sin, both in self and in others; on the basis of such a wonderful hope, we are exhorted to live accordingly in this present life (see, for example, Eph. 5:25-28; Tit. 2:11-14). Satan, on the other hand, will take advantage of the blessed truth of eternal security and will suggest to those who have an ear to hear:“Since there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation, why not treat yourself to some of those pleasures you enjoyed before you were saved.” So for attacks like this we also need to have the helmet of salvation, that clear understanding that God has saved us for the purpose of serving Him, worshiping Him, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, and obeying His Word, and that He wants us to live in view of that soon coming day when we shall be delivered totally from indwelling sin. True joy and happiness in eternity will come as a result of such deliverance from sin and total attachment to Christ. In like manner, true joy and happiness in this present life will result from deliverance that God will give us—if we but allow Him—from the power of sin in our daily lives.

 

The Sword of the Spirit

        “Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The best example in Scripture of wielding the “sword of the Spirit” is given by the Lord Jesus Himself when tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus responded to each of the three recorded temptations with a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures:“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God…. You shall not tempt the Lord your God…. You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve” (Matt. 4:4,7,10). It is important to note that Jesus did not simply state Scriptural principles, but quoted the Scriptures themselves. There is a lesson here for us. As important as it is for us to be familiar with the basic doctrines and teachings of Scripture, it is equally important to be familiar with the Scriptures themselves on which the doctrines are based. If we only know doctrines, Satan can confuse us and trip us up by pointing out Scriptures that seem to contradict the doctrines we have learned.

        “The sword of the Spirit … is the word of God.” “Word” here is not the Greek word logos (as in John 1:1) but rhema, meaning “speech” or “sayings.” Thus it is not referring to the entire Bible as such, but to the individual passages of Scripture that the Spirit brings to our minds at appropriate times. And the most efficient way for the Spirit to bring specific scriptures into our minds is for us to have read them often, better yet, to have committed them to memory, and best of all, to have put them into action in our lives.

        While the sword is often used as an offensive weapon, in the present context its use would seem to be intended, like the pieces of armor, to defend the believer against the attacks of Satan (verses 11,13). Along with the shield, helmet, and breastplate to protect against the blows of the enemy, the sword is used to parry the offensive thrusts of Satan. Thus the believer is equipped to meet both the error and the mangled or incomplete Bible quotations used by the enemy with the truth of Scripture (see Matt. 4:6 where Satan quotes Scripture incompletely and misleadingly, and Matt. 4:7 where Jesus responds with a concise statement of truth from the Scriptures).

 

Prayer

        “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Prayer is not presented as one of the pieces of armor per se but that attitude of total dependence on the Lord that should accompany the use of each piece of the armor. And that prayer is not solely for ourselves as we personally “stand against the wiles of the devil.” We are enjoined to engage in “supplication for all saints.” How much we need the help, the encouragement, and the prayers of one another as we all experience the attacks of Satan. May we all be more diligent in praying for our fellow saints, not just for their physical health, but much more for their spiritual health and energy as they, too, wrestle against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Judges 6:1-16; Ephesians 6:10-18

I have been considering the great conflict that was before Gideon, and how God prepared him for this conflict. As we read, Israel had sinned against the Lord, and the Lord had given Israel into the hands of the Midianites seven years. The total domination of this nomad people over Israel is demonstrated as we read in Judges 6:2-4, “And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel:and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens that are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till you come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.” The Midianites raided Israel in very great numbers as we read in verse 5, “For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number; and they entered into the land to destroy it.”

        I imagine the Midianites were quite mobile with their camels, like an enormous light cavalry, probably able to arrive in great numbers within hours of their scouts sighting livestock or grain to be plundered; and they destroyed or took everything in their path. Israel seemed powerless to stop the Midianites and could apparently do nothing but hide themselves.

        Such was the enormous hostile power facing Gideon and the children of Israel; but God did not prepare Gideon for the conflict before him by putting him first in mind of the power of the enemy. He began instead by telling Gideon of the power that was for him:“The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor” (6:12). Gideon was then instructed of God in 6:14, “Go in this your might.” He might be the least of his house and his family the poorest in Manasseh, but what is that to God? Gideon’s strength was not the issue. He was not a military leader, nor probably a leader at all, and he certainly didn’t have the wealth to gather and equip an army to go against these Midianites. But to all such objections, God responded, “Surely, I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man” (6:16). The issue was not the power of the Midianites, nor that of Gideon, but the surpassing power of God.

        For what is all the power of the world to God? “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). The Lord used Gideon to rout the host of Midian with only 300 men armed with horns, clay pots, and torches. Similarly, the experienced commander Sisera brought his 900 iron chariots against Barak who had only inexperienced, lightly armed men; but we read, “the stars in their courses fought against Sisera” (Judg. 5:20), and he and his chariots were swept away. Jonathan, in 1 Samuel 14, took only his armor bearer with him when he attacked and defeated a group of 20 Philistines saying, “Come and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us, for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few” (14:6).

        We Christians today also have a powerful enemy and a great conflict before us that is described in Ephesians 6:10-18. This conflict faces each one in this world who bears the name of Christ and tries to walk according to His will. Our adversary is Satan. He and his powerful forces are at work in this world to oppose and discredit Christians and the Gospel. The conflict before us is spiritual, so unlike the battles of men, our enemy is largely unseen by our eyes. Gideon, Barak, or Jonathan could see actual forces arrayed against them which they must physically fight. We, however, see only the instruments of our enemy—people or circumstances that the enemy may be using against us; the real battle involves the forces behind the scenes. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (6:12).

        If we could see with our eyes the forces arrayed against us, I am certain the sight would be intimidating in the extreme! Luther in his famous hymn wrote, “For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.” The power that is arrayed against us is very great. But as in the case of Gideon, God does not prepare us for the conflict by showing us first the power of the enemy, or our own lack of strength. In Ephesians 6:10, He begins the preparation by reminding us of the much greater power that is for us:“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” Our enemy may be much stronger than we are, but as with Gideon, the outcome is not decided by the power of the enemy as opposed to our own.

        In verse 10, I believe we see two very important facts regarding the warfare that faces us:first, the Lord is on our side, and how encouraging and comforting that is because “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Our enemy may be powerful and we may be relatively weak, but God is greater than this, and He is on our side! However I think there is also an implied warning in verse 10:to be successful in this kind of fight, we must fight in the strength of the Lord, and not in our own strength (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Phil. 4:13). We may have gifts and personal strengths, and God can certainly use these; but if we try to depend on our own qualities, no matter how gifted, we must fail.

         In verse 11, we are to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. To battle in the strength of the Lord means using the weapon and the defenses that are suitable to the task. These have been provided by the Lord and are described in verses 14-18. We are told to “put on the whole armor of God.” We do not automatically have this armor when we become Christians, but we must take it up. I believe that the way we take it up (and keep it) is by constant communion with the Lord—through reading His Word and prayer. It is through His Word that the affections of our hearts are exposed and brought under control (having our loins girt with truth); we also learn practical holiness (the breastplate of righteousness), and we learn that salvation is of the Lord (the helmet of salvation). We learn that God loves us and is for us, despite what circumstances may seem to show (the shield of faith).

        We need this armor of God in order for us to stand against the wiles of the devil. These “wiles” are deceptions that he offers us, that may appeal to our flesh and seem at first to be harmless, but in the end lead us far from the path of faith. We also need the armor to quench the “fiery darts,” which are those wicked suggestions that would question the love and goodness of God toward us.

        I believe that communion with the Lord is so important to our acquiring this armor that Satan will do all he can to interrupt that communion in hopes of getting us to put off our armor or perhaps never to take it up in the first place. To disrupt this communion, Satan may use the cares and concerns of life, infirmity, calamity, or even personal insults and irritations that depress and eat at us. Our enemy is likely to use anything that will get our minds off the Lord’s things and onto ourselves. We must learn to recognize this tactic and see it for what it is. Furthermore, we need the “whole” armor, not just some of it, and we need it all the time in order to “withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (6:13). We must not wait until the evil day to put on the armor—then it will be too late. Also, we cannot take our armor off or neglect it, even after a victory. If any part of it is missing, Satan will note the deficiency and attack accordingly.

        I do want to mention the last two items in some detail. The sword of the Spirit (6:17) is identified as the Word of God. It is the only actual weapon described in this portion; and indeed, it is the only weapon needed or useful to the child of God in spiritual warfare. In Heb. 4:12 we read that the “Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” Thus we find that this weapon is quick or living, and powerful in and of itself; its effectiveness is not necessarily dependent on the one who wields it—God’s Word can speak for itself. Personally, I find this quite comforting! As with Gideon, God does not require that we be skilled in swordsmanship, only that we be faithful and willing to use the sword of the Lord. As a practical example, I might feel that I lack the ability to effectively counter the arguments of an unbeliever who seeks to oppose. I may feel that I lack the fluency of thought and speech to make good and effective arguments that will win the day. But I need not be timid. If I am willing to use the Word of God, even if I just read or recite a verse I have memorized, God’s Word can speak for itself and have the effect that God intends (Isa. 55:11).

        The world may scorn the Word of God, finding it to be silly and unintelligent. But like the two-edged sword of Ehud, it is the perfect tool for the job. When tempted by the wiles of the devil in the wilderness, the Lord used the Word of God in the power of the Spirit for every attack. The Word of God abiding in us is our strength. “I have written unto you, young men because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14).

        Finally, prayer (6:18) is essential. In discerning and fighting off the attacks of Satan, we must be dependent on the power of God:“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” We need to be in fervent, constant prayer in the Spirit, which takes energy and commitment. This prayer is not just for ourselves but for all the saints. Prayer springs from an attitude of dependence, and dependence is the key factor in our Christian walk through this world given the hostile forces that are arrayed against us.

                “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:13).

“As his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who tarries with the stuff; they shall share alike” (1 Sam. 30:24).

        When David recovered the city of Ziklag from the Amalekites, some of his men did not want to share the spoil with 200 who had stayed behind at the brook Besor. David ruled that those who stayed by the supplies should share equally with those who went into the battle.

        For every soldier who engages in combat, there are several who work behind the lines. In the U.S. Army in World War II, only about 30% of the troops were in combatant units. The others were support personnel, serving in such units as engineer, quartermaster, communications, ordnance, chemical, transportation, and military government.

        There is a parallel to this situation in the work of the Lord. Although all Christians are soldiers, not all are in the front line of battle. Not all are preachers, or evangelists, or teachers, or pastors. Not all are missionaries serving on the battle fronts of the world. God has support personnel in His army too. There are His faithful prayer warriors who agonize daily until the tide of battle turns. There are His devoted stewards who live sacrificially so that they can send more money to the front. There are those who provide food and accommodations for those who are in face-to-face conflict with the enemy. Then think of those who type, edit, and print Christian literature that will one day carry the message to distant lands. Think of the women of excellence who minister in the home, raising sons and daughters for the service of the King. For everyone in the thick of the battle, there are several others serving as support personnel.

        When the rewards are passed out, those who had supportive roles will share equally with those who were acclaimed as war heroes. Those who served quietly behind the lines will share equal honors with the evangelical celebrities.

        God is able to sort it all out. He can accurately measure the importance of everyone’s contribution. There will be plenty of surprises. Inconspicuous people whom we thought to be fairly unimportant will be seen to have occupied crucial positions. Without them, we ourselves would have been powerless.

                (From One Day at a Time, July 30, Gospel Folio Press, Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

1 Corinthians 13 is known by many as the love chapter of the Bible. I don’t believe that Paul intended to write a treatise on the subject of love, but rather he wrote this section to address the needs of the Corinthian saints and our needs as well. There are many subjects that are taken up in this letter to the saints at Corinth, and many of them include a corrective rebuke by the apostle as he reveals the failings of those in this assembly. In chapter 13 he relates true, self-sacrificing, agape love to each of their failings.

        In verses 4-8 there are sixteen characteristics of love that are mentioned. Eight of them tell what love is and eight of them tell what love is not. Each of the negative characteristics was being displayed by the Corinthians in their actions and attitudes and these needed to be corrected. We can learn from their failings as well.

        Love envies not. “For you are yet carnal:for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?” (1 Cor. 3:3). True love for our fellow believers causes us to “rejoice with those who do rejoice” (Rom. 12:15) instead of longing for what others have.

        Love vaunts not itself or love does not boast. “For who makes you to differ from another? and what have you that you did not receive? now if you did receive it, why do you glory [boast], as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7; also 3:21). It is harmful to elevate one man over others in the assembly and to boast about our connections with powerful men. Love for the Lord and for others will give us humble hearts, realizing that all we have comes from the Lord.

        Love is not puffed up or love is not arrogant. “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but charity [or love] edifies” (1 Cor. 8:1). “Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you” (1 Cor. 4:18). “And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2). The Lord hates “a proud look” (Prov. 6:16,17) and pride about sinful actions surely is detestable to the Lord. Humility of heart must accompany our love.

        Love does not behave itself unseemly or love is not rude. “When you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For in eating every one takes before other his own supper:and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have you not houses to eat and to drink in? or do you despise the Church of God, and shame those who have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not” (1 Cor. 11:20-22). Their behavior was rude toward each other and toward the Lord as they treated the Lord’s Supper like a party. When they came together to eat common meals at a separate time from partaking of the Lord’s Supper, they were instructed to “tarry one for another” (1 Cor. 11:33) or share what each one had with others.

        Love seeks not her own or love does not insist on its own way. “For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by those who are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you says, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ” (1 Cor. 1:11,12). Love for our brethren will keep us from dividing and will motivate us to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10).

        Love is not easily provoked or love is not irritable or resentful and love thinks no evil or love does not suspect evil or keep account of wrongs done. “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1 Cor. 6:7). How quickly disputes can escalate if we allow ourselves to be provoked easily. It is much better always to put others in the best possible light. If kindness is at work, there will be ways to settle disputes between brethren instead of taking each other to the world’s courts.

        Love rejoices not in iniquity. “Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6). There was sin in their midst and they were rejoicing in it instead of judging it. A loving response to these sinning individuals would have helped the wrongdoers see the error of their ways and encouraged them to repent and turn from their sin.

        Love suffers long and is kind. Love rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and it never fails. The Lord Jesus Christ is our model for these positive characteristics in that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). May these corrective rebukes search our hearts so that we may display God’s love in our lives.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” One might speak with the eloquence of Apollos, moving multitudes by silvery-tongued oratory, or were it possible, hold thousands spell-bound with the voice of an angel, but if love be wanting it would avail nothing.

        “Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.” So, one might possess the most coveted gift (14:1) and be able to elucidate all mysteries, profound in knowledge and unsurpassed in faith, but if love is not in activity, all is unavailing—“I am nothing.”

        “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.” Philanthropy might lead one to the extreme of giving up all one possessed to the poor. I might be so valiant for truth and righteousness as to be ready to go to the stake for my opinions, but if destitute of divine love, all would profit nothing.

                Love, divine love, product of the divine nature:Suffers long, is kind, envies not, vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity but in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

These are blessed qualities indeed! First, self is renounced. Love leads one to be tender, kind, considerate, and ready to serve our fellow-saints according to the example of the One who, in love, stooped to wash His disciples’ feet.

        The heart, in love, is free from supposing evil. As “partakers of the divine nature” the lovely things and things of good report occupy the heart, and love “covers the multitude of sins.”

        Love leads us to bear with one another, remembering our own weaknesses and putting the best construction on the acts and words of our fellow-saints. If the thoughtlessness of another causes pain, and one is misjudged or misunderstood, love endures all things.

        So, says the apostle, “Love never fails.” All else, however excellent, must pass away, belonging to the scene and circumstances in which we are found, while waiting for our Lord’s return.

         “And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

 (From Help and Food, Vol. 40.)

        “And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt” (Num. 14:4).

        “[They] hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage” (Neh. 9:17).

        “This is that Moses … to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt” (Acts 7:37,39).

        Moses experienced much sorrow of heart at the hand of his brethren whom he was called to lead. With his eyes on the Lord, he was able to endure the hardships and complete the mission that the Lord had given to him to do. He led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through many difficult situations. At one point they rebelled against him and his God and chose a different, unnamed leader to take them back to the pleasures and bondage of Egypt. This was one of many difficult trials that Moses faced on his pathway to the Promised Land, but “he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27).

        When Moses was 40 years old he fled Egypt for fear of his life after defending one of his Hebrew brothers and killing an Egyptian (Exod. 2:15). He chose to “suffer affliction with the people of God” and to endure “the reproach of Christ” (Heb. 11:25,26) rather than enjoy the privileges that his position held for him in Egypt. He then enjoyed 40 years of contentment in the desert, keeping sheep and raising a family. He wrote Psalm 90 where he numbers the days of men as lasting 70 and possibly 80 years before they “fly away” (Psa. 90:10). At the age of 80, when he may have thought his years were about over in this world, he was called upon to do a monumental task of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt to a new land. The assignment involved returning to the scene of his crime and facing whatever lay before him there. It also involved speaking in front of powerful men, which he was very timid about doing. He said, O my Lord, I am not eloquent … but I am slow of speech” (Exod. 4:10). He went to Egypt and Aaron spoke for him at first, but as he saw the plagues of the LORD do their work, he became bolder and bolder. He spoke to Pharaoh and said “We will go … for we must hold a feast unto the LORD”; “You must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God”; “I will see your face again no more” (Exod. 10:9,25,29). These were not words of a timid man anymore, but words of a man who was carrying God’s message with authority and power.

        Then we see Moses leading a company of people numbering 603,550 men 20 years old and upward who were able to go to battle (Num. 1:45,46). Adding women and children and the tribe of Levi, the total population was likely well over two or three million. Moses had been taken from the quietness of the desert and placed in charge of a large nation. He needed to orchestrate an exodus from their homes, and a trip across the Red Sea through mountains and desert on foot along with their flocks of goats and sheep and herds of cattle. What a sight that must have been to watch them travel, being led by the pillar of cloud and fire! People from other nations joined them as well and added to their number (Exod. 12:38). The LORD laid a tremendous weight on Moses as all of these people followed him to a place that none of them had ever seen before. The people had complained about their hardships in Egypt (Exod. 1:14; 2:23,24) and wanted desperately to be free from the tyranny of Pharaoh. Now they were free and trusting Moses and the LORD to bring them into a better land and life.

        However, it wasn’t long before their murmuring spirit rose up as they complained at the Red Sea when Pharaoh was pursuing them (Exod. 14:12,13). Moses told them to “fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exod. 14:13) and the LORD preserved them. Then they complained about having no food and the LORD provided quail and manna for them to eat (Exod. 16). Next they complained about being thirsty and the LORD provided water from a rock (Exod. 17). In each of these instances their hearts turned back to Egypt, longing for the comforts that they had enjoyed there and not being thankful for the salvation from the hardships that they had endured in that country. How it grieved and frightened Moses to listen to their murmurings, but he took his burdens to the LORD and said “What shall I do unto this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Exod. 17:4). The LORD always answered him and gave him reason to hope and courage to continue on being their leader.

        Their complaining hearts climaxed as they rejected Jehovah their God and presumed that Moses had left them or fled when he went up on Mount Sinai. They asked Aaron to make gods for them that they could see and touch. Moses interceded for them when the LORD wanted to destroy them, but he meted out an awful yet necessary judgment on the people as 3,000 men were killed by Levites at Moses’ command (Exod. 32).

        As time went on the people continued to complain. Now their source of complaint was the manna that was given to them every day as they remembered all of the variety and tastes of Egypt. Moses joined them as he asked the LORD, “Why hast Thou afflicted Thy servant? And why have I not found favor in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?” (Num. 11:11). He asked the LORD to take his life, but the LORD responded by giving of the spirit that was upon Moses unto 70 elders of Israel so Moses would not have to bear the burden of the people alone. Then the sister and brother of Moses spoke against him and the LORD spoke on his behalf calling him “My servant Moses … who is faithful in all my house” (Num. 12:7). What a commendation from the Lord after Moses had just questioned the LORD’s ability to feed the nation and had complained about the burden he was bearing. The LORD knew his heart and patiently dealt with him during a time of doubting.

        This large nation finally came to their destination, but a bad report from ten men caused them to complain and weep all night as they wished that they had never taken this journey and decided to appoint a new captain for them who would lead them back to Egypt. Moses was faced with insurrection from a people whom he had given up everything to help, leaving his privileged position in Egypt and the comforts and solitude of the desert. He was now over 80 years old, longing for this journey to be done, and now he was about to be stoned again. The LORD expressed a willingness to disinherit and destroy the multitude (Num. 14:12), but Moses again interceded for them and pled for the LORD to be longsuffering and have mercy. The LORD listened to Moses but vowed that no one who was 20 years old and upward would go into the Promised Land, except for two faithful ones, Joshua and Caleb (Num. 14:29,30).

        Thus began 40 years of wandering by the people as Moses continued to lead them. He accepted this judgment from the LORD and bore it with the people. How difficult it must have been for Moses to continue leading a thankless multitude when he had been ready to enter the land and discharge his duties. The complaining continued as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram led 250 princes of Israel and questioned the authority and priesthood of Moses and Aaron. One of these may have been the captain that was appointed to lead the people back to Egypt as they attempted to overthrow their rulers. The LORD quickly re-established in the minds of the people that Moses and Aaron were His chosen leaders as He caused the earth to swallow up these three men, their homes, and their families. Fire from the LORD consumed the 250 men that had followed them.

        The people complained again about their thirst and reminded Moses of all the pleasures of Egypt. Moses was impatient with the people and heeded not the LORD’s command to speak to a rock, but in anger hit it instead and suffered the consequence of not being allowed to enter into the Promised Land (Num. 20). The soul of the people continued to be “discouraged because of the way” (Num. 21:4) and they spoke against God and against Moses. Fiery serpents were sent by the Lord this time and killed many people, but Moses made a serpent of brass for the people to look upon and those who had been bitten who looked at it lived (Num. 21:9).

        Moses had his 120th birthday and knew that the time had come for him to be laid to rest. He gave this charge unto the people of Israel:“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them:for the LORD your God, He it is who goes with you; He will not fail you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). He finished his days by writing a song of praise unto the LORD and blessing the people who had caused him so much sorrow and trouble. The first five books of the Bible are ascribed to this man of God and the LORD buried him after He showed him all the land that He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 34).

                Moses had left all in answer to God’s call and in sacrificial love for God’s people. He endured the hardships of traveling for 40 years with a murmuring, rebellious nation numbering in the millions who often wanted to forsake him and return to the land from which the LORD had rescued them. What patience! What endurance! May we follow his example and that of the Lord Jesus and patiently fulfill the call that the Lord has for us to do. “Behold, we count them happy who endure” (Jas. 5:11). “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

“The fruit of the Spirit is … longsuffering (Gal. 5:22). The word in the original Greek is makrothumia and means literally, “long-tempered.” This word is similar in meaning, yet distinct from hupomone which is usually translated “patience” in our English Bibles. Longsuffering is the quality of controlling one’s temper and not quickly retaliating when provoked by other persons; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with meekness. Patience is the quality of bearing up under trials or adverse circumstances; it is the opposite of depression or despondency and is associated with hope. So longsuffering has more to do with trials from persons, and patience has to do with trials from things or circumstances.

        It is perhaps significant that it is the former—longsuffering—that is specifically mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit. The natural man seems to find it easier to bear up under adverse circumstances and trials than to bear without anger or retaliation the taunts, insults, slights, put-downs, and provocations from his fellow men. Thus it is often a particularly impressive and noticeable mark of being Spirit-filled for the Christian to manifest this quality of longsuffering, or long temper, in the face of antagonism by others.

        Longsuffering is an attribute of God. “The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exod. 34:6; see also Num. 14:18; Psa. 86:15). “The Lord is … longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9; see also Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 1 Pet. 3:20). And how beautifully was this attribute manifested by the Lord Jesus, “who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not” (1 Pet. 2:23).

        As we consider God’s longsuffering toward us (and how often, surely, have we provoked Him!), may we grow in our desire and ability through the power of the Spirit to manifest this same longsuffering toward others (Col. 1:10,11; 3:12,13).

                “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3).

“Be also patient, stablish your hearts:for the coming of the Lord draws nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned; behold, the Judge stands before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience” (Jas. 5:8-10).

        James warns the disciples against walking in a complaining and quarrelsome spirit one toward another. If we are waiting for the Lord, the spirit is calm and contented; it does not get irritated with its persecutors; moreover, we bear with patience the ills of the desert, just as Christ did, bearing wrongs and committing Himself to God. We are contented and quiet, with a happy and kindly spirit, for kindness flows easily from a happy heart. The Lord’s coming will put everything right, and our happiness is found elsewhere. This is what Paul says in Phil. 4:5:”Let your moderation [or yielding spirit] be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” How real, how mighty and practical, was this expectation of the Lord! What power it had over the heart! “The Judge stands before the door.”

        Then he gives examples. The prophets were examples of suffering affliction and of patience, and we count them happy in their sufferings. They have not been alone; others also have endured and have been counted happy. For example, if we see one suffering unjustly for the name of Jesus, and he is patient and meek, his heart called out on behalf of his persecutors rather than irritated against them, then we recognize the power of faith and of confidence in the love and faithfulness of the Lord. He is calm and full of joy, and we say, “See how grace makes that man happy!”

                We, too, are happy when we suffer; at least, we ought to be so. “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:11,12). But it is one thing to admire others who are sustained by the Spirit of Christ, and another to glory in tribulations when we are in them ourselves. We need a broken will, confidence in God, and communion with Him who has suffered for us, in order to be able to glory in sufferings.

        In Numbers 14:34 we are told that the children of Israel must wander 40 years in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Only those under 20 years of age (14:29)and two others would enter the land of promise:“My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him and has followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land” (14:24). “Doubtless you shall not come into the land … save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun” (14:30).

        Apparently, Caleb spent the best part of his life in the wilderness. Those 40 years of aimless wandering were, to outward appearance, thrown away. Nor was he to blame. His faith was ready to take him into the land of Kadesh Barnea. He knew God was able to give the people their promised inheritance, and he was ready in the vigor of that assurance to act at once:“Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30). But he, with Joshua, stood alone, and in vain attempted to stem the torrent of fear, unbelief, and rebellion that swept the whole congregation past this point of opportunity—opportunity never to come again to any of that unbelieving host. “We see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19). So he must accompany a rebellious and unbelieving people compelled to go up and down in a waste land, and all that time the home of his choice, fair Hebron, lay away off in the land that the people had despised.

        What did it cost him to walk those 40 years in peace and patience? He was suffering under the government of God, not for his own sin, but because he was identified with Israel and had to go through all the circumstances of trial, sorrow, and temporary cutting off which, in righteous chastening, God was bringing upon the people. Personally he was guiltless, but this enabled him the more clearly and fully to enter into the reality of the chastening.

 

Caleb a Picture of Christ

        In all this, he presents a vivid illustration of our blessed Lord as Messiah, Israel’s King. In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ had attracted the people and awakened their desire for the “kingdom of heaven.” He had shown them—as it were “spied out” for them—the holy principles of that kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount; He had exhibited the “powers of the world to come” (Heb. 6:5), or Eshcol’s fruit (Num. 13:23), in healing every kind of sickness and infirmity, only to find the same unbelief that existed in Caleb’s day. This unbelief culminated in the same rebellion and apostasy, even ascribing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit! How like Kadesh Barnea this was and how similar in result! The people as a nation refused to enter with Him into the blessings of the kingdom, and so from Matthew 13 onward we see Him, Caleb-like, treading in patience the thorny path of rejection, ending in His being “cut off” as Messiah (Dan. 9:26). “For the transgression of My people was He stricken” (Isa. 53:8).

        Caleb, in his measure, no doubt exhibited this same patience in accompanying the people in their wanderings. To be sure, it was the only thing for him to do; but he evidently did not succumb to the surrounding circumstances for we hear him say when at last a new generation of the people under Joshua had entered the land:“And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these 45 years … while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness:and now, lo, I am this day 85 years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me … for war, both to go out, and to come in” (Josh. 14:10,11). Only a man who had kept himself “unspotted from the world” (Jas. 1:27) could have said that. Only of the righteous can it be said, “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing” (Psa. 92:14). There is no need to mention the various instances where special patience, kindness, or diligence was shown. His wilderness history is an unwritten one to be filled out by each one who will walk in his steps. And are not our circumstances very similar to Caleb’s in many ways? To be sure, there is the added factor of personal failure and the need of realizing the chastening for this, but there are certain general characteristics that can be applied to us all. What an example for those who, shut out for the time from their Home, become absorbed with their surroundings and forget “those things that are before” (Phil. 3:13). Did not the memory of Hebron remain in Caleb’s heart as fresh during all those years as at the first? How is it with us, dear brethren? Do we have a longing to be there? Do we have a desire to depart, if need be, and be with Christ? Are our treasures realized to be there and not here? Let us be taught by Caleb who, though his feet were in the desert, had his heart in the land. “Set your affection [or mind] on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

 

Caleb an Example for Us

        We can get help and encouragement from Caleb’s example for individual cases. He was yoked with a carnal people and outwardly had to follow where they were led. We, too, are in christendom and must accept, in a broad sense, the position brought upon it by unbelief. We have often heard it said that it is impossible to restore a ruin; this is true, and we go wrong if we ignore it or attempt to extricate ourselves from the consequences of this ruin. Caleb could not leave the rest of the people, and neither can we separate ourselves from the professing church; we must sorrowfully bear witness to the fact that we are in confusion. (And who of us can claim personal blamelessness in contributing to this confusion?) But though Caleb was outwardly with the people, who could dream of his taking part in, or by his presence sanctioning, the shameful matter of Baal-peor (Num. 25)? So we have not the slightest excuse for mixing ourselves with practices which, if not so gross, are as much forbidden as the sin of Peor. Specification is not needed. “Let every one who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). We are to hold ourselves ready to help in every way and to minister to God’s people wherever they are, but we are most assuredly not to partake in their unscriptural practices.

        We have lessons still more individual. One of the constant complaints of God’s people, if not upon their lips, in their hearts at least, is that their circumstances are so unfavorable to a full enjoyment of divine things. One is hampered by absorbing business; another is thrown with ungodly persons in the performance of his duty; a third has, it may be, a worldly family. If matters were different, how much more would they enjoy the things of God. Caleb teaches us to have the heart wholly set upon God’s things, and then to walk the path of duty. It is not said that we cannot alter some of our circumstances. We surely ought where they involve us in dishonor to God. But the vast mass will remain unchanged, and it will spoil us for service if we are going to be dragged down by it. Here is our lesson—to live with God and for Him where He puts us. We may have, through unfaithfulness, put ourselves in positions where we must quietly learn from God and glorify Him in the position.

        What is the foundation of a proper walk? To be wholehearted for God. “Hebron [meaning communion] therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel” (Josh. 14:14). If the Lord has not our whole heart, the world will, like a wedge, enter and spoil all. Oh, for more confidence in His love, the conviction of His all-sufficiency that will abide with us in all our path and give us such rest of soul that we may remain, like Caleb, fresh and full of vigor until the Lord Jesus returns.

        Faith never expects to learn deep lessons without deep difficulties; therefore she is not surprised by strange and dark providences. How many are apt to say, “My temptation is peculiar.” But we should remember that it is the peculiar aggravations that make a trial effectual and we should not forget the word, “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13). Our faith is greatly strengthened when we are brought to see that no one but God can help.

                (From Help and Food, Vol. 11.)

It Did Not Look Like It:

        The accepted man, Abel, was murdered in jealous hate by the refused man, Cain. It seemed for the moment to be a sorry price to pay as the cost of God’s acceptance, though this latter was by virtue of his offering, type of our standing in God’s favor through the excellency of Christ’s offering. Abel was murdered, and this only hurried him into the everlasting peace of God’s presence. Was his usefulness on earth then cut short? No, he has preached longer than any preacher ever known. For one thing he began earlier than any:he was the first to die, and he being “dead yet speaks” (Heb. 11:4). His lips are more eloquent in death than they could have been in life. Ask Abel, “Does God care?” What answer will he give? There is only one possible answer, earnest and emphatic.

 

It Did Not Look Like It:

        The rough spoken lord of Egypt made it impossible for Jacob’s sons to return for corn, unless Benjamin was with them. The old man, bereaved of his loved wife, Rachel, and her firstborn, Joseph, clung with passionate affection to Benjamin, the sole link with that particular past. When at last he was compelled to part with him, he gave vent to his grief, “You have bereaved me of my children:Joseph is not and Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away:all these things are against me” (Gen. 42:36). Were they against him? He could not see far enough. Little did he think that the shadow of dreaded bereavement resting on his spirit, was in reality but the breaking of the clouds. Instead of losing Benjamin he was about to regain Joseph, and in regaining Joseph, every pinch of want would be a thing of the past, as he lived in the land of Joseph’s providing and received of his bounty, even though all the rest of the earth was famine stricken. Ask Jacob, “Does God care?” Hear him say to Joseph for answer, “I had not thought to see your face:and, lo! God has showed me also your seed” (Gen. 48:11).

 

It Did Not Look Like It:

        The children of Israel groaned under bitter bondage, smarted under the whip of the cruel taskmaster, their would-be deliverer doing nothing more heroic for 40 long years than keeping the flock of his father-in-law at the backside of the desert. And when he made his first effort to gain release for his oppressed countrymen, it was only to make their plight still worse, as the word went forth that no more straw was to be given to the people, and yet the count of the bricks was not to be diminished. When the people murmured against Moses, they did not look far enough. Could they have seen what lay before them, how differently they would have viewed things! To the question of “Does God care?” the song on the Red Sea’s banks gives triumphant answer.

 

It Did Not Look Like It:

        God’s anointed was hunted like a partridge on the mountains, a king without a throne. A motley crew was around him in the cave of Adullam, those distressed, in debt, discontented, all with their lives in their hands. It was a rough experience, and patience and endurance were sorely tried; yet tribulation taught David happier lessons than the prosperity of the throne. Those years of tribulation produced the Psalms, which have comforted the saints of God well nigh 3,000 years. When Doeg the Edomite told Saul that David had come to the house of Ahimelech, hear the answer of David’s heart to the question, “Does God care?” “Why do you boast yourself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually” (Psa. 52:1). When the Ziphim came and said to Saul, “Does not David hide himself with us?” David’s response was, “Behold God is my helper:the Lord is with those who uphold my soul” (Psa. 54:4). When he fled from Saul in the cave, he could sing, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:I will sing and give praise” (Psa. 57:7). So it ever is. God does care, spite of appearances to the contrary.

 

It Did Not Look Like It:

        What a scene of imposing splendor:princes, governors, captains, judges, treasurers, counselors, sheriffs, and rulers were all going one way. But three men stood against the swiftly flowing tide.

        How easily might the three Hebrew children have asked in doubt, “Does God care?” Would it not be well to submit and bow to the image of gold? But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had but one thought. To bow to God? Yes! To bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image? Never! The king, full of fury, commanded the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than its wont. What must the feelings of the three Hebrew children have been as the most mighty men in the army bound them in their coats, their hats, and their other garments? But God was sufficient even for a test like this. The fiery flames with their scorching breath destroyed the mighty men, while they burned the bonds of those devoted youths, and set them free to walk where never mortal man had walked before, upon a pavement of molten fire, without the smell of fire upon them, not a hair of their head singed, and in the best of company, that of the Son of God. The inside of the furnace was better far than the outside. Not victims but victors were they, delivered by their God! The king’s word changed, and his decree altered into giving universal respect to a God who could so act—this was the unexpected result of their faithfulness and constancy. God cared! And what will He not do for us if we stand true to Him?

 

It Did Not Look Like It:

        At the end of a faithful course, after years of evangelizing and planting churches, the apostle Paul had to say, “All those who are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15). “I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds” (2 Tim. 2:9). “Demas has forsaken me—only Luke is with me” (2 Tim. 4:10). What a contrast! He, who had been in the forefront of the fight, was forsaken and alone! Yet when he writes, a prisoner, from Rome, with martyrdom before him, he can say to his beloved Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4); and, as we read the Epistle, we can note the long vigorous stride the aged spiritual athlete takes as he exultingly cries, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

        Should this not encourage us? Are we forsaken, left alone, isolated? Then is the time to lean upon the Lord Himself. We may with grief see the multitude turn away, but like Paul we may unmoved press on. In whatever circumstances we are, He is sufficient for us. To have His company and His smile is essential. Nothing else is.

        Scripture teems with illustrations of how God cares, and how shortsighted man is in looking at events happening to him. Yet with such a wealth of illustration, how little we are prepared to bring God into our calculations; how we leave Him out, thus losing both in peace of mind and steadiness of purpose.

        “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

        Surely we need never raise the question, “Does God care?” but henceforth calmly rest in the abiding sense of His ceaseless and untiring love.

        (From Scripture Truth, Vol. 1.)

There is manifestly a vast difference between the one who “falls into temptation” or “endures temptation” (Jas. 1:2,12), on the one hand, and the one who “enters into temptation” (Matt. 26:41), on the other. We do well therefore to have it clear and settled in our souls that the former is blessed while the latter is facing the utmost possible danger to the soul. There is nothing more strengthening than to “endure temptation,” nothing more perilous than to “enter into” it. There seems little difference in the words, and people might easily slur over the difference in their thought. But the difference is complete; for in the one case it is an honor that God puts upon us, and in the other a snare that Satan presents to us.

 

Enduring Temptation

        Which of these two things do we know best? How far do our souls know what it is to fall into various temptations or to endure temptation? For we are blessed if we do. Falling into temptation, or enduring it, is that which God delights in. In Genesis 22 we find that Abraham was in a condition in which God could try him; and He loves that we should be in such a condition that He can try us. But this is not so when we are not governed by the sense of the presence of God, and when we are not happy in Him. It is not so where flesh is not judged.

        In Christ, salvation is not merely an incomparable favor such as God has shown to us in the depths of our need, but it is also inseparable from the dealing with self in the presence of God. Where this is not learned at the beginning it must be more painfully taught in the course of one’s life as a child of God. And then what dishonor to God and how grieving to His Spirit is our behavior! Such failure is not enduring temptation, nor is it in the least the same as God’s trying us. In such a state the Lord has rather to buffet us for our faults, as those who bear the name of the Lord Jesus in an uncomely manner.

        How grievous that those who have in the Saviour such a salvation, based on the utter judgment of the flesh, should so little have used it to deal with self, the most hateful of all things to God. I admit there is a greater daringness and pride and subtlety in Satan; but it seems to me that for that which is low and base and mean, there is nothing so bad as self; and yet this is the very thing that every one of us carries with us. The question now is, How far has grace acted upon our souls to lead us to judge it out and out in the presence of God? Where this is the case, the Lord can try us; that is, He can put us to the proof by what is not at all a question of evil of any kind, because God does not tempt by evil any more than He is tempted by evil things.

        When God was pleased to ask Abraham to give up his only son, this was in no wise evil, but a most blessed trial. It was proving whether Abraham had such perfect confidence in God that he would give up the object that was dearest to him, in whom were centered all the promises of God. By grace Abraham could. Of course he did it with the perfect certainty that, if Isaac were then to die, God would raise him up (Heb. 11:19). Abraham perfectly well knew, before the sacrifice was asked, that Isaac was to be the child of promise; and he knew that it was to be Isaac and nobody else—not another son. So he was certain, if Isaac were offered up, God would raise him again from the dead. It was therefore really the goodness of God’s own heart that was reflected in what He asked of Abraham’s heart; and Abraham was brought into greater communion with God in that which was in its measure the counterpart of the gift of His own Son.

        Just so is it with the trials that God is pleased to try us by, speaking now not of our bad trials, but of our good ones—not of such sorrows as Lot passed through, but of those like Abraham’s. It is a proof of the greatest confidence on God’s part if there is in us such a groundwork of walking before God, and in the consciousness of His presence, that He can try us with something that is like Himself—some prize to give up, some suffering to endure in grace—whatever it may be that is according to His own mind. It is in this sense that temptation is spoken of in Jas. 1:2,12.

 

Entering into Temptation

        After this (verses 13-15) we immediately turn to temptation spoken of in a bad sense, and this connects itself with the verse cited earlier in Matthew 26. I shall not dwell long upon either, though both are words of most salutary character for our souls. The Lord had looked for His disciples to watch with Him. Alas, He had not found it. The Lord had gone Himself alone, and had prayed to His Father in deepest suffering. Then He came back to the disciples, and, finding them sleeping, He said to Peter, “What, could you not watch with Me one hour?” No, they could not watch with Him one hour! The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

        Now it would be very unworthy for us to take this as an excuse for our own failure; this would be reading Scripture to the positive injury of our souls and the dishonor of God; yet I am afraid there are many who do so. We must remember there is this difference between our standing now, and that of the disciples. Flesh had not been thoroughly exposed and judged at that time; it was prior to the cross of Christ, and so before the Holy Spirit was given. There was divine life, but divine life, in itself, always goes in weakness.

        It is the Holy Spirit who acts in power; and you never can have power without Him. But we are always responsible for the power of the Holy Spirit, because He is given to the believer, and for ever abides in him. This time was not yet come for the disciples, but the Lord did say in view of it, as well as of the state in which they then were, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” For remember this, it is not any power conferred by the Spirit of God that keeps, even though He be the Spirit of power. It is not energy in this or that which keeps, but dependence on the Lord. It is the sense of weakness that watches and prays, and thus has the power of Christ resting on us. His strength is made perfect in weakness.

        There is nothing that so tends, where it is severed from Christ, to destroy dependence, as a large knowledge of the Word of God. That is where our danger lies. The greater our knowledge of the Word of God, where it is separated from the sense of utter weakness, and consequently from the need of watching and praying, the greater the danger. This is a solemn warning for our souls. There is no doubt plenty of knowledge of Scripture, and of what is called intelligence of truth; but do our souls keep up this sense of our need and weakness, and the expression of it to God? “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

        What does our Lord mean by “entering into temptation”? He is referring to one who in self-will goes into a scene where nothing but a judged will in one who goes at the bidding of God and leaning on Him can be kept. In other words, the will goes in where failure is inevitable, just because it is will at work. Peter himself soon experienced this. He went where he could not stand, unless the Lord had called and kept him by faith. There was no such thing as Peter enduring temptation; rather, he entered into it, and fell.

        Let me just say that it is all well in the midst of the saints of God to confess our Lord Jesus Christ; but it is not so easy to confess Him truly and humbly where, instead of saints sympathizing with us, shame and contempt or even death may be the consequence, as in Peter’s case. He would have endured, had he gone in by grace, obedience, watching and praying, instead of trusting in his own willingness to go to prison or even to die for his Master. When our Lord says, “The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak,” He is looking at nature in man; and nature is incapable of such a trial. None but God can sustain, and therefore it would require God’s will expressed in His Word to lead us rightly into such a scene of temptation, and His grace sustaining in faith to keep us in it; otherwise it would be but our own will, and we would fall. It would have been an abomination in Abraham to sacrifice his son, unless God had spoken the word. But faith, where self is judged, strengthens the soul to endure temptation. One enters not into temptation where one abides in dependence and self-judgment. Then when we fall into various temptations, we count it all joy; and as we did not enter of our own will, so we do not fall in them, but by grace endure.

        The Lord give us to watch and pray, so much the more because He has blessed us with such a knowledge of His Word and of Himself in the Lord Jesus Christ.

                (From The Bible Treasury, Vol. 8N.)

 “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (Psa. 37:7).

Have you loved ones who are heedless?
Knowing not thy blessed Lord,
Seeking from the world their pleasure,
Caring nothing for His Word?
Does this on your spirit weigh?
  Cease not—pray.

Does the waiting oft seem weary?
And the subject of your prayer
Show no sign or shade of turning?
Is it hard for you to bear
That your loved in darkness grope?
  Look up; hope.

Have you warned, besought, entreated;
Told of mercy from above?
Have you left no word unspoken,
Of God’s wondrous gift and love?
Does it seem already late?
  Only wait.

Let your love not cease an instant;
See how God has loved the lost!
Gave His Son, His only loved One.
Think, O think, the awful cost,
And the pains He took to prove
  All His love.

Some one prayed, and hoped, and waited,
When your heart was hard and dark,
Watching for the faintest glimmer
Of the longed-for living spark.
With your heart’s door’s lifted latch
  Keep your watch.

Some one pled at morn and evening
For your heedless, straying soul;
Some one craved the balm of healing,
Which alone could make you whole:
No, it is no weary task
  Just to ask.

God is patient, He is waiting:
Wait with Him, and willingly
Let Him carry all your burdens;
They’re too heavy, far, for thee.
Love and watch, and hope and pray,
  Every day.

In the glory over yonder
You shall find your prayers and tears:
Not e’en one has been forgotten,
Through the weary, anxious years.
Soon you’ll reach that changeless shore,
  Trust Him more.

Do you know the love of Jesus?
Measure it by Calvary’s cross.
Do you know the Father’s tender
Heart that yearneth over us?
Lean your head upon His breast;
  There is rest.
 (From Help and Food, Vol. 28.)