Never, No Never, No Never
Here is a divine word, directly from God’s own mouth: “For himself hath said.” (See Revised Version.)
Here is a promise which has been frequently made. “He hath said “: This promise occurs again and again.
Here are some of the fat things full of marrow. The sentence is as full of meaning as it is free from verbiage.
Here is the essence of meat, the quintessence of medicine.
May the Holy Spirit show us the treasure hid in this matchless sentence!
I. VlEW THE WORDS AS A QUOTATION.
The Holy Spirit led Paul to quote from the Scriptures, though he could have spoken fresh words.
Thus he put honor on the Old Testament.
Thus he taught that words spoken to ancient saints belong to us.
Our apostle quotes the sense, not the exact words, and thus he teaches us that the spirit of a text is the main thing.
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We find the words which Paul has quoted —
In Gen. xxviii. 15, “I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” Spoken to Jacob when quitting home, and thus to young saints setting out in life.
In Deut. xxxi. 8, “He will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee.” To Joshua, and so to those who have lost a leader, and are about to take the lead themselves, and to enter upon great wars and fightings, in which courage will be tried.
In 1 Chron. xxviii. 20, “He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work.” To Solomon, and thus to those who have a weighty charge upon them, requiring much wisdom. We build a spiritual temple.
In Isa. xli. 10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee.” To Israel, and so to the Lord’s tried and afflicted people.
II. VlEW THEM AS A HOUSEHOLD WORD FROM God.
1. They are peculiarly a saying of God:” He hath
said.” This has been said, not so much by inspiration as by God himself.
2. They are remarkably forcible from having five
negatives in them in the Greek.
3. They relate to God himself and his people.” I M
... “thee.”
4. They ensure his presence and his help. He
would not be with us, and be inactive.
5. They guarantee the greatest good. God with
us, means all good.
6. They avert a dreadful evil which we deserve,
and might justly fear; namely, to be deserted of God.
7. They are such as he only could utter and make
true. Nobody else can be with us effectually in agony, in death, in judgment.
8. They provide for all troubles, losses, desertions,
weaknesses, difficulties, places, seasons, dangers, etc., in time and eternity.
9. They are substantiated by the divine love, immutability, and faithfulness.
10. They are further confirmed by our observation
of the divine proceeding to others and to ourselves.
III. VlEW THEM AS A MOTIVE FOR CONTENTMENT.” Let
your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have.”
These most gracious words —
Lead us to live above visible things when we have stores in hand.
Lead us to present satisfaction, however low our stores may be.
Lead us to see provision for all future emergencies.
Lead us into a security more satisfactory, sure, ennobling, and divine, than all the wealth of the Indies could bestow.
Lead us to reckon discontent a kind of blasphemy of God.
Since God is always with us, what can we want besides?
IV. VlEW THEM AS A REASON FOR COURAGE.” So that
we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
1. Our Helper is greater than our foes. “Jehovah
is my helper.”
2. Our foes are entirely in his hand.” I will not
fear what man shall do.”
3. If permitted to afflict us, God will sustain us
under their malice.
What a blessed deliverance from fretting and from fearing have lre in these few words!
Let us not be slow to follow in the line of things which the Spirit evidently points out to us.
NOTES ON “NoTS.”
Lord, the apostle dissuadeth the Hebrews from covetousness with this argument, because God said, “I will not leave thee nor forsake thee.” Yet I find not that God ever gave this promise to all the Jews; but he spake it only to Joshua, when first made commander against the Canaanites: yet this (with out violence to the analogy of faith) the apostle applieth to all good men in general. Is it so, that we are heirs apparent to all promises made to thy servants in Scripture? Are the charters of grace granted to them good to me also? Then will I say with Jacob, “I have enough.” But because I can not entitle myself to thy promises to them except I imitate their piety to thee, grant I may take as much care in following the one as comfort in the other.
Thomas Flitter.
Our friend, Dr. William Graham, of Bonn, has lately departed this life, and we are told that on his death-bed one said to him, “He hath said, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,’” to which the good man replied, with his dying breath, “Not a doubt of it! Not a doubt of it!” — <7. H. S., in the Sword and the Trowel, 1884.
It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are. — Mackintosh.
I have read, says Brooks, of a company of poor Christians who were banished into some remote part; and one standing by, seeing them pass along, said that it was a very sad condition these poor people were in, to be thus hurried from the society of men, and made companions with the beasts of the field. “True, “said another, “it were a sad condition in deed if they were carried to a place where they should not find their God. But let them be of good cheer, God goes along with them, and will exhibit the comforts of his presence whithersoever they go.”
A heathen sage said to one of his friends, “Do not complain of thy misfortunes, as long as Caesar is thy friend!” What shall we say to those whom the
MY SERMON-NOTES.
Prince of the kings of the earth calls his sons and his brethren? “1 will never leave thee, nor forsake thee!” Ought not these words to cast all fear and care forever to the ground? He who possesses him, to whom all things belong, possesseth all things.
F. W. Krummach&r.
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
George Keitk.