Teaching Beginners How to Walk
rT^HE minor prophets are the least studied probably of any portion of God’s Word — except the book of Leviticus. Yet they are gold mines yielding inexhaustible ores of precious truth. There is a nugget of rare value to be found in the third verse of the eleventh chapter of Hosea. It refers to ‘’Ephraim,” who represents the ten tribes of Israel. The verse is this — “I taught Ephraim also to walk, taking them by their arms.”
The idea is derived from the nursery — and it describes the manner in which a mother teaches her little ones to use their feet. When the youngster essays his first attempts to cruise around the room, he catches many a tumble, and falls foul of many an obstruction lying on the floor. So the nurse or the mother takes the wee toddler’s hand, or puts her strong arms beneath the child’s arms. Thus the parental strength holds up the weakling while it is gaining the benefit of practice and coming at the right idea of the law of gravitation.
What a sweet picture of God’s condescending love towards his infant children! He not only has an oversight of every young convert, but he extends constant help. It is in the way of self-exercise. What are feet given for but to walk with? And what are faculties and regenerating grace given to converts for except to be used in Christ’s service? If not used pretty soon, the new-born soul will remain a pitiable dwarf or helpless cripple for life. I have watched a young beginner when making his first experiment in a social meeting. His knees shook a little when he rose up to speak, and he stumbled somewhat in his language. But every body in the room sympathized with him, and the divine love seemed to be holding his hand. He had broken the ice; and as a “first time” never comes but once, he feels that the worst of it is over. Some great orators have made a sad botch of their first public efforts; D ‘Israeli did in Parliament, and Dr. Tyng in the pulpit. I can recall some excellent and edifying speakers in prayer-meetings whose tongues stammered, and their heads swam when they first stood up for Jesus.
To give a public testimony for Christ, is but a single step in the pathway of duty. The young beginner is entirely on a new track — is serving a new Master, is encountering new difficulties, and is put into many new positions. Before he “runs in the way of God’s commandments” he has to creep. When he tries to use his own feet, he finds them very weak; if God should let go of him, he would drop. So he prays “Hold me by my right hand” and ventures forward. This is the experience of every sincere convert who actually desires to do the will of his Heavenly Father. God never deserts such a child of grace. The meek will he guide in his way, and the limbs of faith grow strong by exercise.
God not only teaches a docile convert how to walk, but also where to walk. He pats up the bars of prohibition before certain dangerous places, and warns us off the ground. If we go there, we go at our peril. Occasionally we, heads of families, hear a loud thump in the hall, followed by a scream of distress, and we say, “Ah! poor Benny or Jenny has tumbled down the stairs.” Our Heavenly Father hears a great many such falls and cries of pain in his earthly household. That presumptuous professor who stepped off the platform of abstinence and caught a tumble down the stairway of drunkenness, gets up a sadder and a wiser man. Then is the time, after a first fall, to put himself under God’s protection. When a man yets used to falliny he is ruined. A first fall may bruise; but after that, every repetition hardens.
The stairways of temptation are very numerous. Fashion carpets some of them gorgeously and claims that they are safe. But we pastors know how often young converts venture on the slippery places only to catch wounding falls. The moment that a Christian goes where he can not take Christ with him, he is in danger. The Master will not keep his hand under our arms when we go on forbidden ground. Presumptuous Peter needed a sharp lesson, and he got it. That bitter cry at the foot of the stairs bespoke an awful fall. How many such are rising daily into Christ’s listening ears!
But there is no need that any Christian, young or old, should stumble. The “everlasting arms” are almighty arms. We have only to lean on them, and we shall never take a false step. Right before us are the footprints of Jesus to tell us where to tread. Christ is not only our Righteousness, but our example. If I can but set my frail human foot into the spot where my Master trod, I know that his hand will hold me. There is no more necessity that a Christian should backslide, than that the polar star should get lost in the skies. Only let us keep singing “He leadeth me” and we shall find by and by, that he has led us to glory.