Daily Devotionals

Mornings and Evenings with Jesus

Devotional: October 4th

They do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. - Hosea 7:10.

HOW various and how numerous are the means which God is providing, and which he perpetually employs, as the preventions of sin and the excitements to holiness, or to induce men to seek the Lord their God! Of these, we may mention, first, The profusion of benefits, to draw men to God, “by the cords of love, and the bands of a man,” in nature, in providence, in grace; local advantages, commercial advantages, civil advantages, intellectual advantages; mercies new every morning; the day laden with his benefits, and on the wings of every hour a display of his patience and forbearance; all his works praising him, and calling upon us to do the same; never leaving himself without witness, in that “he is continually doing us good, sending us rain and fruitful seasons, and filling our hearts with food and gladness;” the earth filled with his riches, and the year crowned with his goodness. And, notwithstanding they are thus favoured, “yet do they not seek the Lord their God for all this.”

Secondly, The Scriptures in our own hands and in our own tongue. “What advantage hath the Jew, or what profit is there in circumcision? Chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” We are indulged, and indulged in a much higher degree in this view. “To us is the word of this salvation sent,” and sent in its completest form; for we have, in addition to Moses and the prophets, the evangelists and the apostles. We have the blessed volume, containing the glad tidings of salvation, filled up with doctrines, precepts, promises, motives, principles, and addressed to every passion in the human bosom. And yet, notwithstanding, “They seek not the Lord their God for all this.”

Thirdly, The Gospel ministry, so that men can not only read the word, but hear the “words of eternal life.” They have the advantage of the living address of man to man. Yes, life has been periled by accident, so that there was but a step between them and death. And then sickness has seized them, and drawn them down to the very gates of the grave, through the bars of which they looked into an awful eternity, and shuddered and said, “Oh, spare me, that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more!” and yet they do not seek the Lord for all this. Strange infatuation!

Fourthly, The power of conscience. Some men find that “the way of transgressors is hard,” and that it is very difficult to go on in sin as they have done: conscience has waylaid them, like the angel with the drawn sword, threatening Balaam. Conscience has said to that man, “Durst thou adventure? There is destruction in that course; there is death, there is hell, in that course. You are going to wade through the dearest blood of your soul, to plunge yourself into perdition. Oh, pause! Oh, forbear!” But he goes forward, in spite of his reflections afterwards! Notwithstanding all this remonstrance of conscience, “they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.”

Then, fifthly, The various addresses, reproofs, admonitions, and encouragements, derived from their various connections. Yet “they seek not the Lord their God for all this.” Lastly, We may mention afflictions. Sometimes their schemes are broken off, even the thoughts of their hearts. Sometimes their worldly substance is decreased in order to induce them to seek in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Sometimes death comes into the family, and bears off “the dear delights they once enjoyed and fondly called their own.”

He hath glorified thee. - Isaiah 55:5.

WITH regard to the glory here accorded to the Messiah, observe, first, Its source: “The Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, he hath glorified thee.” Here is the oneness of the relation. He is the God of the one, because he is the God of the other. Therefore, our Saviour said to his disciples, “I ascend to my Father, and your Father to my God and your God.”

Observe, secondly, The nature of this glory. There were some rays of glory beaming upon him and from him while he was here on earth; his people, therefore, could say: “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” But it was not a worldly glory, and especially in his transfiguration, when on the mount with his disciples he was transfigured before them; in reference to which Peter speaks of his having received from God the Father honour and glory. “When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” He was glorified, in a degree, even in his death. His cross was a throne, all creatures paid homage to him in death. The earth shook, the rocks rent, the graves were opened, the dead arose, the sun veiled his face in darkness. Prodigies of grace accompanied the miracles of nature. Gethsemane as well as Calvary witnessed the glory of his power. There the Roman guard drew back from him, and fell to the ground at a word. In the Judgment Hall he displayed the glory of his grace, when, with one of his all-loving Almighty looks, he turned his face upon Peter, and broke the disciple’s poor heart, and “he went out and wept bitterly.” The Apostle Peter speaks also of the glory which followed his sufferings. To this the Saviour looked forward when he said: “The hour is coming that the Son of man shall be glorified.” For this he prayed; he said: “Father, glorify thy Son.” He was “declared to be the Son of God, with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.” The descent of the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, was in recognition and in honour of him. And “he was exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and the forgiveness of sins,” and “he ascended far above all heaven, that he might fill all things.” Thus was God glorified in him.

Observe, thirdly, The season. He hath done it. When the prophet uttered these words, it was of futurity, and a futurity too at no little distance. His language marks the certainty of the accomplishment that he would assuredly be then glorified; it tells us that purpose and accomplishment, promise and fulfilment are the same with God. Were we able to take God at his word, we might say: “Now are the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.” We may say even now, “He hath quickened us, and raised us up, and made us sit together in heavenly places.” We may say in the midst of conflicts: “Now in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that bath loved us.”

Observe, fourthly, The connection this glory has with, and the influence it has over, the conversion of sinners: “They shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and the Holy One of Israel, who hath glorified thee.” The case is simply this. His glorification is the ground of all our confidence in God. We could have neither believed nor hoped in God without the mediation of Christ, and how could we have known that this mediation in our behalf was available and effective, if he had not been raised from the dead and glorified. And, says Peter, “God raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God.” And surely this is enough to encourage us. And further, this glorification furnishes him as Mediator with power to save: “Wherefore he is able to save unto the uttermost, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us.” It is now that he is “mighty to save;” he has power given him over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as the Lather hath given him.

Yes, and his glorification ensures the salvation of sinners as his grand reward and recompense. It was “for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross.” It is here that he sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied; and it is thus that he shall sprinkle many nations, and become God’s salvation unto the ends of the earth.