Daily Devotionals

The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions

Devotional: January 22nd

January 22—Morning—Isaiah 14:20

"They shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a Saviour, and a great one, and he shall, deliver them."—Isaiah 19:20.

Mark, my soul, the sweet encouragement contained in these words. Here is a cry, and it is the cry of the soul; for it is directed unto the Lord. There is (as Elihu tells us) a cry of nature under oppression; but as this is not to God, it is evident that it never came from God; for he tells us, that none of them saith, "Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?" Job 35:9. But when the Holy Ghost convinceth of sin, and puts a cry in the heart by reason of it, he convinceth also of the righteousness of Jesus. Hence the difference of those cries is as wide as the east is from the west. Mark, therefore, my soul, this distinguishing feature of grace, and see whether thy cries are praying cries, and not complaining ones. And now observe what follows. When poor sinners thus cry unto the Lord, "he shall send them a Saviour, and a great one." Who but God the Father, sent his Son to be the Saviour of poor lost sinners? Was not Jesus a Saviour indeed, and a great one! Who, but he, could deliver the sinner from destruction? And remark further, the absolute certainty of the promise; for it is said, "he shall deliver them." Yes, blessed Jesus, thy deliverance is sure, thy salvation certain. Thou hast said, thy "sheep shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of thine hand." Pause, now, my soul, over this sweet verse. Surely in its bosom is folded up the sum and substance of all the gospel. Here are all the Persons of the Godhead engaged for the salvation of every poor crying sinner. Here is God the Holy Ghost, agreeably to his blessed office, causing the sinner to feel the oppressions of sin, and putting a cry in his heart to the Lord, to be delivered from them. Here is God the Father, answering that cry in mercy, and sending his almighty Son to be the Saviour of the poor sinner. And here is Jesus the Saviour, and a great one, saving the poor sinner with an everlasting salvation. Shout then, my soul, and begin the song of salvation to God and the Lamb!

January 22—Evening—Jeremiah 30:21

"And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me; for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord."—Jeremiah 30:21.

When the patriarch Jacob was dying, he pronounced, under the spirit of prophecy, that "the sceptre should not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come," Genesis 49:10. And here in the prospect of the Babylonish captivity, now on the eve of its arrival, the prophet is commissioned by the Lord to tell the church, that notwithstandidg all present appearances, no foreigners should judge or rule over them; but one should proceed from the midst of them, to be their governor, even David their king, whom I (saith Jehovah, verse 9.) will raise up unto them. One like unto themselves, such as our Jesus was, like unto his brethren. Sweet confirmation of our faith! And that no doubt might arise concerning the justness of the application, the Lord by another prophet (Micah 5:2.) mentioned the place of his birth, and marked at the same time, the features of his eternal power and Godhead. "But thou, Bethlehem-Epbratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." But we must not stop here in our views of this precious scripture. He that is to come forth from among his brethren as their governor, Jehovah engageth for him, that be will cause him to approach unto him. Blessed thought! No son or daughter of Adam could ever have drawn nigh to God, but for this gracious interposition. The holiness of the divine nature, the holiness of the divine law, and the enmity of the heart of man by sin, totally precluded it. None but he who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens, could have engaged his heart to this service. And indeed he graciously undertook it, and as completely accomplished it. Jesus was peculiarly suited for this vast undertaking. For as God he was one with the Father, to whom he approached; and as man, he was the person for whom, and by whom the reconciliation was to be accomplished; and as both God and Man in one Person, he could (as Job calls it) be a proper Day’s-man, to act between both parties, and restore to God his glory, and to man his happiness. And what a blessed addition to these delightful things respecting Jesus, is it to see, that God the Fathers hand was with Jesus in all! "I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me." Pause, my soul over this blessed scripture, and behold in all the vast work of thy Redeemer’s salvation, the name and authority of God thy Father confirming it. And wilt thou not then, in all thy approaches to God in Christ, have respect to this sovereign act of Jehovah? Is it indeed God the Father who hath given his dear Son, called him, appointed him, solemnly introduced him into his high priest’s office, by an oath, and in all his offices as Mediator, caused him to draw near in the accomplishment of redemption: and wilt thou not in an thy approaches, look unto Jesus as the Father hath respect unto him? Oh! for grace, in all the lively exercises of it, to draw nigh to the footstool of the mercy-seat, and unceasingly to remind God our Father of his own gracious appointment and acceptance of the church in the person of his dear Son. Yea! holy Father, I would say, in every act of worship, love, and praise, "Behold, O God, our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed!"