Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: August 18th

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man of unclean lips-for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.- Isaiah 6:5.

When the glory of Jesus is manifested to the soul in the light of the Spirit, how doth it stain the pride of all human glory! The prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of Jesus under the New, were men of like passions, sinners like unto ourselves: by nature there is no difference: they were all saved by the same precious Saviour of sinners: a sight of themselves in the light of truth humbled them to the dust. "O wretched man that I am!" cries Paul the apostle. "Woe is me; I am unclean, I am undone!" cries Isaiah the evangelical prophet. "God will suffer no flesh to glory in his presence." Jesus the Saviour alone shall be exalted; man, the sinner, though the subject of grace and salvation, shall be laid low; every hope in himself cut off; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and his deserts as a sinner confessed. Such are the saving effects of Jesus’ love; such the humbling views of his Spirit. But it is very natural for the sensible sinner to write bitter things against himself; to pronounce a woe upon himself, and to cry out of his own undone state, and unclean, polluted condition: as when the sun shines we see innumerable motes and atoms which were invisible before. But do we think this strange, after a soul has been favored with a spiritual sight of Jesus, faith in him, and hope from him, to be sensible of, and cry out of our undone state? We should not think it strange. We shall carry this view of ourselves with us all our journey through, even till we come to the banks of Jordan’s streams.

The most exalted saint, while in the body, is in himself, according to the flesh, carnal, sold under sin; burdened with a body of sin and death. But though, as thus considered in himself, he is in a woeful, undone state, yet being in Christ Jesus, a member of him, a believer on him, a new creature in him, there is no woe, no wrath, no condemnation; but peace, pardon, love, and salvation from God the Father to him. This is manifested to our souls by the ministry of the word of grace; the Spirit of truth, like the seraphim, by the prophet, takes a live coal from off the altar, the sacrifice of Christ, and saith, "Lo! this hath touched thy lips, thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged." Let this comfortable truth ever dwell in thy heart, make confession with thy mouth unto salvation; the bloody sacrifice of Jesus hath purged thy sins. "Be not faithless, but believing,"- John 20:27.

But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 1 Samuel 20:39.

Had any one asked this lad, what Jonathan was doing in the field? he would doubtless have replied, only shooting arrows for his amusement, and I ran and brought them to him. But, O! there was a much greater matter here: no less than the precious life of David was at stake. Love directed these arrows: the voice of love proclaimed by them, David’s danger, or his safety. The fatal word, Is not the arrow beyond thee? reminds David of his danger, and warns him to flee for his life. Observe, (1st.) Never did more generous, faithful love dwell in a mere human breast, than in Jonathan’s to David. But it diminishes, like the light of the stars when the sun appears, compared to that infinitely greater, and more intense love, which dwells in the heart of our spiritual Jonathan, i.e., the gift of the Lord: this Jesus is to all his Davids, i.e., beloved ones. (2d.) There was a secret between Jonathan and David, on which his life depended. So there is between Jesus and us, on which the life of our immortal souls depend. “The secret of the Lord is with them who fear him, and he will shew them his covenant.” (Psalms 25:14.) His covenant love and grace, and the perpetuity of them. That he has loved us with an everlasting love, and that his grace shall never forsake us, but shall bring us safe to glory. Therefore, our souls are safe; our salvation is sure. The Lord forbids our fears: “Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flieth by day.” (Psalms 91:5.) Neither sin, death, or hell, shall ever prevail over thee. (3d.) The arrows were either behind, beside, or beyond the lad. Just so are these declarations of God’s everlasting love to lads in religion: they do not receive them in faith. (4th.) As the lad picked up the arrows, but knew not the matter: so do they pick up words, but understand not the secret of the Lord in them. Their words betray it. For they say, “If there is such a covenant; if God loves me with an everlasting love; if Christ has finished salvation for me; if all is of grace, without any condition of works-then no matter how I live; I will take my full swing in sin and wickedness.” Such lads are not in the secret; they are strangers to the power of covenant love and faithfulness; their hearts are in bondage to the law; they know not the liberty wherewith Christ makes us free. It lies between the gift of the Lord, and his Davids, or beloved ones, only. Now, if you are a man of understanding in the love of the Lord, You will glory in it: study the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:18-19.