An Instructive Truth
(No. 2893)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1904.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE
22, 1876.
"O Lord, I know that the way ofman is not in himself: it is not in main
who walks to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23.
THIS declaration follows after Jeremiah's lamentation over the Lord's
ancient people who were about to be carried away captive into Babylon.
The Prophet speaks of a fact that was well known to him. It is always
well, Brothers and Sisters, to know the Truth of God and to know it so
certainly that you are able to remember it just when you most need it.
There are some people who are very much like that foolish captain of
whom we have heard who had a good anchor, but he left it at home when
he went to sea, so it was of no use to him. So, these people know what
would comfort them, but they do not remember it in the time of their
distress. Jeremiah says, "O Lord, I know," and he utilizes his
knowledge as a source of comfort in his hour of need.
What Jeremiah knew was this–that the affairs of this world are not
under the control of men, however much they may imagine that they are.
There is a Supreme Authority to theirs and a power which rules,
overrules and works according to its own beneficent will–whatever men
may desire or determine to do. Nebuchadnezzar was about to carry the
Jews away from the land which flowed with milk and honey to his own far
distant country, but the Prophet consoled himself with the reflection
that whatever Nebuchadnezzar meant to do, he was only the instrument in
the hands of God for the accomplishment of the Divine Purpose. He
proposed, but God disposed. The tyrant of Babylon thought that he was
working out his own will, yet he was really carrying out the will of
God in chastising the idolatrous and rebellious nation! This was
Jeremiah's consolation, "I do not know what Nebuchadnezzar may do, but
I do know that 'the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who
walks to direct his steps.' I know that, in God's eternal purposes,
every step of Judah's way is mapped out and in the end He will make it
all work for His own Glory and the good of His chosen people."
Child of God, will you, for a moment, reflect upon the overruling power
of God even in the case of the most mighty and wicked of men? They sin
grossly and what they do is done of their own free will–and the
responsibility for it lies at their own door. That we can never forget,
for the free-agency of man is a self-evident Truth of God. But, at the
same time, God is Omnipotent and He is still working out His wise
designs, as He did of old, in the whirlwind of human wrath, in the
tempest of human sin and even in the dark mines of human ambition and
tyranny–all the while displaying His Sovereign Will among men even as
the potter forms the vessels on the wheel according to his own will!
This Truth of God ought to be remembered by us because it tends to take
from us all fear of man. Why should you, O Believer, be afraid of a man
that shall die, or the son of man who is but a worm? You are, as a
child of God, under Divine Protection, so who is he that shall harm you
while you are a follower of that which is good? Remember that ancient
promise, "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every
tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This
is the heritage of the servants of the Lord." The most powerful enemy
of the Church can do nothing without God's permission! God can put a
bit into the mouth of leviathan and do with him as He pleases. The
Almighty God is Master and Lord even over the men who imagine that all
power is in their hands!
And while this Truth should banish our fear of man, it should also
ensure our submission to the will of God. Suppose that the Lord allows
Nebuchadnezzar to devastate the land that He gave to His people by
Covenant? It is God who per-
mits it, therefore do not think so much of the instrument employed by
Him as of the hand in which that instrument is held! Are you afflicted,
poor Soul, by some hard unkind spirits? Remember that God permits you
to be so tried, so be not angry with that which is only the second
cause of your trouble, but believe that the Lord permits this to happen
to you for your good and, therefore, submit yourself to Him! A dog,
when he is struck with a stick, usually bites the stick. If he had more
sense, he would try to bite the man who holds the stick. So your
contention must not be against the instrument of your affliction. If
there is any contention, it is really against God–and you would not, I
trust, think of contending with your Maker! Rather, say, "It is the
Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him." Let your back be bared to the
rod and look up into your Heavenly Father's face and say, "Show me why
You contend with me."
This Truth ought to also strengthen our faith. When fear goes, faith
comes in. It is an easy matter to trust God when everything goes
smoothly, but genuine faith trusts God in a storm. When the land of
Judah was hedged about by God's Providence and no enemy ventured to set
foot upon the sacred soil, it was easy for a Prophet to praise the
Lord. But it was quite another matter to trust God when Nebuchadnezzar
destroyed the villages, besieged the cities and, by-and-by, took them
and gave them up to utter destruction and carried away their
inhabitants into captivity. To trust in God then, was not so easy, yet
that was the time for the display of real faith. Faith in the storm is
true faith! Faith in a calm may be, or may not be, genuine faith.
Summer-weather faith may be true, or may not be true, but winter faith
that can bring forth fruit when the snows are deep and the North Wind
blows, is the faith of God's elect! It proves that it has Divine
vitality in it because it can master the circumstances which would have
utterly crushed the faith which appertains only to flesh and blood!
It is a severe trial to a child of God when he is mocked at home–when
someone who ought to be kind to him, is quite the opposite–when the
ties of nature seem only to intensify the hatred that is felt against
the heir of Grace–when Ishmael mocks Isaac and continually grieves
him. That is a severe trial, but it affords the opportunity for the
tried one to recall this Truth of God, that God has all things in His
hands and that this trial is only permitted, in His wisdom and love,
for some good purpose towards His own child. It is still true that,
"all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are called according to His purpose" and that, "no good thing will He
withhold from them who walk uprightly." If your enemy triumphs over you
for a time, you should say to him, "Rejoice not against me, O my
enemy–when I fall, I shall arise." May the Holy Spirit help you to do
so! The way of the persecutor is, after all, not left absolutely to his
own will, but there is another and a higher will that overrules all!
We will not, however, tarry longer over the consideration of the
context so far as it applies to Nebuchadnezzar and other adversaries of
the people of God, but we will endeavor to learn the lesson that is
taught us in the latter clause of the text–"It is not in man who walks
to direct his steps." And, first, I will try to prove to you that these
words are true. And secondly, that these words are instructive.
I. First, then, THESE WORDS ARE TRUE–"It is not in man who walks to
direct his steps." For, first, although man is an active individual, so
that he can walk, he cannot direct his steps because there may be some
obstacle in his way which he cannot surmountand which will change the
whole course of his life. He may have determined, in his own mind, that
he will do this or that and that he will go here or there–but he
cannot foresee every circumstance that may happen to him and there may
be circumstances that will entirely alter the direction of his life.
There may be unexpected difficulties, or what many call, "accidents,"
which are really Providences, which will prevent us from doing what we
have resolved to do.
Take the case of a young man who is just beginning business
life–though he is active and strong, is it in him to direct his steps?
I know it was not in me to direct mysteps! I had certain plans
concerning my life course, but they have not been fulfilled. No doubt
the highest desire I ever cherished has been granted to me, but my
first plans and purposes were not realized. I am not, today, where I
hoped to have been. There were difficulties in the way which made it
impossible for me to get there. I expect others have had a similar
experience. A young man may try to choose his path in life, but we all
know how seldom, if ever, he can get exactly what he wants. Perhaps he
goes into a certain house of business and he says, "I shall work my way
up till I get to the top." Yet how frequently it happens that something
occurs which jerks him off the line of rails which he had laid down for
himself and he has to go in quite a different direction. The path he
had chosen was apparently a very proper one for him to choose–perhaps
he spent a good deal of earnest thought upon the matter
and, possibly, also a good deal of prayer–yet he finds, as many others
have found, that "it is not in man who walks to direct his steps."
It is possible that the young man prospers so that he is able to go
into business on his own account, but the same lesson has to be learned
under different circumstances! He could not foresee what was going to
happen so he had purchased certain goods, relying upon an expected rise
in the market–but there was a sudden fall, instead of a rise–and he
became a loser, not a gainer. Going into business is often like going
to sea–one may be much tossed about and possibly may be wrecked before
reaching the desired haven. Many a man has found that he cannot get
what he most confidently reckons upon.
Another man fails in health. He might have prospered, but, just when
the full vigor of his physical strength was needed and the greatest
clearness of his mental vision was required, he was laid aside. As he
sickened, he also became depressed in spirit as he realized that his
path must be that of an invalid and, perhaps, of a poor man. Yet he
thought his career would have been that of a strong man who would soon
have reached a competence. I am sure that I must be addressing many who
know very well, from their own experience, that it is not of the
slightest use for a man to say, "I will do this," or, "I will do that,"
because something or other may occur which will altogether prevent you
from doing that which seems simple enough now. The mariner reckons on
reaching port at a certain day or hour, but the wind may shift, or many
things may happen to delay him. The mariner, however, can reckon even
better than you can, for he has his chart and he can find his way! He
knows where the shoals are and the quicksands, and the rocks and where
the deep channels run–but you do not know anything about your future
life–you are sailing over a sea that no ship's keel has ever sailed
before! God knows all about it–everything is present to his all-seeing
eyes, but it is not present to your eyes. It is not possible for a man
to absolutely direct his own way, for he has not the power to do
it–let him strive and struggle as he may, he must often be made to
feel this!
Perhaps some of you are just now in this condition. Your affairs have
got into a tangle and you do not at all know how to unravel it. You are
like a man in a maze or a labyrinth. You wish to take the course which
is according to the will of God, but, whether you should turn to the
right hand or to the left, you do not know.
Now you have begun to realize what was always true, but what you did
not perceive before–that is, "it is not in man who walks to direct his
steps." You cannot direct your own way! You are quite perplexed as to
which of two courses you should take. If this one is taken, it involves
one form of trouble, and if the other course is chosen, that involves
another kind of difficulty. What are you to do? Well, you know that the
wisest thing for you to do is to take the matter to the Lord and ask
Him to direct you. That is what you ought to do in every case! That
ought to be the constant habit of your soul–to look for the
fiery-cloudy pillar which alone can guide you safely over the trackless
wastes of life!
In the second place, man ought not to direct his way according to his
own will because his will is naturally evil. Ungodly men think that
they can direct their own way. Ah, Sirs, if you do that, you will
direct your way down to the deeps of destruction! He who is his own
guide is guided by a fool. He that trusts to his own understanding
proves that he has no understanding. If you will be your own director,
you will be directed to the place where you will have bitter cause to
rue it forever and ever. If a man, starting out in life says, "I shall
follow my own will. I will say to my passions, 'You shall be indulged.'
And to my desires, 'Eat, drink and be merry.' And to my soul, 'Trouble
not yourself with solemn and serious things–leave eternity till it
comes and make the best you can of time!' I will direct my own way as
pleasure shall guide me, or as self-interest shall guide me." If you,
Sir, talk like that, I pray you remember that "it is not in man who
walks to direct his steps." And it ought not to be, for man is quite
incompetent to perform such a task as that because he has a natural
bias towards that which is evil–an inclination towards that which will
be injurious to him and to others, also–and which will make him miss
the chief end of his being which is to glorify God and to enjoy Him
forever!
I should like, before proceeding further with my subject, to urge
everyone who has hitherto depended upon himself, to pause and lift up
his heart to Heaven and say, "Gracious Spirit, You shall be my Guide
from this time and forever." For, young man, young woman, you will
surely run upon the rocks before long if you take the tiller of your
life's vessel into your own hands! With such a heart as yours, you
cannot expect to go right without the Grace of God. The Doctrine of the
Depravity of the Human Race is not merely an article in the creed–it
is a matter of everyday experience! There is in you, by nature, a
tendency to put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter–to put darkness
for light and light for darkness! And though you may think that you
have a preference for good–and it is possible that you have a
preference for
some forms of good–yet there are critical points where self seeks to
rule, where the weakness of your natural disposition will be discovered
sooner or later and where the evil that lurks within your flesh will
prove to be your ruin! I charge you, sons and daughters of Adam, to
remember that since your father, Adam, even in his state of innocence,
could not direct his own way aright, but lost Paradise for us all,
there is no hope that in your fallen state you can find your way back
to Paradise! No, but you will keep on wandering further and further and
further from the way of peace and holiness, for, "it is not in man who
walks to direct his steps."
Let me give another meaning to the text and still seek to prove it at
the same time. It is not and it ought not to be in man who walks to
direct his steps because not only is he naturally inclined to evil, but
even when Grace has renewed his nature, hisjudgment is so fallible that
it is a great mistake for him to attempt to direct his own way. Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the stony heart of unbelief has been
removed from you and you have had a new heart and a right spirit put
within you. And now the living and incorruptible Seed that is in you
makes you seek after that which is good and right–but if you, even
now, shall trust to your own judgment, you will find yourself brought
into a thousand sorrows! Ah, my Brother, you are an experienced
Christian and others look up to you and ask direction from you. But if
you are really experienced, you will often say to them, "God helping
me, I can direct you, but, as for myself, I feel that I have need of a
director quite as much as the youngest babe in the family of God."
Does not every man who is truly wise feel himself to be increasingly a
fool apart from Divine Guidance? And is it not a token of growth in
wisdom and Grace when a man's self-confidence continues to grow less
and less? Distrust yourself, dear Friend, for you accurately gauge your
own judgment when you do that! It is about little matters that wise men
generally make their grossest mistakes. In what he considers a
difficult matter, the wise Christian always has resort to God in
prayer–but when he gets what he regards as a very simple thing, which
is perfectly clear and which he thinks he can himself decide–then his
folly is speedily discovered! He is like the Israelites were with the
Gibeonites. They said, in effect, if not in words, "We do not need to
pray about this matter. We must not make treaties with the Canaanites,
but these men are not Canaanites, that is quite clear. We heard them
say that they had come from a far country–and when we looked at their
shoes we knew that they spoke the truth. They told us that they were
quite new when they put them on, yet now they are old and dried–they
must have come a great many miles, you may depend upon it. And their
bread–did you notice that? It has the blue mold all over it–we would
not like to eat a mouthful of it–yet they told us that it was quite
fresh when they started. There is no doubt that they are distinguished
foreigners who have come from a far country, so let us strike hands
with them and make a covenant with them."
And so they did, for the case seemed so clear to them that they asked
no counsel of God. And therein Israel made a great mistake. So,
Brothers and Sisters, whenever any case appears to be very clear to
you, be sure to say, "Let us pray about it." You know the old proverb,
"When it is fine weather, carry an umbrella. When it is wet, you can do
as you like." So, when any case seems to be quite clear, pray over it.
When it is more difficult, I dare not say that you may do as you like
about praying, then, unless I say it in the spirit of the proverb which
would imply that you would be sure to pray. When you feel certain that
you cannot go wrong, you certainly will go wrong unless you ask counsel
of God about the matter. That was a good plan of the old Scotchman who,
when anything was in dispute, used to say, "Reach down yon Bible"–and
when that was brought down and the Scripture read, and prayer
offered–the good man felt that he could see his way and could go with
firm step along the path to which the Lord had directed him. "It is not
in man who walks to direct his steps," for his judgment is fallible!
I think there is another meaning to be given to the text, for the
gracious man feels that he must not direct his own steps because he
cannot take even a step in the right way apart from Divine help. How
can he talk about directing his own steps when he is absolutely
dependent upon the Grace of God for every step he takes? O Brothers and
Sisters, if the Lord were to help us, by His Grace, until we got up to
the doors of Heaven, we would never be able to get in unless He gave us
the Grace to take the last step! You cannot direct your own steps for
you are a cripple and cannot take even one step except as strength is
given you from on high! You are like a ship upon the sea–you can make
no progress except as the breath of the Divine Spirit fills the sails
of your boat. How can you direct your own way when you have no power to
go in it and are dependent upon God for everything? I pray you to
confess your dependence and not to talk of directing your own steps!
I must give you just one more thought under this head. He that walks
neednot think of directing his own steps, for there is One who will
direct them for him. What if sin inclines us to take the wrong path and
if a feeble judgment makes us err through inadvertence? There is no
need for us to choose our own lot–but we may bow before the Lord and
say, "You shall choose our inheritance for us." The choice is difficult
for you, my Brother. Then do not choose your own way, but leave it to
Him who sees the end from the beginning and who is sure to make a wise
choice! The burden of life is heavy, my Sister, then do not try to
carry it, but "cast your burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain
you." "Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall
bring it to pass." Let it not be your choice, but let it be God's
choice! That was a wise answer of a good old Christian woman when she
was asked whether she would choose to live or die. She said that she
had no choice in the matter, but that she left it with the Lord. "But,"
said one, "suppose the Lord put it to your choice–which would you
select?" "Neither," she replied, "I would ask Him not to let me choose,
but to choose for me so that it should be as He willed, not as I
willed." Oh, if we could but once abandon our own choosing and say to
the Lord, "Not as I will, but as You will," how much more happy we
might be! We would not be troubled by the thought that we could not
direct our own steps, but we would be glad of it, because our very
weakness would entitle us to cry unto the Lord, "Now that I cannot
direct my own way, what I know not, You teach me."
II. Time fails me and therefore I will close my discourse by briefly
mentioning the practical lessons of the text in order to prove to you
that THESE WORDS ARE INSTRUCTIVE. It seems to me that they are
instructive if we use them thus.
First, avoid all positive resolutions about what you mean to do,
remembering that, "it is not in man who walks to direct his steps." Do
not forget what the Apostle James says about this matter, "Come now,
you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and
continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain, whereas you know
not what shall be on the morrow." If you do make any plans, always make
them in pencil and have your eraser handy so that you can rub them out
quickly. Much mischief comes of making them in ink and regarding them
as permanent–and saying, "This is what I am sure I shall do." Cast
iron breaks easily, so do not have any cast iron regulations for your
life! Do not say, "that is my plan and I shall keep to it whatever
happens." Be ready to alter your plan as God's Providence indicates
that alteration would be right. I have known people who have been very
much given to change–I cannot commend them, for I remember that
Solomon said, "As a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man that
wanders from his place." So, do not be in a hurry to wander! On the
other hand, I have known some persons who have resolved that they will
never move at all. Do not make such a resolution as that, but remember
that although "a rolling stone gathers no moss," it is equally true
that "a sitting hen gets no barley"–and believe that there may come a
time when it will be right for you to move. Do not make up your mind
that you will move, or that you will not move, but wait for guidance
from God as to what He would have you do.
The next thing is never be too positive in your expectations. I suppose
we must have expectations–that old-fashioned benediction, "Blessed are
they that expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed," is very
difficult to gain. Expect that if God has promised you anything, He
will be true to His Word–but, beyond that, do not expect anything
beneath the moon, for, if you do, you will be sure to be disappointed
sooner or later. It is of the man whose heart is fixed, trusting in the
Lord, that it is said, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings." But if
his heart had been fixed merely on the attainment of certain worldly
ends, he would have been overwhelmed when the evil tidings came! As to
anything in this world, let this be the rule by which you are
governed–"having food and raiment, be therewith content"–and never
cherish too optimistic expectations.
Next, avoid all security as to the present. If you have anything that
you prize very highly, hold it very loosely, for you may easily lose
it. Read the word, "mortal," plainly imprinted on the brows of all your
children. Look into the dear eyes that are to you like wells in the
desert and remember that they may be closed in less than an hour and
the light of life be gone from them! Your beloved one and you are,
alike, mortal–and either of you may soon be taken from the other. Have
you property? Remember that wealth has wings and that it flies away
like a bird upon swift pinions. Have you health? Then think what a
marvelous mercy it is that–
"A harp of thousand strings Should keep in tune so long"–
and remember that, very soon, those strings may be all jarring and some
of them may be broken. Hold everything earthly with a loose, hand, but
grasp eternal things with a death-like grip! Grasp Christ in the power
of the Spirit! Grasp God, who is your everlasting Portion and your
unfailing Joy. As for other things, hold them as though you held them
not, even as Paul says, "it remains that both they that have wives be
as though they had none…and they that use this world, as not abusing
it: for the fashion of this world passes away." Of everything below, it
is wise for us to say, "This is not my abiding portion." It is very
necessary to say this and to realize that it is true, for everything
here is covered with birdlime–and the birds of paradise get stuck to
it unless they are very watchful. Mind what you are doing, you
prosperous people, you who have nice homes, you who are investing your
money in the funds–mind that you do not get bird-limed! There is
nothing permanent for you here! Your home is in Heaven–your home is
not here–and if you find your treasure here, your heart will also be
here–but it must not be so. You must keep all earthly treasures out of
your heart and let Christ be your Treasure–and let Him have your
heart.
The next observation I would make is this–Bow before the Divine Will
in everything. "It is not in man who walks to direct his steps." Why
should it be? O Lord, You are Master, You are King! Then why should we
wish to have our own way? Is it right that the servant should take the
master's place? There are some of you who are in trouble and probably
your chief trouble arises from the fact that you will not absolutely
submit to the Lord's will. I pray that the Holy Spirit may enable you
to do so, for trouble loses all its sting when the troubled one yields
to God! If you had directed your own way and this trouble had come upon
you because of the choice that you made, you might have cause to be
distressed. But as the Lord has so directed and arranged your affairs,
why should you be cast down? My dear Friend, you know–or, at any rate,
you ought to know–that you cannot be supreme. You must be content to
be second. You must say to the Lord, "Your will, not mine, be done."
You will have to say it sooner or later! And if you are a child of God,
you ought to have said it long ago, so say it at once!
I heard one who I thought was a Christian, say, "I cannot think that
God was right in taking away my dear mother from me." I replied, "My
Sister, you must not talk like that." Perhaps someone else says, "I did
feel that it was hard when my dear child was taken from me." Yes, my
dear Friend, you may have felt that it was hard, but you ought to have
felt that it was right. God must be free to do as He pleases and He
always does what is right–therefore you must submit to His
will–whatever He pleases to do.
My last observation is–Pray about everything. Remember what Paul wrote
to the Philippians, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known unto God." Pray about everything! I make no exception to this.
Pray about waking in the morning and pray about falling asleep at
night. Pray about any great event in your life, but pray equally about
what you call the minor events. Pray as Jacob did when he crossed the
brook Jabbok, but do not forget to pray when there is no angry Esau
near and no special danger to fear. The simplest thing that is not
prayed over may have more evil in it than what appears to be the direst
evil when once it has been brought to God in prayer. I pray that all of
you who love the Lord may commit yourselves afresh to Christ this very
hour. I wish to do so myself, saying, "My Master, here I am. Take me
and do as You will with me. Use me for Your Glory in any way that You
please. Deprive me of every comfort if so I shall the more be able to
honor You. Let my choicest treasures be surrendered if Your Sovereign
Will shall so ordain." Let every child of God make a complete
surrender, here and now, and ask for Grace to stand to it. Your
greatest sorrow will come when you begin to be untrue to your full
surrender to the Lord–so may you never prove untrue to it!
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: JEREMIAH 10.
Verses 1, 2. Hear you the word which the Lord speaks unto you, O house
of Israel: Thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be
not dismayed at the signs of Heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at
them. Among the heathen, if certain stars were in conjunction, it was
considered unlucky. And certain days of the week were also regarded as
unlucky, just as to this day there are people who think that it is very
unfortunate to commence anything on a Friday. There are a great many
foolish superstitions floating about this silly world, but you
Christian people should never allow
such follies to have any influence upon you. Neither the fiends of
Hell, nor the stars of Heaven can ever injure those who put their trust
in God!
3, 4. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out
of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They
deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with
hammers, that it move not Those ancient Prophets seemed to take delight
in heaping scorn upon the god-making of the heathen. Even the heathen
poets made sport of the god-making! One of them very wisely said that
it would be more reasonable to worship the workmen who made the god
than to worship the god which the workmen had made!
5. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must need be
borne, because they cannot go. Pretty gods they must be! They cannot
move and cannot even stand till they are nailed up! They cannot stir
unless they are carried from place to place.
5-8. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it
in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto You, O LORD;
You are great, and Your name is great in might Who would not fear You,
O King of nations? For to You does it appertain: forasmuch as among all
the wise men of the nation, andin all their kingdoms, there is none
like You. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a
doctrine of vanities. To teach people to worship mere stocks and stones
may well be called, "a Doctrine of vanities."
9. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from
Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue
and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
Step into any Roman Catholic shrine in England, or on the Continent, or
for that matter, into any Anglicanshrine, for they are all very much
alike, and you will see that the modern "gods" are no better than those
upon which the Prophets of old poured scorn! And I think it is our duty
to pour scorn upon these saints, Madonnas and bambinos and I know not
what besides!
10-13. But the LORD is the true God, He is the living God and an
everlasting king: at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations
shall not be able to abide His indignation. Thus shall you say unto
them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they
shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He has made
the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and
has stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He utters His
voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causes the
vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning with
rain, and brings forth the wind out of His treasures. To what a height
of sacred imagery does Jeremiah mount! He seems to shake off his usual
melancholy spirit when he comes to sing the praises of the Lord! He
uses very similar language to that of Job, his fellow-sufferer.
14. Every man is brutish in his knowledge. Every idolater proves that
he knows no more than a brute beast when he worships a stock or a
stone.
14, 15. Every founder is confounded by the engraved image: for his
molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are
vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they
shall perish. The next verse brings out very vividly the contrast
between these false gods and the one living and true God–
16. The Portion of Jacob is not like they: for He is the former of all
things; and Israel is the rod of His inheritance: The LORD of Hosts is
His name. What a blessed name that is for God–"The Portion of Jacob"!
And the other side of the Truth is equally blessed–"Israel is the rod
of His inheritance." God belongs to His people and they belong to Him!
If we can but realize that these blessings are ours, we are building on
the solid foundation of the richest possible happiness! The form of the
prophecy now changes, for God was about to send His people, because of
their sin, into a long and sad captivity. So the Prophet says, in the
name of the Lord–
17, 18. Gather up your wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the
fortress. For thus says the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the
inhabitants of the land at once, and will distress them, that they may
find it so. They had fled to their fortresses for shelter, for the
Babylonians were coming up against them. But no hope of deliverance was
held out to them and they were told to pack up their little bundles, to
put their small stores as closely together as they could, for they had
to go away into a far distant country as captives of the mighty King
Nebuchadnezzar. God compares their captivity to the forcible ejection
of stones from a sling–"I will sling out the inhabitants of the land
at once." How severely God chastened His people in Jeremiah's day! Yet,
when we think of their innumerable provocations and of how they
revolted again and again against the Lord, we are not surprised that at
last the Lord sent them into captivity. Now listen to Jere-
miah's lamentation over the people whom he looks upon as already in
captivity. He speaks in the name of the nation and says–
19. Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this
is a grief and I must bear it Ah, child of God, you also must learn to
say that! There are some trials and troubles which come upon you
against which you may not contend, but you must say, "Truly this is a
grief and I must bear it."
20. My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children
are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth
my tent anymore, and to set up my curtains. Alas, poor Israel! She was
like a tent removed with none to set her up again. There are some
churches in the present day that are in this sad condition–the
faithful fail from among them, there are no new converts and no earnest
spirit, so that the church has to say–"My tent is spoiled and all my
cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not:
there is none to stretch forth my tent anymore, and to set up my
curtains." Yes, poor afflicted church, that may be all true, yet your
God can visit you and make the barren woman to keep house and to be a
joyful mother of children! And you who have lost your dearest one and
seem to have no stamina left–your children are all taken from you–but
your God can build you up! Is He not better to you than ten sons? And
has He not said to you, "Your Maker is your Husband; the Lord of Hosts
is his name"?
21. 22. For thepastors have become brutish andhave not sought the Lord:
therefore they shall not prosper, andall their flocks shall be
scattered. Behold, the noise of the bruit is come. "Bruit" is an old
Norman word–one wonders how it got in here. It might be rendered, "The
noise of the tumult is come."
22-24. And a great commotion out of the north country, to make the
cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons. O LORD, I know that the
way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his
steps. O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in Your anger, lest
You bring me to nothing. What a suitable prayer this is for a sick man,
for a tried Believer, for the child of God in deep despondency of soul!
I scarcely know any better words that any of us could use. The
suppliant does not ask to go unchastised, but he says, "O Lord, correct
me, but with judgment: not in Your anger; lest You bring me to
nothing."
25. Pour out Your fury upon the heathen that know You not, and upon the
families that call not on Your name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and
devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
So he asks God to, instead of smiting His own children, to smite His
enemies. And knowing what we do about the Babylonians, we do not wonder
that Jeremiah put up such a prayer as that.