“And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.” Genesis 32:12When Jacob was on the other side of the brook Jabbok, and Esau was coming with armed men, he earnestly sought God’s protection, and as a master reason he pleaded, “And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.” Oh, the force of that plea! He
“She bound the scarlet line in the window.” Joshua 2:21Rahab depended for her preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was very obedient. To tie the scarlet line in the window was a very trivia
“We are come to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:24Reader, have you come to the blood of sprinkling? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have y
“And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:12So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both were needed. No, in the soul’s conflict, force and fervour, decision and devo
“The precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:19Standing at the foot of the cross, we see hands, and feet, and side, all distilling crimson streams of precious blood. It is “precious” because of its redeeming and atoning efficacy. By it the sins of Christ’s people are atoned for; they are redeemed from
“Lift them up for ever.” Psalm 28:9God’s people need lifting up. They are very heavy by nature. They have no wings, or, if they have, they are like the dove of old which lay among the pots; and they need divine grace to make them mount on wings covered with silver, and with feathers of yellow gold.
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1We here behold the Saviour in the depth of his sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which his cry rends the air-”My God, my God, why hast thou forsak
“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him.” Isaiah 3:10It is well with the righteous ALWAYS. If it had said, “Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in his prosperity,” we must have been thankful for so great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from
“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head.” Psalm 22:7Mockery was a great ingredient in our Lord’s woe. Judas mocked him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes laughed him to scorn; Herod set him at nought; the servants and the soldiers jeered at him,
“And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt- offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” Leviticus 1:4Our Lord’s being made “sin for us” is set forth here by the very significant transfer of sin to the bullock, which was made by the elders of the people. The layi
“A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me.” Song of Solomon 1:13Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, its healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is he compared to “a bundle of
“The king’s garden.” Nehemiah 3:15Mention of the king’s garden by Nehemiah brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven forth the children of men to till the ground, which yields thorns and briers unto them.
“My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” Psalm 22:14Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; all besid
“Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.” Psalm 25:18It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins-when, being under God’s hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our offences against God. It is well, also, to
“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.” Psalm 22:14Did earth or heaven ever behold a sadder spectacle of woe! In soul and body, our Lord felt himself to be weak as water poured upon the ground. The placing of the cross in its socket had shaken him with great violence, had st
