Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

choice?"glorified?"you.". Butworks"the real question is not, "Will I benefitby this but rather, "Will GodbeThe Bible does indeed teach that prudence, humility and generosity bring rewards to man, and that they have realvalue for the life and well-being of man.But nowhere doesi the Bible teach thatman is to cultivate such virtues as ameans to his own happiness. The Proverbs must be seen in relation to thewhole context of the God-centered religion of the Bible. Only then can they beunderstood aright. Only as man's optionshonor and glorify God do they have realvalue.Proverbs 11:27, 28: "He that diligentlyseeketh good seeketh favor; but he thatsearcheth after evil, it shall come to him.He that trusteth in his riches shall fail;but the righteous shall flourish as thegreen leaf." Proverbs 22:3, 4, 9: "A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and sufferfor it. The reward of humility and thefear of Jehovah is riches and honor andlife. . . He that hath a bountiful eye shallbe blessed, for he giveth his bread to thepoor."These and other similar Proverbsshould be interpreted in the light of theteaching of Jesus concerning the rewardsof religion, e. g., Matthew 6:1-8: "Takeheed that ye do not your righteousnessbefore men, to be seen of them: else yehave no reward with your Father who isin heaven. . when thou doest alms,let not thy left hand know what thy righthand doeth: and thy Father who seeth insecret shall recompense thee," etc. Cf.also Matthew 6:31-33: "Be not thereforeanxious, saying, What shall we eat? or,What shall we drink? or, Wherewithalshall we be clothed? For after all thesethings do the Gentiles (heathen) seek ; foryour heavenly Father knoweth that yehave need of these things. But seek yefirst his kingdom, and his righteousness;and all these things shall be added untoIt is well-known that the person whotries the hardest to find happiness as anend in itself, is very often the least hapof all. And the person who devotespyhimself to virtues, for the value of them,always loses the true reward of godlinessin the end. We should seek righteousness,not for reward, but for the glory of God ;not because it pays, but because it isright. We should stop saying: "Honpolicy"esty is the best; rather, we shouldsay: "Honesty is the will of God." Andfinally, we should remember that Christianity is a truly moral religion, but thatmere Moralism is not Christianity, butthe heathen religion of "the Gentiles"(Matthew 6:32), the popular religion ofthe world. Let us honor God in our moralchoices, and then man will be trulyblessed.October 27, 1954PRAYER MEETING TOPICNovember 24, 1954GREAT PROMISES IN ISAIAHGod's UnfailingComments byPsalms:Word Isaiah 55:10-11.James D. Carson119: part 7, 1-4, page 293119: part 12, 1-5, page 29819:1, 3, 4, page 401:1-3, page 1References:I Kings 8:35, 36; II Chronicles 7:12-14;Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 40:8; Exodus 16:4; John 4:14.All of us have watched the brownearth turn almost black as the springrains have moistened the ground, andthen have seen the ground become apparently dry on the surface, indicatingthat the water has penetrated into theground. And then, not long afterwards,the green shoots begin to appear, andweeks later, the harvest is brought in.There would be no harvest unless therehad first of all been water on thegroundwater which was allowed tosink into the ground and do its work.Water is necessary for the very sustaining of life, because only by it can therebe bread for man.In the Columbia River Basin area ofeastern Washington, it was found thatthe soil was very fertile, but no cropswere grown there, because of the lackof water. The construction of GrandCoulee Dam has made possible the irrigation of thousands of acres of thatcountry, and crops are now being harvested. But it was possible only bythe introduction of water.This, says the Lord, is an illustrationof the effect of God's Word on thehearts of men. The Word of God isdisseminated throughout the world forthe purpose of bringing forth the harvest of the souls of men. And while itmay often seem that the preaching andthe reading of the Bible is lost, we havethe assurance that it has been givenfor a very real purpose. The Word ofGod is as essential to the conversion ofmen as water is to the production ofcrops. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"(Romans 10:17).Some rain water sinks immediatelyinto the ground where it may begin itswork of bringingnourishment to theseed and the plant. But some of the rainfinds its way into little gullies that runinto creeks and form rivers. It mayseem that the water is lost so far asits power of nourishment is concerned.But even there in the creeks and rivers,it brings nourishment to the trees thatmay be along the stream. And as thetrees drink of that water, so they growand become strong and sturdy. And inthis case, the Christian is likened tothe tree planted by the water's edge:"Blessed is the man that trusteth inthe Lord, and whose hope the Lordis. For he shall be as a tree plantedby the waters, and that spreadeth outher roots by the river, and shall notsee when heat cometh, but her leafshall be green; and shall not be carefulin the year of drought, neither shallcease from yieldingfruit"(Jeremiah17:7-8). The strengthening of a Christian life is brought through the waterof God's Word.The promise which is found hereregard to God's Unfailing Word is supported also by many other portions ofScripture. First of all, we find God'sWord to be unfailing in its effectiveness."For the word of God is quick, andpowerful, and sharper than any twoedgedsword, piercing even to thedividing asunder of soul and spirit, andof the joints and marrow, and is a discernerof the thoughts and intents ofthe heart" (Hebrewsin4:12). And again:"All scripture is given by inspirationof God, and is profitable for doctrine,for reproof, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good(II Timothy 3:16-17).Secondly,.we find that His Word isunfailing as to time. "The grass withereth,the flower fadeth: but the wordof our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah40:8). This is the hope of the Christian.Material things will pass away, but hewhose trust is in Jehovah has the assurance of the eternal continuance ofHis promises. It is because of this hopethat the Psalmist could write: "But hisdelight is in the law of the Lord; andin his law doth he meditate day andnight. And he shall be like a tree plantedby the rivers of water, that bringethforth his fruit in his season; his leafalso shall not wither, and whatsoeverhe doeth shall prosper."(Psklm 1:2, 3)Thirdly, God's Word is unfailing in itssupply. There is no shortage, and whatever the human need may be, we findthe answer to that problem through thepages of His holy Word. God had metthe physical needs of the wanderingIsraelites, as He had promised Moses:"Behold, I will rain bread from heavenfor you; and the people shall go out andgather a certain rate every day, thatI may prove them, whether they willwalk in my law, or no"(Exodus 16:4).And in the same way, God makes provision for the needs of His children ina spiritual way. "But whosoever shalldrink of the water that I shall givehim shall never thirst; but the water269