JY 23
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January 23
Matthew 2:12-15. The heavenly warnings.
Twice in a very little space God sent messages to his faithful servants in the dreams of the night. One dream was to warn the wise men not to inform Herod that they had found the infant King; the other was, to warn Joseph not to remain in Bethlehem. We perceive how easily God can defeat the plans of the wicked, as it is written in the fifth chapter of Job—"He disappoints the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their plans." There is a beautiful prayer in the liturgy, entreating God to exercise this power in our behalf. "Graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft, or subtlety of the devil or man, works against us may be brought to nothing, and, by the providence of your goodness, may be dissolved." We see how God dispersed those evils which Satan and Herod were working against the Son of God. Satan still stirs up wicked men to form plans against the children of God; and still the Lord, by his gracious providence, disperses these evils. Are we distressed at the thought of any malicious plan being formed against us, either by Satan or by our fellow-creatures? Let us pray to the Lord to defend us. No one can harm us, if we are followers of that which is good.
We have all heard of the Gunpowder-plot. What a diabolical scheme it was! The Roman Catholics had contrived a plan for blowing up the king of England, with his family and parliament, because they supported the Protestant religion; but God defeated their malicious design. One of the conspirators wrote a letter to Lord Monteagle, warning him not to go to the house of parliament, when the king next would open it. God gave such discernment to the king, that when Lord Monteagle showed him the letter, he suspected that a bomb-plot had been formed. Thus this dreadful evil was dispersed.
We find also many instances in the lives of God's servants, of the same gracious interference. The missionary Williams was saved from falling into the hands of four cruel heathen, who had determined to kill him. It was his custom to go at times to a neighbouring island on Saturday to perform the Sabbath services. Four young men, who hated the Christian religion, offered to convey him to the island. They appeared as if they wished to show kindness to the missionary; but in reality they had agreed, when he was at a distance from the shore, to throw him into the sea. Williams accepted the offer. God, however, by a very trifling circumstance, rescued him from the snare. He had lately painted his boat with a peculiar kind of paint, that did not dry as quickly as he expected, and fearing to venture out to sea while his boat was in that state, he refused to go with those who desired to be his murderers. Thus was the wicked scheme frustrated. At length, indeed, he fell by the hands of cruel savages; but not until his work was done.
If we knew all the plans that Satan formed against us, we would be filled with wonder at the deliverances we experience. But perhaps we may remember some instances in our own lives, in which we discovered that the attempts of men to hurt us were frustrated. What wonderful proofs of the Lord's watchful care over his people will be revealed in another world! Then shall they know those things that they know not now. Then it will be found that Job was not the only believer whom Satan sought to cast down by the weight of his sorrows; nor Peter the only disciple that he desired to sift by the force of temptations; nor the blessed Saviour, the only child that he sought to cut off by an untimely death. Then it will appear how the Lord kept his people in the hollow of his hand from all the blasts of the enemy; and then there will ascend a chorus of hallelujahs from the happy redeemed, and from the glorious angels who were their appointed guard during the years of their weakness.