Prevailing Pleas, or the Hope and Saviour of Israel

Next Part Prevailing Pleas, or the Hope and Saviour of Israel 2

"O the hope of Israel, the Savior thereof in time of trouble, why should you be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should you be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name. Leave us not." Jeremiah 14:8, 9

With the exception of the Lamentations, parts of Job, and what are called the penitential Psalms, I scarcely know a more affecting portion of the Old Testament than the early chapters of the prophet Jeremiah. They contain indeed much solemn warning, wise counsel, keen reproof, stern denunciation of sin addressed by the prophet to Judah and Jerusalem; yet, blended with these sharp rebukes, there is an affectionate spirit of admonition, couched in language of the tenderest pathos. Dark indeed and gloomy was the cloud which at this period hung over Judah and Jerusalem; and that cloud was not to burst in genial showers, not to fall in drops of fertilizing rain, but to burst forth in a very thunderstorm of the wrath and indignation of the Almighty against a guilty nation and a sinful metropolis. In fact, at that period the crimes of Judah and Jerusalem had risen to a fearful height, and both city and state seemed ripe for destruction.

Idolatry in one of its worst forms was then prevalent; for Ahaz, through his intimacy with the king of Syria, had introduced a worship of the most licentious character. We read, for instance, in Ezekiel, of women "weeping for Tammuz." Tammuz was a Syrian idol, supposed to represent Adonis the lover of Venus, a heathen deity; and these women sat weeping for the lover of Venus, who had been killed by a wild boar. What do you think of Jewish women weeping over a Syrian idol, and that idol representing the lover of the heathen goddess of love?

In the temple itself men turned their backs on the sanctuary and worshiped the sun. At a somewhat later period, the women told Jeremiah that when they burned incense to the 'queen of heaven'– a name for Venus; when they burned incense to the wanton goddess of love– and of course they practiced all her other abominable rites, it was well with them; but when they had forsaken the worship of the queen of love, and ceased to sanction lust in all its abominations, they had lacked all things, and had been consumed by the sword and by the famine. (Jer. 44:18.) How blinded by idolatry, how low and debased as to all moral feeling, must they have been to proclaim thus openly their own shame.

We wonder sometimes perhaps at God's stern denunciations of idolatry. But do we sufficiently bear in mind that idol-worship is not only an insult to the Majesty of heaven, but a worship of devils, and, as the apostle speaks, "a fellowship with devils" (1 Cor. 10:20), and that all such worshipers naturally imitate the sins of their idol gods– enmity, lust, and cruelty?

Oppression also ruled in all its various forms, as we see in the case of Jeremiah and the persecution to which he was subjected for his faithful warnings and declarations of approaching judgments.

But the worst feature of the whole was, that prophets abounded in that day who professed to be sent of God, and yet whose whole object was to counteract the solemn denunciations of the true prophets, and to lull the people into a false security by assuring them that nothing bad would befall them, and that as they were the people of God all would be well with them and their beloved city. It was this peculiar feature which broke the very heart of Jeremiah. "My heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness." (Jer. 23:9.) The consequence of this crop of false prophets was, that they strengthened the hands of evil doers so that none returned from his wickedness. Instead of standing on the Lord's side and testifying against sin, they were by their words and conduct the chief promoters of it. "From the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land." They hardened the people in their sins, for as Jeremiah testified, "They say still unto those who despise me, The Lord has said, You shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walks after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you." (Jer. 23:17.) There is one verse which I have thought sometimes seems to couch in itself the very summit of abomination– "The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?" Now what could become of a nation where the prophets, standing up in the name of God, prophesied lies, where the priests made use of these lying prophets to carry out their own designs of covetousness or ambition, and the people were well pleased that the prophets should prophesy lies, and the priests should rule over them by craft and subtlety? Such a nation was only fit to be either swept away, as unfit to exist any longer as the professed people of God whom they thus dishonored, or be purified by judgments, so as to remove these abominations out of God's sight.

God took the latter course by carrying them to Babylon for seventy years captivity, in which hard school they learned to renounce their idolatry and to cease from their false prophets, for after their return we hear no more of these prevailing sins. You will find the study of the prophet Jeremiah very profitable, as it throws a wonderful light upon many things in our day, such as a false, hypocritical profession, the deceptiveness of lying prophets, the bewitching snares of idol worship, and the end of all these things in destruction from the presence of God.

But there was doubtless a godly remnant, of whom we read in Ezekiel as the men who "sighed and cried for all the abominations done in the midst of the land." Now it seems to me that Jeremiah in our text impersonated this godly remnant, and that his words were intended to represent the lamentations and desires of the true people of God in that day. It is not unusual for the prophets thus to impersonate the godly remnant, and speak as it were for them. We have a signal instance of this in Isaiah 64, where the prophet speaks in the name of the people– "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calls upon your name, that stirs up himself to take hold of you– for you have hid your face from us, and have consumed us, because of our iniquities." (Isa. 64:6, 7.)

Now it is true that we are not altogether in the same circumstances, and yet in many points we greatly resemble what the people of Judah and Jerusalem then were. We are sunk into a very low state in the things of God. There is very little true religion or vital godliness in our midst. Sin runs down our streets like water, and false prophets abound on every side who cry, Peace, Peace, where there is no peace. The people of God are also for the most part full of complaints of their leanness, darkness, and barrenness. There is but little manifestation of the presence and power of God as in days of old. The Lord seems much to hide himself from his people, and to have greatly withdrawn his gracious presence from them, both publicly and privately. We may thus find in our text, if the Lord enables me to open it up spiritually and experimentally, much that may be suitable not only to present circumstances but to our own particular case.

But by way of casting my thoughts upon those points from the words before us in an orderly form, I shall thus divide our subject–

First, the titlesunder which the prophet addresses the Lord– "O the hope of Israel, the Savior thereof, in time of trouble."

Secondly; the admonitionwhich he addresses to the Lord under these titles– "Why should you be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should you be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save?"

Thirdly; the pleaon which he grounds his admonition– "Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name."

Fourthly, the petition, "Leave us not."

I. The TITLES under which the prophet addresses the Lord– "O the hope of Israel, the Savior thereof, in time of trouble." But you may say perhaps, "What bearing has all this upon our case? Doubtless it had a bearing upon the case of old, upon the peculiar state and condition of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem which you have been describing, for neither would Jeremiah, as the prophet of the Lord, have used the words, nor would we find them recorded in the Bible. But those days are gone by and that state of things has passed away. We have among us no worshipers of Tammuz, or of the queen of heaven. The text therefore does not apply to modern times and still less to us." I will not dispute the point with you as to particular instances of idolatry; but an idol is an idol, whether worshiped inwardly in heart, or adorned outwardly by the knee. But waiving this, have you thought for a moment what conclusion must follow from such an argument, and that it would set aside a large part of the word of God? If the words of our text have no bearing upon any other case or any other circumstances, except those when it was first delivered, why is it still a part of God's word? why does it stand, and why has it stood imperishable for ages in the inspired page but because it has a bearing upon the Church of God throughout all time?

In this sense we may explain the words of the apostle, that "no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Pet. 1:20.) The word "private" means that it is not limited to, or exhausted by the peculiar circumstances (as the expression private signifies), under which the prophecy was first delivered, but has a public and more expansive interpretation. We may illustrate this explanation from a passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where we find the apostle thus speaking– "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have– for he has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5.) Now if you observe, he grounds his exhortation to contentment upon a promise. But to whom was that promise made? To Joshua; as we read, "I will not fail you nor forsake you." (Josh. 1:5.) He thus expands the promise given to Joshua, enlarges its private interpretation as first spoken to him, and makes it so far public as to embrace all the family of God. If it were not for this enlargement of the Scripture, and its application beyond the circumstances of the time when it was first delivered, the greater part of the word of God would be practically useless. But its grand characteristic is, that it is a "living" word ("the word of God is quick," that is, living "and powerful" (Heb. 4:12); and the reason is, because it is the word of Him who lives forever and ever.

But has our text no bearing upon our time? Was there ever a day when there was more practical ungodliness in the nation at large? Was there ever a day when there was more false religion rife and rampant on every side? Was there ever a day when vital godliness was lower in the Church? Was there ever a day when the truth of God was either more despised and trampled under foot, or more perverted and abused? I fully grant that good men in all ages have ever made similar complaints; but that very circumstance only proves the truth of what I have advanced as to the bearing which our text has upon all periods. It has then a bearing upon this day, and I trust I shall be able to show that it has also a bearing upon you now before me– a bearing upon your heart, and in some measure a description of the experience of your soul, so far as you are under the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

There is no use preaching, as it were, outside the chapel walls, or upon outside matters, entertaining and amusing our hearers with tales and anecdotes, and old wives' fables. The grand point is to get into men's hearts and consciences, to speak to them personally and individually, as God speaks in his word, and thus to bring the very artillery of heaven to bear upon the inmost citadel, the stronghold of the heart, the grand seat of contest between Christ and Satan.

The first thing which I proposed to consider was the titles under which the prophet here addresses the Lord. These are two– "the hope of Israel;" "the Savior thereof in time of trouble."

1. The first title under which the prophet addresses the Lord is, "the hope of Israel." You will often find in the Scriptures titles ascribed to God as if to meet certain cases, and to be made use of as prevailing pleas. Those titles are not such as we might choose to call God by, which would be but presumption, but such as God called himself by, and which he intended to be descriptive of certain relationships which he bears to his people, or such as are founded on what he has revealed of himself as full of goodness, mercy, and truth. Thus his general distinguishing title all through the Old Testament was "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob." This title God most graciously gave to himself as significant of the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would be a God to them and to their seed after them through all generations. When, therefore, God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, he said to him, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And though he then gave himself, so to speak, a new name, "I AM THAT I AM," yet this was the message which he sent by Moses to the children of Israel– "And God said moreover unto Moses, you shall say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me unto you– this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Exod. 3:15.) This title gave them, so to speak, a claim upon God, who, as having made a covenant with their fathers, had thus virtually pledged himself to be a God to them at all times and under all circumstances.

So sometimes he is called "the God of Israel," that is, of the children of Israel collectively, as being in a peculiar and distinctive form, not only the object of Israel's worship, but as having especially revealed himself to Israel, made himself known to that people alone of all the nations of the earth, and taken them to himself that they might be his peculiar possession and treasure. These were Old Testament titles, and under them he was worshiped by his chosen people of old.

But in the New Testament he has taken to himself a new title, for in that he is called "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," that being his distinctive New Testament title, as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" was his distinctive Old Testament title.

But some of his titles, both in the Old Testament and New, are taken from those gracious attributes which he has revealed concerning himself. Thus in our text he is called "the hope of Israel," and in the New Testament he is entitled "the God of all grace," to show that all grace flows from him and is given by him. He is called also "the Father of all mercies," as being their original Source, Author, and Giver. He is called also "the God of all comfort," as intimating that all real consolation flows out of his manifested goodness and love. He is called also "the Father of glory," because all glory is in him and comes from him.

We see then that these titles are either such as God has given himself, or such as are drawn from his attributes of grace, and sometimes of his holiness, as in the Seraphims' cry– "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;" and our Lord's own words in his intercessory prayer– "Holy Father," and "righteous Father." (John 17:11, 25.) But there is this peculiar blessedness in these titles that they give us a foundation on which to stand, and put into our mouth a prevailing plea. Thus sometimes we may address him– "O God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, reveal yourself to me as my heavenly Father and eternal Friend;" sometimes, "O Father of all mercies, manifest your mercy to my soul;" or, "O God of all comfort, speak a word of comfort to my poor, troubled heart;" or, "O Father of glory, reveal your glory to my longing, waiting eyes."

But in our text God is called "the hope of Israel." Let us endeavor to discover what this peculiar title unfolds for our comfort and encouragement. And first, in what sense is he the hope of Israel? In this, that all Israel– and by Israel we understand here not Israel after the flesh, but Israel after the Spirit– all Israel hope in him. Every grace of the Spirit must have the Person of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to be exercised upon, and looked unto. Hope, as a grace of the Spirit, is not a vague, confused, undefined sensation of the mind, flying like a wandering bird here and there, without end, object, or home; but is a special acting of the soul under a divine influence, and is an abiding grace of the Spirit, which has a Person to look to, a Person to anchor in. David therefore said, "Hope in God." As if he would say, "Do not hope in yourself or ground your hope upon anything in the creature, but hope directly and immediately in God himself. In him let your soul anchor, and in him let your expectations rest."

Now this personal and special hoping in God distinguishes "a good hope through grace" from all the vain hopes and vague expectations of those who know not the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. How many are looking here and there, trying to hope in this or that good work or deed, this or that dim, confused idea of the general goodness and mercy of God, without any experimental knowledge or felt sense of his mercy as a manifested reality, without any true spiritual acquaintance with God, and therefore without any fixed object, or any firm foundation in God as revealing himself in his dear Son. How different from this is the hope spoken of in the Scripture as "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and entering into that within the veil;" and which, as such, has a definite Object and a sure foundation.

In our text, therefore, God is called the "hope of Israel," as implying that all Israel, the whole of God's spiritual Israel, take them in all their states, cases, and conditions, are hoping in God. Could you take a survey of the whole of the spiritual Israel, could you view them as a general body with a discriminating eye, you would see that every true Israelite hopes in God; and that not simply as God, but as the God of all grace, the God of all mercy and of all truth, and especially as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is this hoping in God, as distinct from all delusive, false hopes, which brings the soul to his feet, gives it special dealings with him on the ground of his promises and testimonies; and by so doing, practically renounces hope in everything else, as springing out of any other source or derived from any other quarter. With all this good hope through grace there may be much darkness of mind, and many tossings to and fro, as may be seen in our text, and yet there is a looking with a single eye to the Lord, and to the Lord alone, as if the soul would cast away every creature dependence, and hang itself wholly and solely upon the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ as its only hope.

I especially name this, for if you watch the movements of hope in your own soul, you will find that they always have respect to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to what you have seen, known, tasted, felt, or experimentally handled in or of him. You cannot, you dare not hope in anything that you find or fancy in yourself, but your hope anchors within the veil, where Christ now is, and takes fast hold of his Person and work. I cannot now enter into the various ways by which that hope is given and sustained; I can only assume that you have been favored with a "good hope through grace," that it is the anchor of your soul, and that by that hope within the veil you have ridden out many a storm– not casting away your confidence which has great recompense of reward; but in your lowest spot, in the darkest hour, in the gloomiest season, still retaining the good hope through grace which God has planted in your soul, and riding at anchor, even though the port seems far distant, the wind high, the sea rough, and rocks ahead.

2. The second title by which the Lord is appealed to is as the Savior of Israel.I have already observed that by Israel we must understand not Israel after the flesh but Israel after the spirit, though in a sense God was a 'preserver' of Israel nationally as well as the 'Savior' of Israel spiritually. In that sense, therefore, he is also said in the New Testament to be "the Savior of all men," that is, their Preserver literally and naturally; and "especially of those who believe," by taking signal care of their bodies as well as of their souls.

There is no title of our blessed Lord sweeter and more suitable to a believing heart than that of Savior. His very name Jesus signifies a Savior, as saving his people from their sins. (Mat. 1:21.) In that sense, therefore, he is peculiarly "the Savior of Israel." But the appeal to him by that title is a renunciation of all salvation, but that which he wrought out by his blood shedding, sacrifice, and death; for this is the distinguishing characteristic of Israel, that it hangs upon the Lord of life and glory, as its only Savior, and renounces all salvation but his.

But you will observe that he is spoken of in the text as the Savior of Israel in time of trouble. Israel has often to pass through times of sorrow and trouble. Deep temporal and deep spiritual trouble is the allotted portion of many, if not of most of the people of God. But having found that the Lord is a Savior, and the only Savior who can support in trouble and deliver out of trouble, there is this conviction deeply implanted and firmly written upon their heart, that he is a Savior in the time of trouble. It is the purpose of God to hunt us out of all lying refuges, that we may believe in Jesus to the saving of our soul; that we may prove that he is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him; that we may learn what salvation is, and that we may know it for ourselves as a divine and blessed reality. Thus though he is always a Savior, yet he is not experimentally a Savior in times of worldly ease, carnal prosperity, and seasons of carelessness.

But in times of trouble, when none can do us any good or stretch forth a healing hand but the Lord alone, then to come to his gracious Majesty and find there and then how he can and does save in trouble and out of trouble– this is that which endears such a Savior to believing hearts. And observe the expression, "time of trouble," and how it includes not only every trouble which may befall us temporally or spiritually, but clearly intimates that there is not a single season or time when trouble comes that the Lord is not able and willing to save us out of it. How well this corresponds with those gracious words and that sweet promise, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." (Psalm. 50:15.)

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