Mighty is the LORD of hosts ~ HE WILL SAVE

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in His love. He will joy over thee with singing." -Zephaniah 3:17 [KJV]

My soul! look at this old testament promise, through the medium of the new testament dispensation, and behold what a cluster of rich blessings it contains; and which, like all the other promises of the bible, is "yea and amen in Christ Jesus!" And observe how it opens. The LORD thy God, that is, Jehovah in His threefold character of person, in rich covenant engagements, is "in the midst of thee;" hath set up His throne in Zion, and lives, and reigns, and governs in the hearts of His redeemed. So said Jesus, and so that dear Lord explained it in after ages: "If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him;" John 14:23. "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth;" John 14:16, 17.  

Mark these blessed, precious truths, my soul, in the most lively characters, on thine heart; and hence learn, that the Lord thy God, in covenant engagements, dwelleth in the midst of His people, and in the hearts of His people; that, like the sun at midday, in the centre of the heavens, He may enlighten, warm, refresh, and give forth all His blessings to bless thee.  

Next mark what the prophet saith of this covenant Lord God, who is in the midst of His church and people: "He is mighty!" Shout aloud at this, my soul; for if He be mighty, then He will support thy weakness, and subdue thy foes. What can bear down, or destroy the soul, whom this mighty God upholds? What shall arise to distress a child of God, as long as God is almighty? And if He hath engaged to be for thee, who can dare to be against thee? Sweet consideration! What signifies my weakness, while Christ is strong? Yea, His strength will be made perfect in my weakness.  

Go on farther, my soul, in looking over the many blessed things spoken of in this verse. "He will save." Yea: He hath saved, and doth save, and will save. And this is the very cause, the angel said, for which His name should be called Jesus: for "He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21. Think of this, when at any time, sin or sorrow, trial or temptation, would cast thee down. Jesus is still Jesus, still on His throne: yea, thy Saviour. Amidst all thy changeableness, there is no change in Him. And observe yet farther, how the prophet chimes on those sweet words: "He will rejoice over thee with joy: He will rest in His love: He will joy over thee with singing." Pause, my soul, over this most gracious account. Jesus not only saves, not only pardons, but He doth it as God, as Jesus. It is His joy, His delight, His pleasure, to do so.  

As He saith in another scripture, "Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly, with My whole heart, and with My whole soul;" Jeremiah 32: 41. And as the poor timid believer, from feeling such coldness and deadness, as at times he doth in himself feel, is but too easily prevailed upon by the enemy, and by his own unbelieving heart, to suppose the same of Jesus: that he might not give way to this temptation, the Lord adds, "he will rest in His love:" will abide in it unmoved, and without change; for, as He saith in another scripture, "the LORD God of Israel hateth putting away:" Malachi 2:16. Oh! what a multitude of sweet things are folded up in this verse! Jesus rejoiceth over His people; yea, Jesus joys over them with singing.  

How often have I seen, in some lovely evening, like the present, that sweet bird of the air, called the skylark, mount aloft from her nest, still looking at her young as she ascends; and when advanced to her height, warbling in the most delightful notes over her brood; until at length, with all the rapidity of love, she darts down to cover, to feed, and to protect them Thus, but in an infinitely higher degree, doth Jesus joy over His children with singing, resting in His love; and is ever near, ever mighty to defend, to bless, to keep, and to make happy, those who rest in His strength; while he rests in His love, being their God, and they His people. 

-Robert Hawker (1753-1827 A.D.)  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more