Let us turn to the psalm that
we've read, Psalm 71. Psalm 71 and verse 7. I am as a wonder unto many that
they want my strong refuge. The words of David. This is David,
of course, when he's old. Now also when I am old and grey-headed,
O God, he says, forsake me not, until I have showed thy strength
unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to
come." And he speaks of himself here as a wonder. We think also of the words that
are applied to his greatest son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the
prophecy of Isaiah 9, where we read, His name shall be called
Wonderful. His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace, as Christ is the Wonderful One, so all those who by faith
are trusting in Him, are also a people to be wondered at. I am as a wonder unto many, but
thou art my strong refuge." Firstly then, to look a little more closely
at this particular word. It's an interesting word. It's
a strong word and indicates to us a special display of God's
power and God's glory. We can think of how God did reveal
something of that power in the way in which he visited terrible
judgments upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians at the time when he
brought the children of Israel out of the bondage that they
were enduring there in Egypt. And remember, it was very much
a judgment. It was the purpose of God that
was being fulfilled. God's hand is to be discerned
in the way in which Pharaoh conducts himself as the various plagues
are visited upon his people. and says there in Exodus 7 and
verse 3, I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and
wonders in the land of Egypt. Signs and wonders, it's that
same word that we have here. And as I say, that was really
God fulfilling His own purpose. The reason why He had raised
up this man was in order to display something of his own greatness. The language that Paul uses there
in Romans 9, 17, the scripture says, unto Pharaoh, even for
this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my
power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. It was that wonderful display
then of the judgments of God and When we come to the New Testament,
of course, we see another wonderful manifestation of God's power,
His time in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter, on the day of Pentecost,
as he preaches, that remarkable servant tells those Jews of the
Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, he says, a man, a man approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst
of you, as ye yourselves also know." All the many miracles,
the wonders, the signs that the Lord Jesus Christ himself performed
during the course of his earthly ministry, Remember how in John's Gospel
those miracles are referred to quite clearly as signs, his beginning
of miracles or signs. Jesus did in Cana of Galilee
and manifested forth his glory. Well it's that word that we have
here in the text and there in the Acts we see how the The disciples
are still pleading with God to manifest something more of this
glory, even through their own ministry. In Acts 4.30, after
the release of Peter and John, as they are dismissed by the
Jewish council and they go to their own, now there is prayer
made unto God, that signs and wonders may be done by the name
of thy holy child, Jesus. Not just the miracles of the
Lord Jesus, but also those mighty wonders that followed throughout
the ministry of the apostles. We think especially then of the
language of Paul in Hebrews chapter 2. the language there at verse 3,
how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, he says, and was confirmed
unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness,
both with signs and wonders, and with diverse miracles and
gifts of the Holy Ghost by his own will. how the testimony of
these men, as they bore witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, was
owned of God by these great wonders and miracles. And here it's the
same word that is being used with regards to David. I am as a wonder, he says, unto
many, but thou art my strong refuge. Now, it's not just David. When we turn to the book of the
Prophet in Zechariah chapter 3, we read of God's children
as those who are men wondered at. What are we to understand
then, if this is true of all the people of God, that they
are men of wonder, or men to be wondered at? Of course, we're
not saying that Believers are those who have an ability to
perform mighty works and miracles. We sang just now in the hymn, not for the gift of tongues we
pray, nor power the sick to heal, give wisdom to direct our way
and strength to do thy will. We're not to be those who would
be looking for those mighty works that were wrought by the apostles.
There was a purpose of God in that ministry of theirs. It was a confirmation of the
ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know at that time that the
canon of scripture was not complete. There was no word of God to be
appealed to. As we now have the complete canon
of scripture, we don't need mighty miracles to confirm the truth
of what is being proclaimed. The test of a man's ministry
is ever the word of God, to the law, to the testimony, if they
speak not according to this word. It is because there is no light
in them. It is that sure word of prophecy
that we appeal to, that we have before us on the page of Holy
Scripture. So when we speak of God's children
as being men and women of wonder, we're not thinking of any gift
to do miraculous deeds. No, believers themselves are
to be the wonder. The wonder is what God has done
in the lives of his children and that that God has wrought
is surely a sign and a testimony to all those about them. Remember
how in Isaiah chapter 8 we read of how the child that was to
be born to Isaiah's wife would be a sign to the Syrians and
to Israel. At the time, of course, God's
ancient people had been divided into two kingdoms. There was
Judah in the south, little Judah and Benjamin. But in the north,
the ten tribes with their capital at Samaria. And there they were
in league with the Syrians from Damascus, in league against Judah. And in Isaiah chapter 8, the
prophet Isaiah comes with a message to Israel and to Syria. And the message is in the child
that is to be born and the peculiar name that is given, Meher Shalal
Ashbas. And the margin tells us what
the meaning of that peculiar name is. In making speed to the
spoil, he hasteneth to pry. In making speed to the spoil,
he hasteneth to pry. It means that judgment from God
is going to come on those two who were in league against little
Judah. And the judgment came from the
Assyrians. And We know how that the Northern
Kingdom was scattered and lost, the ten tribes scattered to the
four winds when God's judgment came. But the interesting thing
is that the incident is then really applied to the Lord Jesus
Christ. The prophet says there in Isaiah,
Isaiah 8.18, Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given
me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts
which dwelleth in Mount Zion. And when we turn to the New Testament,
in Hebrews 2, verse 13, that very word is applied to Christ. So it is Christ who says, Behold
I. and the children whom the Lord
hath given me are for signs and wonders." The Lord himself is
truly a wonder. Everything about the Lord Jesus
Christ is quite remarkable. When we consider Old Testament
prophecy and all that prophecy has its fulfillment ultimately
in Him. when we go back to the book of
Judges. Remember the experience of Manoah
and his wife, the parents of Samson, how that Manoah's wife
is barren, but then the angel of the Lord comes and she's told
she's going to bear this son, Samson, who will be raised up
as a judge and a deliverer there in Israel. And subsequently,
when she conveys this message to her husband, to Manoah, he
is so unbelieving he wants the angel to come and appear to him.
And so the angel comes. And then Manoah inquires after
the name of the angel. Now the angel of the Lord there
is the Lord Jesus Christ appearing in a human form. And when the
The question is put, what is thy name? So the Lord answers,
why askest thou after my name, seeing it is secret? Or as the
margin says, seeing it is wonderful. And it's the same word, it's
the same word that we have in Isaiah 9. His name shall be called
wonderful. Or there is that that is wonderful
about him, there is that that is so mysterious. a secret that
God himself has revealed, a great mystery, the mystery of his birth,
that a virgin should conceive and bear a son. And then the
mystery of his person, because this child that is conceived
of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary is none other
than the eternal Son of God. the great mystery of godliness,
that God was manifest in the flesh, the wonder of his ministry. Now, the people recognized that. Never man spoke like this man,
they said. Now, the people were astonished
at his doctrine, at his teaching, because he taught them as one
having authority, not as the scribes and Pharisees. so much
about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, so strange and
mysterious, so wonderful. And yet, then when we come to
the end of that man's life, that holy, righteous man, what a death
he must die, and the things that occur at the time of his execution. Remember how we're told that
from the sixth hour till the ninth hour, from high noon the
sixth hour till 3 p.m. there is darkness over the whole
earth, at the very time when the sun should have been at its
zenith. And then the Lord Jesus Christ with a loud voice, My
God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? All these remarkable things
associated with his ministry. Here is one who is to be wondered
at. And then, of course, on the third day, He rises again from
the dead. Oh, he is declared to be the
Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by
the resurrection from the dead. Behold, I and the children which
God hath given me, he says, are for signs and wonders. What is true of the Lord Jesus
Christ, then, is also true of those who are in Him. those who are united to Him,
ultimately by that faith that is of the operation of God. And so, it's not only here, as
I say in Psalm 71, I am as a wonder unto many, but thou art my strong
refuge, but also It's taken up, remember, in Zechariah, there
in Zechariah 3a, "'Hear now, O Joshua, the high priest thou,
and thy fellows that sit before thee are full signs and wonders." It's the same word that is used
there. They are meant to be wondered at, it says. Meant to be wondered
at. And so, Coming now to the words
that we have here, just two things to mention tonight. What is it
that makes the believer a wonder? First of all, there is the miracle
of the new birth, the great doctrine of regeneration, which is the
beginning of spiritual life. And then, there is that mystery
when they are brought to live the life of faith. First of all,
the new birth. The ministry of the Lord Jesus
again. Now He declares quite plainly to Nicodemus, ye must
be born again. Ye must be born again. Now, here
in the psalm, David makes some reference to natural birth. In
verse 6, by thee, he says, I have been holden up from the womb
Thou art He that took me out of my mother's bowels. My praise
shall be continually of Thee." He praises God for His natural
birth. He does much the same in the
139th Psalm. There in verses 15 and 16, My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being unperfect. And in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them." Oh, he's speaking of the conception. of a child, the forming of a
fetus. And this is all the work of God.
It's a great wonder. Even natural birth, and of course,
you don't need me to remind you of the wickedness of abortions. There we see that there is a
wonder with regards to our physical birth. But how much more wonderful
is spiritual birth. How much more wonderful is that
when we consider what we are by nature? We're those who are
dead in trespasses and sins, we're in a state of alienation
from God. And yet, God by His Spirit comes
and does a remarkable work in the soul of that elect sinner. But we know that there is that
eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ when He says, Behold I
and the children which God has given me, there in Hebrews chapter
2, we see the context there that they were given to the Lord Jesus
Christ in eternity. They were given to Him in the
eternal covenant of grace. But that eternal union must become
a spiritual union, and that is what the new birth is. Verily,
verily, says Christ, except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God." And it is a wonder. It's a mystery. It's a great secret. Again, the
imagery that the Lord uses in John 3, the wind bloweth where
it listeth. We think of the circuits of the
wind that are spoken of there in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. How
can these be traced? Or the wind bloweth where it
listeth, or hears the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, nor whither it goeth. So is every one that is born
of the Spirit. This remarkable thing that God
does the great work of regeneration, the communication of spiritual
life. They're born not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but they're
born of God. It's a sovereign work of God,
and it's the power of God. It's a mighty work, a miraculous work. The same as God wrote when he
raised Christ from the dead, the language of Ephesians 1,
the exceeding greatness of his power to us would you believe
according to the working of his mighty power which he wrote in
Christ when he raised him from the dead. Here is the believer then, he
is a miracle. The miracle of the new birth,
I am as a wonder. unto many. If any man is in the
Lord Jesus Christ, he is a new creature, he's a new creation.
All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. There are miracles. In that sense,
miracles have not ceased. When those dead in trespasses
and sins are quickened, born again, born from above, The hymn
writer says, love I much, I'm much forgiven, I'm a miracle
of grace. Can we not all bear our testimony
to that? The believer then is a wonder
when we think in terms of the doctrine of regeneration, the
new birth. But then also there is the wonder
of the life of faith. It is that mystery in the experiences
of the believer. We sometimes sing that little
couplet, Lord what a riddle is my soul, alive when wounded,
dead when whole. And some of you might be aware
of Ralph Erskine's poetry and His book, entitled Gospel Sonnets,
and there he has much to say with regards to the paradox of
the believer's experiences. My life's a maze of seeming traps,
a scene of mercies and mishaps. I'm in my own and others' eyes,
a labyrinth of mysteries, says dear Ralph Erskine. It's the
life of faith, and isn't that what's being spoken of here?
I am as a wonder unto many, but thou art my strong refuge. All the life that he is now living,
it's a life of complete dependence upon God. Look at how the psalm
begins, in thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let me never be put
to confusion. This is the life of faith, and
that faith is not just a matter of knowledge and acceptance of
the truth of Scripture. It is a life of trust and reliance
upon the Lord Himself. The life which I now live in
the flesh, Paul says, I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me. And there is so much
of that life that is strange, mysterious, a wonder, a paradox. Now, as we've said before, Paul,
of course, is the one who is held before us as a pattern of
the life of faith, a pattern to them which should hereafter
believe. And so when we find Paul speaking
in some measure of his experiences. Are they not spiritual lessons
to be learned? These were very real, literal
experiences of the Apostle. Speaking in 2 Corinthians 6,
he says, as unknown and yet well known, as dying, and behold we
live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing,
as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing
all things. Not just true of the apostles,
that is true of the people of God. Believers' life is a strange
life, it's a secret life. It's like that life of the Lord
Jesus. Remember what he says to Manoah,
Why askest thou after my name, seeing it is secret, or wonderful? Well, the secret of the Lord
is with them that fear him. He shows them his covenant. and
how believers live to prove that all these things that come into
their lives, all these strange contradictory experiences, all
appointed by God, all in the covenant. This was David's comfort
when he came to the end of his days. He has made with me an
everlasting covenant, says David, ordered in all things and sure.
This is all my salvation and all my desire. the mystery of
that life that the believer is to live. And two things I want
to mention with regards to the life of faith. We might say one
is subjective, the other is more objective. First of all, in the
life of faith, there will be the trial of faith. There will be the trial. Where
there is faith, there can be no avoiding that trial. The two
come together, God has joined them together. The Lord says,
in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world. And of course that is echoed
by the Apostle when he says, we must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. Oh, there's a necessity here.
The strange life of faith, when his pardon is signed and his
peace is procured, from that moment his conflict begins. By faith we come to rest in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, it's not a life of rest. It's a life that involves daily,
moment by moment, the good fight of faith. And do we not see it
here? When David says, I am as a wonder
unto many, but thou art my strong refuge. Now it does seem that
the This psalm was probably penned around about the time of Esau
and Absalom's rebellion, recorded in 2 Samuel 15. Remember how
we read at that time of this man Shimei, who comes cursing
David. He's of the family of Saul. And as David is fleeing from
Jerusalem, His very life is in the gravest of danger. His son
has stolen the hearts of all the people. There are just a few now who
are loyal to David, even David's great friend, the one with whom
he took counsel, Ahithophel. And they would go to God's house
together in company, even Ahithophel is in the conspiracy. and he
was reckoned to be a man who was almost as the oracle of God. But then Shimei comes with his
curses, there in 2 Samuel 16. But aren't these things being
spoken of here in the psalm? Verse 10, David says, My enemies
speak against me, and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel
together, saying, God hath forsaken him, persecute and take him,
for there is none to deliver him. Poor David, poor David,
he's such a gazing stop now. He's a man to be ridiculed. And
this is the case with believers. Believers in this world are made
a spectacle. Think of the language of the
Apostle, writing there in the 10th of Hebrews, in verse 33,
partly whilst ye were made a gazing-stock. And the word that's translated
gazing-stock is that from which we have our English word theatre. a gazing-stock. Here I believe,
as you see there, on the stage, as it were. There's the audience,
every eye upon them, made a gazing-stock by reproaches and afflictions,
and partly whilst he became companions of them who were so used. A spectacle. The same word is
used in 1 Corinthians 4.9, a spectacle unto the world. That is the lot
of believers. What is a believer to do in the
midst of all these things? He looks to God. His trust is in God. His refuge
is there. Thou art my strong refuge. Oh, in this life of faith then
there are trials, tribulations, troubles, afflictions. But then
also, of course, until we come to the objective, the The believer's
faith is a justifying faith. It's a faith that centers in
the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is
very much what David speaks of here in this psalm. Verse 15, My mouth shall show
forth thy righteousness, and thy salvation all the day, for
I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of
the Lord God, I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of
thine only." David's an old man. I am old, he says, and grey-headed. But what does he go on to say?
In verse 19, thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who
has done great things, O God, who is like unto thee. And then at the end of the psalm,
verse 24, my tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all
the day long. All David's boast is only in
that righteousness which is in the Lord Jesus Christ, where
Paul's righteousness was, to be found in him, not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." This
is that righteousness that was preached by the apostles. Go
and think of Paul in his preaching at Antioch there in Pisidia,
recorded in Acts chapter 13. He says, All that believe in
Christ are justified from all things that they could not be
justified from by the deeds of the law. Well, this is that life
of faith. Thou art my strong refuge. the believer of wonder. Now,
I've made some reference to the language that we have also in
Zechariah, there in Zechariah chapter 3. And it's interesting
to observe the context in which Zechariah makes that statement
concerning believers as men wondered at. In verse 8 of Zechariah 3,
Here now, O Joshua, the high priest thou, and thy fellows
that sit before thee, for they are men wandered at. Now why
are they men wandered at? Well, what do we read at the
beginning of the chapter? We read of Joshua, the high priest, that is clothed with rags. But there in verse 4, He answered
and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away
the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold,
I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will
clothe thee with chains of raiment. All these are those to be wondered
at. They are sinners. They are sinners in their very
nature, but they are sinners who are clothed with that glorious
robe of righteousness. even the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, this is the wonder of the
life of faith, the mystery of faith. I am as a wonder unto
many, but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled
with thy praise and with thy honor all the day. Oh, the Lord Bless this word
to us. Amen.