Sons, brethren, princes, friends,
heirs, jewels, my portion, mine. By John Macduff. And they shall
be mine, says the Lord Almighty, in that day when I make up my
jewels. Malachi 3.17 My jewels, of what
favoured creatures does Jehovah thus speak? Is it of seraphs? Is it of angels? Methinks, at
such a title, even they would take the dust of a basement,
and veiling their faces, cry unclean, unclean. But, marvel
of marvels, it is redeemed sinners of the earth, once crude and
shapely stones, lying in the horrible pit and the miry clay,
amid the rubbish of corruption, who are thus sought out by divine
grace, purchased by divine love, destined, through eternity, to
be set as jewels in the crown of the eternal God, The Lord's
portion is His people. There is a surpassing revelation
of love here. Great, unspeakably great, is
the privilege of the believer to be able to look up to the
everlasting Jehovah and say, You are my portion, O Lord, But
what is this in comparison with the response of omnipotence to
the child of dust, you are mine? Reader, have you learned to lisp
your part in this wondrous interchange of covenant love, my beloved
is mine, and I am his? What an array of wondrous titles
Belong to the saints of God, And given to, by God Himself,
In His own Word. He calls them Sons, Brethren,
Princes, Friends, Heirs, Jewels, My portion, Mine. And when is
the time when they become thus dear to Him? Sinner, when you
wept at the cross of Jesus, you became His jewel. No, from eternity
past He has loved you with an everlasting love, True, you are
not yet set in His crown, you are yet undergoing the process
of polishing. Affliction is preparing you,
trial is needed to remove all the roughness and blemishes of
nature, and make you fit for your master's use. But blessed
thought, now it is God who has made us, literally chiseled or
polished us, for this very purpose, and has given us the Spirit as
a deposit, guaranteeing what it is to come. Yes, God Himself,
the Possessor, who prized that earthly jewel so much as to give
in exchange for it heaven's pearl of great price. He has the polishing
in His own hand. He will not deal too rashly or
roughly. A jewel in Immanuel's crown,
Not only raised from the ash-heap To be set among princes, But
to gem through eternity The forehead that for me Was once wreathed
with thorns. Shall I, can I, murmur at any
way My Saviour sees fit, To polish and prepare me For such an honour
as this? Let me sink down on my knightly
pillow, Overpowered with a thought, And as I hear my covenant God
whispering in my ear the astounding accents, You are mine, I may
well reply, I will both lie down and sleep in peace. For You alone,
O Lord, make me live in safety. Psalm 48