I please God to bless us together
this evening. Let us turn to the book of Deuteronomy
and chapter 32 and we'll read verses 9 and 10. The book of
Deuteronomy chapter 32 and reading verses 9 and 10. For the Lord's portion is his
people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land
and in the waste howling wilderness. He led him about, he instructed
him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. These words were written by Moses
just a very short time, a few days probably, before he was
to die. And we should recognise how important
they are, how relevant they are, and how singular they are to
all of us. Because they were written to
the church then and the church down through the ages should
recognized that it is the very Word of God. And in these two
verses that we've read together, it speaks of Jacob. And of course,
Jacob was also called Israel, representative of Israel. And
of course, Israel representative of the Church of God. So we see
that significance of such statements as they refer to Israel from
that time and indeed down through the ages right till now and indeed
through until the end of time. Therefore it's a great blessing
to realise that these words spoken by Moses has a particular reference
indeed to us even today, to all the Church of God and how Very
humbling it should be to think that the Lord ordained that such
words should be written for our encouragement. And so Moses says,
for the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance. Now of course there were many
people in the world when Israel were in this condition, but these
were the people that were considered and were indeed the portion of
the Lord. For the Lord's portion is his
people. And how wonderful to think, true
as it was in those days, it's still true today. And that we
might be included, therefore, in such a statement as this. The Lord's portion is his people
and is a lot of his inheritance. It's very humbling to think that
all those years ago such words were written that have an application
for you and me today. And how wonderful it is to think
that we, unworthy as we are, sinners of the earth, are the
Lord's portion. Because of his great love for
which he loved us, His great love for when he loved his people
right from the very beginning. He never forsakes them. He never
will. And therefore they are the chosen
vessels of mercy. They are those whom the Lord
will watch over. They are those who are his people. For the Lord's portion is his
people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. And then he moves on to say he
found him in a desert land. Well, we know that, of course,
Israel came out of Egypt. That was really a barren place,
a desert for them, when they were in Egypt all those many
years. And then they came out again into the desert, that Arabian
desert, which was indeed not a friendly environment. It was
truly a waste howling wilderness and the Lord found them. The
Lord knew where they were and he watched over them. And what
a mercy it is today if he looks after us and watches over us
because we are in a desert land. We are in today a waste howling
wilderness. It may not be quite the same
as it was, of course, in those days. In one sense, our lives
are so different, so much more comfortable. But nonetheless,
the world to the true Church of God is a desert. It is a wilderness. It's not
something that we are happy to be in. We're traveling through
this life to our eternal home. And what a mercy, therefore,
if the Lord has found us, found his people, his people are with
him. What a mercy today if he's found
us and hasn't forsaken us, but has indeed been very gracious
to us and been mindful of us. We should be very thankful that
we have today the same almighty God. In the book of Exodus where
Moses is speaking about the time that the children of Israel indeed
were watched over. And in the 19th chapter, in the
fifth verse we read, now, therefore, he says, if you will obey my
voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me above all the people, for all the earth is
mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom
of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou
shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Well, they were spoken
to the children of Israel, and it's a mercy if they are spoken
to us tonight. What a wonderful blessing it
is to think that we as sinners of the earth, not worthy of any
notice, are considered to be a peculiar treasure above all
the people of the earth and to be a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation. Israel were called to that position. And as spiritual Israel, we are
called to that position. What a wonderful thought it is,
isn't it? To think that the Lord has so
graciously set before us these words to be a real encouragement
to us and to instruct us. You know, Israel, when they came
out of Egypt, they came into the desert and they received
wonderful instruction and if you and I are brought out like
these people were out of this place out of the desert and out
of the waste hounding wilderness and are instructed like these
people were because we're told he led them about he instructed
them and it surely is the great purpose for us to be instructed
by our God. The Lord will be gracious to
us and will be mindful of us and will indeed bless us indeed
and will not leave us and will not forsake us. When the prophet
Nehemiah was on the earth and he spoke about this situation
really of being instructed and he speaks in the ninth chapter
of Nehemiah and the 13th verse or shall I say the 12th verse
perhaps. Moreover thou leadest them in the day by a cloudy pillar
and in the night by a pillar of fire to give them light in
the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon Mount
Sinai and spakest with them from heaven and gavest them right
judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments. Now when the Lord comes into
our hearts by his sovereign grace, what occurs then? Well, we receive
instruction from our God. The Lord gives us a right understanding. And so here on Sinai, What was
the principal thing that they received? It was, of course,
to know the holy law of God. You see, when the Lord deals
with us, He brings us to realise the greatness
and the holiness of Almighty God. And He directs us to His
righteous law, And it shows to us how we failed, how we have
not kept His commands, how we've gone our own way. And what does
that make us do? It makes us come to our God and
plead to our God for His mercy and for His favour toward us. When Nehemiah was able to instruct
the people, this was many years later of course, was it occurred,
and he says, and made it known unto them, thy holy Sabbath. Significant really, that's one
of the first things he says. The day and age in which we live
of course is a day of neglect of the Sabbath. And it's spoken
here as the holy Sabbath. It's not something to just put
away. and commandest them precepts,
statutes, and laws by the hand of Moses thy servant, and gavest
them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth
water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promised
them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hast
sworn to give them. Here were the promises of God,
and here is the Word before us here this evening. He found him
in a desert land, in a waste town, in wilderness. He led him
about. He instructed him. Well, what a mercy tonight, if
we have received the instruction from Almighty God, which has
directed us to look into our hearts and see how we stand before
a holy God, and realise that we were born in sin, and shaping
iniquity. And as the Apostle Paul says,
in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And we stand before
a holy and a righteous God. But of course, thankfully, it
didn't stop there. What a glorious gospel we have. Because Moses in those days was
instructed how the tabernacle should be constructed. And soon
after he'd come down from that mountain, they did prepare all
that was needful for the construction of the tabernacle, rather. And of course, the tabernacle
was so symbolic of the great and glorious saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the only saviour of sinners. So we see on the
one hand the condemnation of the law on Sinai, and then we
see the gracious providence of God in that glorious salvation
through the saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that surely
is a wonderful picture that we can meditate upon, because there
we find ourselves today, found, God finds us, As he found Israel
of old, found us in this place, this desert land and this wasteland
and wilderness. He didn't lead us. He led us. He didn't leave us. He led us. He led Israel. He led them about. And they were instructed. And
they had much to learn, didn't they? And my friends, you and
I today still have much to learn. And sadly, how rebellious Israel
were, blessed with wonderful promises, blessed with such a
glorious picture set before them in the tabernacle of the Saviour,
and especially in those sacrifices which were offered up, and the
Shed Blan, which was spilt and taken in and sprinkled upon the
mercy seat, all set before the people, the glory of Christ. And that of course was carried
on really right down until the time when the Blessed Saviour
came into this world and then fulfilled all the law which man
had been unable to keep, the holy law of God. And the Saviour
kept it, made it honourable and in order to fulfil the demands
of that Holy Law of God. Remember, without shedding of
blood, there's no remission, there's no forgiveness. The glorious
Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ did shed his most precious blood
upon the cross at Calvary to redeem his people, to redeem
his church, those who were the Lord's portion for the mercy
of that applies to us tonight. We realize, yes, by the grace
of God, we are the Lord's portion. And he has come and called us. He has granted us that new life
in our souls. He has directed us to Sinai,
to see how we are before a holy God, lost and ruined in the fall,
and yet brought us to the Blessed Saviour, the Saviour of sinners,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and that great and glorious work which
was completed upon the cross at Calvary. And then to think,
you see, that we are then, by His grace and favour, priests,
those whom He has indeed called, those indeed whom He has ordained
that we should be true followers of our Lord and Saviour. Jesus
Christ. And so we have this picture really
here in these verses in this 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy,
where we're told the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot
of his inheritance. Well, what a mercy. Surely to
know that we have this great and glorious inheritance. which will never disappear because
we are indeed a chosen generation. Peter spoke, didn't he, very
beautifully about that in the first epistle and the second
chapter. He speaks of this great statement
and he tells us this, but ye are, night first, but ye are
a chosen generation, a chosen generation. chosen by God, a
royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people, ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light, wherein, which in time past were not a
people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained
mercy, but now have. obtained mercy. And this, of
course, is true of the whole Church of God, ever has been,
ever will be. It's very humbling. It's amazing
to think of such a truth as this. And so he goes on to say, Dearly
beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, the people of God
always have been and always will be, abstain from fleshly lusts
which war against the soul having your conversation honest among
the gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evildoers
they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify god
in the day of visitation submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the lord's sake The mercy it is, therefore, if we
are found walking in this path, and if it is because we are those
who are the Lord's portion, we are the lot of his inheritance,
and he has found us. You and I can only know that
ourselves if the Lord has found us. He's found us in this desert
land, in this wasteland wilderness, in the world. He's found us. He's called us by His name, Thou
Mine. And we've been led. Israel were
led, weren't they? All through that wilderness.
They didn't live a perfect life, did they? Far, far from it. But what did they prove? They
proved the mercy of God. And what do we prove today? We
prove the mercy of God. And what else do we prove? We
prove, as they did, the love of God. It's so really humbling
to think that God should have loved us, that God should have
loved us so much that he was willing to die for us upon that
cross at Calvary, that glorious sin, atoning death. It was no
light death, it was no light thing. but it was because we
were a chosen people, those whom he had loved. And the 107th Psalm
picks up the same theme, really. In the fourth verse, he tells
us, they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found
no city to dwell in. This is speaking, of course,
of natural Israel. It's also true of spiritual Israel. They wandered in the wilderness
in a solitary way. Well, we do walk in a solitary
way. We're not part of the world. We are a peculiar people. We are those who are redeemed
with the blood of Christ. And they found no city to dwell
in, and neither do we really. Never find true city to dwell
in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul
fainted in them. What were they doing? They were
hungering and thirsting after the things of God. The church
of God is the same today. What a blessing if you and I
are in that path, hungering and thirsting. Their soul fainted
in them, then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and
he delivered them out of their distresses, and he led them forth
by the right way. Israel were led forth by the
right way, They were led forth in that way to realise how unworthy
they are. They were of entering into Canaan.
And yet the Lord graciously brought them there. And the Church of
God today will realise how unworthy they are to be brought safely
home to glory at last. But by the grace of God, all
the family of God will arrive safely at home. And then the
word will be true, O that men would praise the Lord, for His
goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. And surely the works are what
we've already mentioned, as the Holy Spirit gives us a right
understanding of where we were and where our hope is. Our hope
is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. That's all our hope. No hope
outside of that. Our hope must be centred therefore
in what Christ has indeed done instructed and he kept him as
the apple of his eye and if you know anything about the eye you
know this the eye is a very precious thing that you and I possess
and the apple of the eye is really the pupil it's the very center
of the eye It's the part whereby we see as the light shines through
that pupil, and if you look at the eye, our eyes, you know,
they're looked after, they're surrounded. We have a bony structure
around them. We have eyelids, we have eyelashes. All those things are to protect
our eyes. It's a good picture, if you and
I think about it, and to realize we are kept as the apple of his
eye, protected, watched over, and granted that spiritual sight. What a blessing, my friends,
if that is so. And so tonight, may we think
upon these words and meditate upon them. For the Lord's portion
is his people. Jacob is a lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land
and in a wasteland wilderness. He led him about, he instructed
him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Amen.