Let us turn to God's Word in
the portion of Scripture that we read, the book of Job. I'm directing you now to the
words that we find in chapter 33 and verses 27 and 28. Elihu speaks and says concerning
God, He looketh upon men And if any say, I have sinned and
perverted that which was right, and he profited me not, he will
deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see
the light. Here in Job chapter 33, verses
27 and 28, He looketh upon men. And if any say, I have sinned
and perverted that which was right, and he profited me not,
He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life
shall see the light. And the subject matter that we
have in these verses concerns that great gospel deliverance.
We've been considering these last few weeks something of the
ministry and the proclamation of the gospel. And last week
We were back in the book of Leviticus, there in chapter 23. At verse
23 following, we considered something of the Feast of Trumpets, which
in type is setting before us the great proclamation of the
Gospel. And then in the evening we went
on to consider what he said there in chapter 25 at verse 8 following
concerning the year of jubilee and how the trumpet was again
to be sounded, the jubilee trumpet that would mark that great year
of release. And we remark though that Leviticus
is very much a gospel book. It sets before us in those sacrifices,
those offerings, those various feasts, the great truths that
are unfolded ultimately in the New Testament with the coming
of the Lord Jesus. In Christ we have the substance
of all those types All those shadows are fulfilled in the
ministry that he exercises. But having said something more
last time then, with regards to this gospel and the manner
of its proclamation, we turn now to this book of Job. And again, there is much of the
gospel to be found in the ancient book of Job. The Lord Jesus is
everywhere. in our Bibles, and I trust that
as we come to read even Old Testament books with those who would desire
that the Lord would open our eyes to see something of Christ
in these Old Testament Scriptures. Is he not here in chapter 9 where
Job expresses his desire for one to stand, as it were, as
the mediator between him and God? He speaks of a days man. He cries out there at the end
of that ninth chapter, neither is there any days man, or as
the margin says, any umpire betwixt us that may lay his hand upon
us both. All his desire is for Christ,
the mediator, the God-man, the one who can truly lay his hand
upon God. And yet, at the same time, by
that great mystery of the Incarnation, he is able to lay his hand upon
man. He is touched with all the feeling
of his people's infirmities, and he is able to save them to
the uttermost. Job, then, is looking for the
Lord Jesus Christ. And then, of course, remember
how later, in chapter 19, We have those remarkable words where
he speaks of his Redeemer. I know that my Redeemer liveth,
says Job, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eye
shall behold, and not another. though my reins be consumed with
him. He's speaking to his friends
and he says, But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing
the root of the matter is found in me? Oh, the root of the matter
was there in Job. He knew his Redeemer. Oh, that
we might be those who have that root of the matter within us
this morning. You know the Lord Jesus and as
we come together again into this chapel and we come under the
sound of the word of God that we might desire to see something
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turning then to these words that
I've read as our text in chapter 33. It is Christ who is that
one who is the great gospel deliverer. As I said, With our reading it's
part, this 33rd chapter, part of a long speech made by this
man Elihu. It runs from chapter 32 right
through to chapter 37. And then after that we find God
himself speaking directly. Previously the bulk of the book
from chapter 40, from chapter 4 I should say, to chapter 31
is taken up with those cycles of speeches where Job's other
friends speak, Eliphaz and Bildat and Zophar. You know the structure
of the book. They speak by their turn and Job answers them. But
they are unable really to answer Job or to help Job. And so there
at the beginning, that 32nd chapter, these three men cease to answer
him. It says, "...because he was righteous
in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of
Elihu, the son of Barakal, the Buzite of the kindred of Ram.
Against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself
rather than God. Also against his three friends
was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer." and
yet had condemned Job. And so he begins his speech and
he says some remarkable things. And amongst some of these words
of our text, as he speaks of God, he looketh upon men and
if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right
and he profited me not. He will deliver his soul from
going into the pit. and his light shall see the lights. I want us from these words to
consider two things first the grounds of gospel deliverance
and then secondly the grace of gospel deliverance. Just a two-fold
division then as we come to this part of the Word of God. First
of all, what we might say is the more doctrinal part of the
subject matter, the grounds of gospel deliverance. And we see that the only ground
upon which anyone can know the pardon of their sins, anyone
can find forgiveness with God, is the payments of the ransom
price and we see back in verse 24 it says concerning God then
he is gracious unto him and said deliver him from going down to
the pit I have found a ransom we just sang that lovely hymn of John
Berridge concerning law and gospel and the differences. There's
much that is rather quaint. Maybe it makes us smile when
we sing some of those words in the hymns of John Berridge. And yet, what blessed truth he
brings out in his own quaint ways. And in that hymn he says
And it's a great truth, the law demands a weighty debt. There
is a debt to be paid, that is a ransom price. The soul that
sinneth, says the law, it shall die. The law speaks of sin and
the wages of sin. The wages of sin, says the law,
is death. There can be no forgiveness,
there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood
these are solemn truths God doesn't wink at sins God is a holy God
and a just God and in his righteousness God demands that the penalty
is paid the price of sin is death God is a merciful God and God
is a gracious God and we see that we see it in the experience
of Moses remember back in Exodus chapter 34 where God would deal
with the children of Israel because of their great sin he had delivered
them out of Egypt and he brought them out with a strong hand and
a mighty arm. He made a way through the Red
Sea. He brought them into the wilderness of Sinai. He'd entered
into covenant with them there at the mount. He had given his
commandments, they immediately transgressed, they committed
the most gross idolatry in the matter of the golden calf, and
God would cast them off, God would disinherit them, but Moses
pleased with them, pleased with God concerning them, asking that
God would yet forgive them, and he wants God to appear. and God does appear, God comes
and declares his name but see how God declares his name to
Moses there in that 34th chapter of the book of Exodus and we
see that God is merciful and yet at the same time God is such
a righteous God who can by no means clear the guilt What does
it say? Verse 6 of Exodus 34. The Lord passed by before him,
that is before Moses, and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful
and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and
truth. Oh, this is God, keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But then, and that will by no
means clear the guilt, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children and upon the children's children unto the third and to
the fourth generation. And Moses made haste and bowed
his heads toward the earth and worshipped. He is a merciful
God. But God is also a just God. He will by no means clear the
guilty. The price of sin must be paid. The law demands that weighty
debt. There must be death. There must be that shedding of
blood. And no man is able to find that
price, that ransom price that the law demands. Again, look
at the language that we find in the psalm, how the psalmist
speaks there in Psalm 49. Verse 6. They that trust in their wealth,
and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of them
can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for
him. for the redemption of their soul
is precious, it says. But then it goes on later, although
men cannot pay that ransom price, verse 15, but gods will redeem
my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me,
Selah. Oh, the Selah reminds us how
we need to pause And now we need to consider that blessed truth.
God will redeem my soul, says the psalmist, from the power
of the grave. God is able to pay the ransom
price. And how has God paid that ransom
price? It's in the person. It's in the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Peter's language? writing
there in that first epistle, for as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
he says, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot. Here is the price of redemption. It is the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus. This is the only ground, the
only ground, I say, of deliverance from our sins. Nothing of ourselves. A man cannot redeem his own soul. Are we those who have an interest
in that tremendous price that was paid by the Lord Jesus Christ
when He died upon the cross? Then he is gracious unto him,
and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, or that awful
pit of hell. Deliverance from that, because
God says, I have found a ransom. Again here at verse 28. The same
truth as we have previously there in the 24th verse is expressed
in a slightly different fashion. He will deliver his soul from
going into the pits and his life shall see the light. Here is
the ground then. The only ground of deliverance
from hell. And it is in the person and the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turning now to our second point
and really what we might say is the more experimental aspect
of the text I want to say something with regards to the grace the
grace of that deliverance although the only ground of deliverance
and the forgiveness of sins is the ransom price we have to observe
here in this text that deliverance is granted on the basis of confession
and repentance. Isn't that what it says in verse
27? He looketh upon men and if any
say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and he profited
me not he will deliver his soul Oh, the importance, you see,
of that confession, the necessity of that real repentance. God looks. He looks upon man
itself. And what is God doing? He is
looking for something that is very rare. Now, sin itself is
not rare. Sin is common. Sin is everywhere. It is repentance. that is rare, and this is what
God is looking for, something so rare. All we know that we're
living in a world that is a fallen world, a world that lies in the
wicked one. We see around us the truth that's
only explained really here in the Word of God, that God made
man upright, and yet they've sought out many inventions. We
have the record of God's great work of creation and how all
that comes from the hand of God is perfect. We see man there
in his pristine condition as God first makes Adam and Eve
and yet how quickly they transgress and sin enters and the whole
creation is groaning and travailing because of man's sin. For all
of sin, it says, and come short of the glory of God. Remember
how the Apostle in the third chapter of that epistle to the
Romans refers back to the Old Testament. He refers to the language
of the Psalmists. In two Psalms, Psalm 14 and Psalm
53, he's quoting from Psalms that are virtually identical
there in Romans 3 verse 10 as it is written. There is none righteous, no not
one. There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre.
With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of asps
is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery
are in their wives." He's quoting. You go back into the book of
Psalms and look at the language in those Psalms 14 and 53. Three times, three times in scripture
these words are spoken with regards to the state of affairs in this
world with men. There is non-righteous, no, not
one. Sin is everywhere. The preacher
says there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good
and sinneth not. Not one, not one just man anywhere
upon the earth how common sin is and yet the times we sing
those words of Joseph Hart in the hymn of sinner is a sacred
thing this is the Holy Ghost has made himself who is that
sinner who is sacred when he is speaking the language is rather
strange language it might seem it needs some explanation Because
sin is so abhorrent in the sight of God, how can a sinner be a
sacred thing? Well, he's speaking of a particular
sinner. He's speaking of that sensible sinner. He's speaking
of that repentant sinner. All remember what we said, God
looks. That's what it says, He looketh
upon men. And God is looking for something
rare. He is looking for a repentant
sinner. Repentance is such a rare thing.
And it is rare because only God can give it. Only God can give
it. It is the gift of God. Remember
the language again of Scripture there in Acts chapter 5 concerning
the Lord Jesus, Him hath God exalted. says the Apostle with
his right hand, to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness
of sins. Oh, the Lord Jesus, He is exalted
and He exalts, He is exalted to give repentance. He gives
repentance, He gives faith. Remember the language of Hebrews
chapter 12? We have to look unto Jesus who
is the author and finisher of our faith. He gives faith, he
gives repentance. Oh, it's rare because no man
is able to produce either repentance or faith of himself. These are
the gifts of God, these are the works of God. We said before,
quoting one of those old Scots ministers, who says sin is of
the creature but the sense of sin is of God and that is the
sacred sinner when God looketh upon man though he looks for
something he sees sin everywhere but if any say I have sinned
and perverted that which was right and he profited me not,
he will deliver his soul from going down to the pit." God is
looking for repentance. God is looking for repentance.
Now, we do read of repentance here in the book of Job, those
friends. Although they failed to properly
answer Job, they cannot explain what's come upon him, the mystery
of God's dealings in his providence with that man. But those friends,
they do say some remarkable things. You've doubtless read through
the book of Job and observed some of the things that these
friends say. And Eliphaz is one who on occasions
does speak good things. He speaks of repentance. Back
in chapter 11. He says there at verse 13, If
thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hand toward
him, if iniquity be in thine heart, put it far away. Let not
wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. It's a call, it's an exhortation
to repentance. And he really repeats it later
when he says in chapter 22, verse 23, if thou return to the Almighty
thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity. far
from my tabernacles, the putting away of sin, and the turning
unto God himself. That's what is involved in repentance. Repentance really involves a
change, a fundamental change in the life of a man, the life
of a woman, their life is turned about it's as if they're going
in one direction and they're suddenly turned around and they're
going in the opposite direction but it's a great change their
life is not just turned about it's turned upside down it's
turned inside out it's interesting and I know I've said this before
but I do find it most interesting when we come into the New Testament
and the word that is repeatedly used repentance It's one of those
words that's a combination of two words. It's based on the
word mind. That's the second part of the
word repentance as we have it there in our Greek New Testament. But the first part indicates
a change. If we break the word down it
literally means a change of mind. That's what repentance is, it's
a change of mind. But it's not just a matter of
the mind, as I said, it's so fundamental. It's a man's life
being turned about, turned inside out, turned upside down. It's
a great change. And there we see that this is
the ministry that is exercised there when we think of John the
Baptist and his message as he is preparing the way for the
coming of the Messiah. What does he preach? He's a preacher
of repentance. He proclaims there, in the Gospel,
the baptism of repentance. We're introduced to him, for
example, at the beginning of Matthew chapter 3, in those days
came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and
saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this
is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, the voice
of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight. But what is the message he proclaims?
It's his great call to repentance, to turn from their sins and to
turn to God. And when John has fulfilled his
ministry and the Lord Jesus Christ comes to begin his ministry,
doesn't Christ continue to proclaim faith and repentance? In Mark 1 and verse 14, now after
that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled,
the kingdom of God is at hand. Repentance and believe the gospel. That is the message, not only
of the Baptists, that's the message also of the Lord Jesus Christ,
that is the message that we see then being proclaimed by the
Apostles when we go into the Acts and when in chapter 20 of
that book Paul calls the Ephesian elders to him and reminds them
of his ministry. What does he say? Testifying
both to the Jews and to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith
toward the Lord Jesus Christ. That was apostolic preaching.
It is the continuation of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Repentance toward God. Faith
towards the Lord Jesus Christ. And here in our text this morning
we are reminded of the importance of that repentance. He looketh
upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which
was right and he profited me not. He will deliver his soul.
He will deliver his soul. All this repentance that we have
spoken of then, in this 27th verse, from whence does it proceed? Well, it flows from a right view
of sin. It flows from a right view of
sin. And where does that right view
of sin come from? That comes from faith. Faith is before repentance. Now,
I know, and this is the truth, there is that sense in which
faith and repentance stand together, they are concurrent. But faith
must have the priority. Because whatsoever is not of
faith is sin. Faith must be first. And we have
to recognize that. There must be faith. that faith
that centers in God that faith that centers in the word of God
look at the language that we have here in this in this verse if any man say I have sinned oh a man has to come to that
you see to confess himself to be a sinner Man by nature is
such a rebel. That's our condition when we're
born into this world and I don't care who it is. I don't care who your parents
are. It's true of each and every one
of us as we were born naturally into this world, we were born
as those in a state of rebellion against God. Each and every one
of us. We are the sons and daughters
of Adam and Eve and they sinned, they rebelled. And we've already
referred to those words of the preacher, Lo, this only have
I found, says the preacher there in Ecclesiastes. God made man
upright and they have sought out many inventions. There is man's condition. And
we see it on occasions in various individuals and the way in which
they speak of God and reject God. When Moses goes before the
Pharaoh time and again in the book of Exodus, And God constantly
showing His great power as He visits those devastating plagues
upon the Egyptians, and it seems that the Pharaoh is brought to
his senses, he's about to let the children of Israel go, but
not so. And God is sovereign in all of this, there must be
the ten plagues come upon that wicked monarch. But what does
He say? Who is the Lord? that I should
obey his voice, he says, I know not the Lord and that is the
language of all our hearts by nature who is the Lord? you see when our first parents
sinned what did the serpent say? he shall be as God's we're in
control of our own lives, who is the Lord? I know not the Lord
When we come to the New Testament, think of the language of the
Lord Jesus when he tells the parable. We will not have this
man to reign over us. We won't put up with that. This man reigns over us. We'll
do what we want. All this is man's condition,
I say by nature, the kind of mind. It is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law
of God. Neither indeed can be. What language? What language
we find the strength of the words that the Apostle employs as he
describes man's condition. His natural mind, that's what
the carnal mind is, as you know. It's the fleshy mind. It's the
mind that we have, each and every one of us. It is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed. Canberra. What sort of a condition are
we in having the understanding, Doc? It says, Paul alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them
because of the blindness, the margin says, the hardness of
their hearts. Ah, but look at this man that
he's spoken of in our text This man confesses, I have sinned. Oh, what a word is this! He looketh
upon men, and if any say, I have sinned. Is that how we come into
this chapel this morning? Or do we come as sinners before
God? It's a great thing to come as
a sinner. Do you remember the language of the man after God's
own heart, David? And what he says there in Psalm
51, "...against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this
evil in thy sight." He saw his sin ultimately as that that was
against God and he confessed it. And there's the evidence
that he's a man after God's own heart. What does that mean? It
means he has that new heart. It means he's in the covenant.
That's the promise of the covenant, a new heart. Also I will give
thee a new spirit, I will put within thee, I will take away
the stony heart out of thy flesh, I will give thee a heart of flesh.
But if we have such a heart as that, we'll come in that spirit,
we'll come with the man here in the text and we'll say, I
have sinned. It's a rare thing. He looketh
upon me and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which
was right. See how he continues here? He's perverted that which was
right. What is that that is right? It's
God's Word. It's God's Law. Doesn't the Law
of God revealed to us the character of God. We have the law there
in Exodus chapter 20 but we have it repeated in Deuteronomy chapter
5 when they have come now after the 40 years of wilderness wanderings,
they have come to the borders of the promised land and Moses
is recounting things and he repeats the law in Deuteronomy chapter
5. And then he says this, reminding them of their experience
at Mount Sinai, he says in verse 24, Ye said, Behold, the Lord
our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have
heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. We have seen this
day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. This is what they
said at Mount Sinai when God spoke the Ten Commandments. The
Lord our God has showed us His glory and His greatness. What
is the law? It's a revelation of God. It's
God declaring His holiness and His righteousness and His justice. You know, there's nothing arbitrary
about the law of God. That law of God is a good law, and it's good for man, as God
created the man. There's no disputing that, because the law is a revelation
of God. Man was made in God's image, man was created after
God's likeness, man should conform to that law. Paul says the law is holy and
the commandment holy and just and good. There's no fault with the law,
the fault is with man. That's where the problem lies,
it's man. As a rebel against God, a pervert
of the law of God, Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth
also the law, says John. For sin is the transgression
of the law. That's what the law does, you
see. It shows the man what his situation is. By the law is the
knowledge of sin. Lo, this only have I found. God
made man upright. They have sought out many inventions. What are those inventions? They
are these perversions, I have sinned, says the man here in
the text, I have sinned and perverted that which was God's. Oh, he's not only confessing
himself to be a rebel against God and the sinner before God
but he has perverted that law which is such a good law, he's
gone so contrary to what God has revealed of himself and then
he continues and he profited me not there's no profit you see in
all his perversion and all his rebellion all God looks and he's
looking for this man this sacred sinner This repentant
sinner, I have sinned and perverted that which was good, and it profited
me not." He sold his soul to the devil really. He's embraced
Satan's lie in rejecting God's truth. That's what man has done. And it's true of us all. Two
of us all, each and every one of us by nature, this is us.
Again, remember those words of the Lord Jesus, what shall it
profit a man if he shall go in the whole world and lose his
own soul? And what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul? It's profited me not, all this
life of sinful rebellion against God. or despisest thou the riches
of his goodness and mercy and longsuffering, not knowing that
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, says the Apostle." God's law is good. God's law
is good. We know that the law is good. If a man use it lawfully, knowing
this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for
the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners,
for the unholy and profane. This is how God means his law
to be used, to show man his sin, the law is good. But God's goodness,
of course, is supremely seen, not so much in the law, but in
the gospel. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ. And so, as the hymn writer says,
law and terrors do but harden all the while they work alone.
They work, but they don't need to work just alone. There must
be the gospel as well. Law and terrors do but harden
all the while they work alone, but a sense of blood-bought pardon
soon dissolves the heart of stone." Paul, this is how God works his
repentance, you see. It's not just a matter of the
law. It's a matter of the gospel, godly sorrow. Paul says, "...worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow
of the world worketh death." There is a sorrow of the world,
we see it alas in the experience of a man like Esau. He was sorry for what he did
when he saw the birth from, but he wasn't a godly sorrow. This godly sorrow, this evangelical
repentance is the work of God. It is the work of God in the
soul of a man. Look at the text that we've announced
here in this 33rd chapter of Job. We said verses 27 and 28,
but read through to verse 29. He looketh upon men, if any say
I have sinned and perverted that which was right and he profited
me not. He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and
his light shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh
God, often times with man." All these things worketh, it's God's
work. It's God's work. Lo. But you know the, the force of
those two letters are Lo. Behold! Oh, fix the eye on this,
consider this, all these things worketh God. Oftentimes, the
margin says that the Hebrew is literally twice and thrice. God keeps on working these things
in man. God has to work it in our souls.
No place, you see, for duty of faith, duty of repentance, It's
all the work of God. Now, how does God do this? Well,
God shows the man his sins by means of His Word. The Word is like a mirror. James, remember, speaks of the
Scriptures being like a looking glass. There at the end of James
chapter 1, If any be a hearer of the word,
and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his face, his
natural face, in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and
goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man
he was." We look at ourselves, we see ourselves, and we forget
our image. But he's speaking, you see, here.
of the Word of God. And what does God's Word show
us? It doesn't show us our natural appearance, it shows us the condition
of our hearts. The Word of God is a revelation
of God Himself. The man made in God's image,
there should be a perfect reflection. But we see our man has perverted
that which is right. Man is so unlike God, he's more
like the devil. And when a man, hearing the word
of God, sees himself out in the glass, but then goes his way
and forgets what manner of man he was, he goes on, Do so, looketh
into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be
blessed in his deed. Now that perfect law of liberty,
That perfect law of liberty, that's the gospel. That's the
gospel. Remember, the law of itself might
show a man his sin, but the law in itself can never save a man.
Oh, there is that ministry of the law. We know that what things
whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty
before God. There's the law. It stops men's
mouths. It brings them in guilt. It shows
them their sins. And that's sin of the end. He needs the grace of repentance. That comes from God. Lo, all
these sins were of God, oftentimes in man. Amen. So often when God comes and speaks,
They don't want to hear what He has to say. Back in verse
14, God speaketh once, say twice, yet man perceiveth it not. Man
doesn't want the work of God. Doesn't want the Word of God.
But what do we read in verse 16? He openeth the ears of men,
concealeth their instruction. He's looking for that that is
rare is God. And He must work that rare thing
in the soul of the sinner himself. no help from the creature man
is a rebel at all times it is God who must humble the man and
break the man down bring the man to the end of himself and it's true even in the way
in which God deals with his children he shows man what he is in his
word but then also he must come time and again with his chastenings
with his correcting rod look at the context here it says previously
verse 19 this is man he is chastened also with pain upon his bed and
the multitude of his bones with strong pain so that his life
abhoreth bread and his soul dainty meet his flesh is consumed away
that he cannot be seen and his bones that were not seen stick
out yea his soul draweth near unto the grave and his life to
the destroyers if there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among
a thousand to show unto man his uprightness then he is gracious
unto him and saith deliver him from going down to the pit I
have found a rest It's not just having the Word of God and coming
and hearing the Word and ascending to the truth of it with our minds.
God has to deal with us sometimes in these more severe ways, oftentimes
in these more severe ways. But it's a mark, you see, of
our sonship if God does that. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with sons. What son is he, whom the
Father chasteneth not? Oh, it's not pleasant when God
comes to correct us, to teach us, to instruct us. None teach
us like Him. No chastening for the present
is joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, says Paul afterward,
It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who
exercise thereby. We ought to be exercise friends
in these things. To desire that messenger, that
interpreter, one among a thousand. That's what we need, the Lord
Himself to come. He looketh upon men. If any say,
I have sinned. and perverted that which was
right and he profited me not. Though with God's works that
real repentance which is rooted in faith in our souls he will
deliver his soul from going into the pit and his life shall see
light. O God grant that we might know
these truths in our soul's experience. The Lord bless. His word to us.