Let us turn then to the Word
of God in that portion of Scripture that we've read, the first book
of Samuel. And I want this morning, with
the Lord's help, to direct your attention to the words that we
find here in the second chapter and the third verse. First Samuel,
the first book of Samuel, chapter 2, and we'll read again at verse
3. Talk no more, so exceeding proudly,
let not arrogance come out of your mouth. For the Lord is a
God of knowledge, and by Him actions are wise. Talk no more, exceeding proudly,
let not arrogance, or as the margin says, hardness, come out
of your mouth. For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are wise. What we have here, of course,
is a part of that lovely prayer that Hannah prayed as she comes
before God with her thanksgiving. The context, as we see from the
previous chapter, is that when she brings the child Samuel to
present him to the Lord. She addresses Eli there at verse
26 in chapter 1 and says, O my Lord, as thy soul liveth, my
Lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the
Lord. For this child I pray, and the
Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore
also I have lent him to the Lord, or as the margin says, therefore
also I have returned him whom I have obtained by petition to
the Lord. As long as he liveth, he shall
be lent to the Lord. and he worshipped there. And then we come of course to
the second chapter and we're told in the opening word how
Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord's. My horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies because I rejoice in
thy salvation and so forth. a record then of how she desires
to come now and to ascribe unto God that glory that belongs to
him as the one who is the hearer and answerer of the prayers of
his people. She speaks then of the child
that she had obtained and obtained him by prayer, by petition. We have that word then in In
the authorized version, as we've pointed out, that word lent,
we make a loan, we expect to have some repayment, but we're
not to think of the word here in that sense. As I've already
said, the margin indicates that it simply means this is one that
she had asked, one that she'd asked of the Lord. And we see
that, of course, in the very name. that she gave to the child
there in verse 20 of chapter 1 we're told when the time was
come about after Hannah had conceived that she bear a son and called
his name Samuel saying because I have asked him of the Lord
the very name Samuel means asked of God and this is the child
and she now comes and presents to to God. How would she pray
for him? Well, we saw in the readings
something of the earnestness of the prayers and the petitions. It was very much a private affair. It was a matter between her and
her God. And what agonies of soul were
involved in those prayers to God. We're told there in verse
10 of chapter 1, she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord
and wept sore. And she vowed a vow and said,
O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction
of thine handmaid and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid,
but will give unto thine handmaid a manchild. Then I will give
him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall
no razor come upon his head. She takes for him the vow of
the Nazareth. He's going to be devoted to the
Lord, if the Lord should be pleased to grant her such a child. We're
told at verse 13, now Hannah, she spake in her heart, Only
her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli
thought she had been drunk. Now, Eli failed altogether to
understand the situation of this poor woman. As she answers him
there at verse 15, I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink,
but have poured out my soul, she says. I have poured out my
soul before the Lord." Oh, what earnestness and what diligence.
Surely here is one who is a real child of Jacob. Here is one who is an Israelite
indeed, who knows what it is to wrestle with the Lord. And
I say that all of this is that that is transpiring in the depths
of this woman's soul. But when he comes to the words
that we have in the opening ten verses of the second chapter
we see really how public, in a sense, thanksgiving is to the
Lord. Well, I want us simply to look
at a part of this great and remarkable prayer of Hannes. Consider in
particular those words at the end of the third verse, for the
Lord is a God of knowledge, he says. and by Him actions are
weighed." These words form our text then this morning. The Lord
is a God of knowledge. He is of course that One who
is the Omniscient One. Now David celebrates that glorious
truth in the Psalm, in the 139th Psalm. Is he not acknowledging
that God there is the One who is all-knowing. He knows all
things. He knows the end. From the beginning
He knows our down-sitting and our up-rising. He is able to
understand our thoughts afar off. There is nothing that we
can hide or conceal from Him. The Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by Him actions are weighed. How God does weigh the actions
of all men. Is He not that One who is the
Judge, and He judges the deeds of every people? Later in the
song, what does she say? Verse 10, the Lord shall judge
the ends of the earth. He says, does he not, vengeance
is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. He is that one who is just and
there is to be that day, of course, of final judgment when the books
are opened. and all things are brought into
proper order, all the crooked things of this life will then
be made straight. We will see that there is a perfect
equity in all the dealings of God. The wise man tells us, all
the ways of man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth
the spirits. God is the judge of all men and
how good it is if God should be our judge in that sense during
this day of grace. Think of those words that were
written on the palace wall spoken of in Daniel chapter 5 concerning
Belshazzar. Thou art weighed in the balances
and thou art found wanting. That was the writing that was
on the wall there before that aughty pagan king he was weighed
in the balance he was found wanting by this God you see all actions
are weighed we see our poor Hannah's adversary was Peninar and Peninar
would would mock her verse 6 in that opening chapter, her adversary
also provoked her sword for to make her fret, because the Lord
had shut up her womb. Now we see something of the recompense
that God meets out. He says here does Hannah in verse
3 talk no more exceeding proudly Let not arrogance, let not hardness
come out of your mouth. Aren't these words, words that
pertain in particular to Peninor. How arrogant. How unfeeling,
how proud. How she had scoffed and ridiculed
poor Hannah in her barrenness. We have that word of the Apostle
writing to the Galatians, Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. Oh God, you see, is that one
who judges, and he judges all peoples. And ultimately, of course,
that judgment has been committed into the hands of the Lord Jesus
Christ himself, as we're told there in John chapter 5. The
Father judges no man. It is Christ who is to come the
second time, And as he comes that second time, so he comes
as that one who will judge and make the final distinction, the
final separation between men, setting the sheep on his right
hand and the goats on his left. God then is that one who is to
be recognized as the judge. The Lord is a God of knowledge,
by Him actions are wise, but then also we can understand these
words in another sense in that God's own actions, God's own
deeds are wise, He doesn't make any mistakes all He does is right
and proper are we not told how He stayeth His rough wind in
the day of His east wind or when the wind is in the east how bitter
that wind is how cold, how cutting. But Isaiah tells us there in
chapter 27 and verse 8 that in the day of his rough wind, when
he's dealing with us in a particular fashion and it's rough, it's
hard, it's difficult, why then he stayeth his east wind? Oh,
he knoweth our frame, he remembers that we are dust. He will not
permit us to be tempted above that we are able. With the temptation
will he not make a way of escape? that we might be able to bear
it. This is a God that we have to deal with. All things are
balanced. Again we have it there in the
book of Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse 14 he says, In the
day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider. God also hath set one against
the other, that the man should find nothing after him. There
are days of prosperity but there will also be days of adversity
this is the way of God and yet God's way is equal and so often
his people complain they feel that God's ways are so strange
and so mysterious and it seems that God is dealing with us sometimes
in such a harsh hard fashion and it was ever so was it not
we see it in the Old Testament look at the language of the prophet
Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 25 he says, Yet ye
say the way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel,
is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal? Have we misjudged God, you say?
And this was so with these people, they were sitting in judgment
on God and His dealings with them, and they felt that God's
ways were not fair, or right, or proper. And here is the prophet
as the mouthpiece of God, and he comes with a word of rebuke.
They say the way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now! Hear
now, O house of Israel! Is not my way equal? Are not
your ways unequal? And it's a refrain that comes
again and again there in that book of the prophet Ezekiel. Or shall not the judge of all
the earth do right? God bring us to that, that we
might be those who are submissive to Him. We recognize Him as God
and we bow before His absolute sovereignty. Remember the language
of William Cooper, the poet and the hymn writer, he says, Judge
not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace.
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. We are not to judge God by our
feeble minds. Oh God grant us that grace then
to be those who are submissive. But let us come in particular
to these words. For the Lord is a God of knowledge
and by Him actions are wise. First of all see here how God
deals with us in particulars. He concerns himself with the
very details of our lives. And we see it. The Lord Jesus
Christ himself, in the course of his earthly ministry, reminds
us of that blessed truth. Look at the language of Christ
said in Matthew chapter 10, verse 29, he says, "...are not
two sparrows sold for a fathom?" and one of them shall not fall
on the ground without your father, but the very hairs of your head
are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are
of more value than many sparrows." Now it is interesting because
there in verse 29 where Christ speaks of the sparrow falling
to the ground we tend to think in terms of the death of the
sparrow when he can no more fly, it's dying. But that's not the
meaning of the words, fall to the ground. Really, the reference
is to that bird, every time it comes to the ground to find and
to obtain its food, in all its movements, you see. Not one of them ever falls to
the ground. God is watching over them, every time they come to
find their food. God concerns himself. with the
very details of the lives of his children. And had not God
done this in the case of Hannah? And is she not acknowledging
it? Look at the language. I know the language is poetic
and various figures are used, but how rich is the language
that she employs as she comes before her God. She says in verse
4, the bows of the mighty men are broken and they that stumbled
are girded with strength, they that were full have hired out
themselves with bread, and they that were hungry ceased, so that
the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children
is waxed feeble." It's interesting how there at the beginning of
verse 4 she mentions the bows, the bows of the mighty. There isn't the bow associated
with the quiver that is full of arrows. And so it directs
us in a sense to the language of the Psalmist there in the
127th Psalm. And remember what we read there
at the end of that particular psalm. Though children are an
heritage of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is his
reward. As arrows are in the hand of
a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man
that hath his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Here is
the archer, you see, with his bow, with his arrow. And here
we have it taken up by Hannah in the course of her thanksgiving
to God. She speaks of the mighty men,
their bows are broken. But those that stumbled, she
was the one that stumbled, and now our God has favoured her. Why had not the Lord remembered
this woman? Had not God been mindful of her
when she prayed to Him? We see that she did not pray
in vain. But God granted her the conception
of the child. There in verse 19, when they
returned from worshipping God at Shiloh, they rose up in the
morning early, worshipped before the Lord, and returned, came
to their house to Ramah, and Alkanah knew Hannah his wife,
and the Lord remembered her. Oh, the Lord remembered her.
What a favour, what a blessing, whenever God is mindful of us
in that sense. Oh, she stumbled! Oh, she was
in bitterness of soul and yet God came and she was girded with
strength, she was so favoured as to be blessed with a child. Remember how Sarah, the wife
of Abraham, was one who was also barren? And yet God, in his appointed
time, granted to her the true seed in the birth of Isaac. And it's recorded, is it not,
there in that 11th chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, through
faith we're taught. Through faith also Sarah herself
received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child
when she was past age. because she judged him faithful
who had promised. Then therefore sprang there even
of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky
in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. Or she received strength itself
to conceive And it was the same, it was the
same here with Hannah. She stumbled and yet we're told
at the end of this fourth verse that she was girded with strength.
And so she goes on to acknowledge it in that fourth verse. She says there, the barren hath
borne seven. She that hath many children is
waxed feeble. God heard her prayer. We have
these incidents several times in the Old Testament Scripture,
do we not, of these women who were without child, and it appeared
that they would not be favoured with children, they were barren.
And yet the Lord grants them a child. As we said it was the
case with Sarah, it's the case here with Hannah, and in a sense
all of this is anticipating that most remarkable birth of all.
There is something miraculous about these Old Testament births.
That a barren woman should suddenly be with child. Because, as I
said, it's all really pointing us forward to that great mystery.
The great mystery of godliness, of God, was manifest in the flesh. That a virgin should conceive,
that a virgin should be found with child and there is a striking
familiarity in the language that we have here in the second chapter of the first
book of Samuel and what we have in the Gospel in the Magnificat
which is recorded of course there in Luke chapter 1 And verse 46 following, the words
of Mary, My soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Saviour, for he hath regarded the lowest state of
his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed, For he that is mighty hath done
to me great things, and holy is his name. And his mercy is
on them that fear him from generation to generation. And he hath showed
strength with his arm, he hath scattered the proud in the imagination
of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from
their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled
the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty
away. He hath holpen his servant Israel
in remembrance of his mercy, as he spake to our fathers, to
Abraham, and to his seed forever. draw a comparison between the
various figures that are employed there in the Magnificat with
what we have here in the Song of Hannah and there are striking
similarities. In many ways we can say that
this Old Testament prayer, the Song of Thanksgiving is equivalent
to what we find there in the New Testament. Ultimately then,
are we not directed to the Lord Jesus Christ? How God, you see,
with this poor woman who was so grieved in her soul, so agonizing
in her prayers to God, how the Lord was pleased to give her
a gracious answer. And she speaks, does she not,
in terms of seven sons. In verse 5, so that the barren
hath born seven. Now she did not, we have no record
of seven children. In fact, we read of five children. In verse 21 there, the Lord visited
Hannah so that she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters. Now we have to Samuel is included
with those three sons or whether he her firstborn is not included
it's difficult to ascertain but whether or not it's either five
children or it's six children she didn't have seven so why
does she mention seven here in verse five of course as I said
the language is poetic the language is full of rich figures And the
number 7 is a symbolic number, and it speaks of that that is
complete. It speaks of perfection. It's
used many times, is it not, in the book of the Revelation, which
is a book full of symbols. Those things were signified unto
the Apostle John there on the Isle of Patmos, signs, symbols. And so here, 7 simply indicates
that God's way is perfect. God's way is perfect. He's too
wise to be mistaken, He's too good to be unkind. And she's acknowledging it, even
in the particulars. God, I say, deals with His people
in particulars. He answers them when they come
before Him with very specific requests in their prayers. This
is what this woman had done, and God answered that prayer. and God answers our prayers.
And we know that without faith it is impossible to please Him.
But alas, oh, so often we are so lacking in any faith at all.
We sang in our opening praise that lovely hymn of John Berwick
and I do like the last verse, O Lord, increase my feeble faith
and give my straight and bosom room to credit what thy promise
saith, and wait till thy salvation cometh." So straight and so often
God grants us faith, the faith that we see in this woman Hannah.
God dealt with her then. But He deals also here, we see,
in power. We see Him as that God who is
the Creator, and that God who is sovereign in all of His creation
who rules over all of His creatures. What does she say at the end
of verse 8? The pillars of the earth are
the Lord's and He has set the world upon them. Oh God is sovereign
and isn't that to be acknowledged when we come before Him with
our prayers? All the inhabitants of the earth
are accounted as nothing and he doeth according to his will
among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth
and none can stay his hand or say to him what doest thou remember
how God so dealt with that proud heathen man Nebuchadnezzar that
great Babylonian emperor God so visited that man that he was
denied all his reason and he behaved like a beast of the field
and then God in his mercy restored his sanity and he makes that
acknowledgement that the heavens rule and God is doing according
to his will. Or Paul tells us, we know that
all things work together. To them that love God, to them
who are the called, according to his purpose. All things, without
any exception. And that includes even the mighty
things and the weighty things that are spoken of here in Hannah's
song. What does she say at verse 6?
The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave
and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh
rich, he bringeth low and lifteth up. These are weighty matters,
are they not? This is life and death that is
being spoken of. And all these things, you see,
are in the Lord's hands. He is sovereign. And His sovereignty
is an absolute sovereignty. There's no exception. All things
work together for good. To them that know God, to them
who are the called, according to His purpose. Now, that is
true with regards to our physical lives. isn't life and death according
to the commandment of God? We're told, remember the language
of the preacher in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, to everything there
is a season and a time to every purpose on the heaven. The time
to be born and the time to die. He speaks of the various the
vicissitudes of life, the things that come all our times, are
in the hands of God. I know some have recently purchased
that new book on St. Baptist in the First World War.
And it's not surprising when you read of the accounts of some
of those young men who either volunteered or subsequently after
conscription were called up to serve in the trenches. How oft
times they were brought to reflect upon the language of John Ryland's
hymn, that lovely hymn number 64. Plagues and deaths around
me fly, till he bids I cannot die, not a single shaft can hit,
till the God of love sees how they live to prove you something.
Oh, they saw death on every hand, and yet they knew that all their
times were in God's hands. It is true, is it not, then,
with regards to what is being acknowledged here in verse 6? The Lord killeth and maketh alive,
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. What is Hannah
doing? She is acknowledging God's power,
that He is God, and that God is that One who is in control,
that God who rules the world by His government, Nothing is
outside of His decree, a time for every purpose under heaven. But then we can think of it not
only in physical terms, in terms of our natural life here upon
the earth, the day of our birth, ordained of God, the day of our
departure from this world also in God's hands. That's a truth
that we do vow to reflect upon. But is there not also a truth
here in a spiritual sense? When we read those words in those
two verses, 6 and 7, can we not understand them in a deeper sense
than merely in reference to our natural life? The Lord killeth
and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth
up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he bringeth low
and lifteth up. Does he not remind us of how
God deals with us in our souls when he is pleased to come and
to work conviction in our hearts? And God does that. And here,
of course, we find Hannah using the covenant name in those verses
6 and 7 we have the Lord the Lord each time it's Jehovah indicated
of course by the use of those capital letters in our authorised
version is the God of the Covenant and when God deals with us in
terms of that Covenant He works conviction, He kills us He kills
us to any trust or any confidence in ourselves, it makes us to
feel the reality of our sinnership. Again, in that hymn that we sang,
the second hymn this morning, 894, sometimes the language to us
might seem to be rather strange, and we think, well, what is it
that the writer of the hymn is driving at when he uses such
terminology as this? The last verse of 894, my legal
self may Jesus kill and make my heart alive. My guilty wounds
may Jesus heal and make my spirit thrive. What is that legal self? It's where we're trusting in
ourselves and any works that we have done. We have to be brought
to the end of ourselves. God has to kill us to all confidence
in self and make us to see our complete and utter dependence
upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's interesting, Gary, the
sentiments that we have here in verses 6 and 7 are found in
other parts of the Scripture. If we go back to the book of
Deuteronomy there as Moses comes to the end of his life. Look
at the language that Moses uses in that 32nd chapter. Verse 39
following. It is the song of Moses. And he speaks now of God's mouthpiece,
as it were. Verse 39 in Deuteronomy 32, See
now that I, even I, am he, and there is no God with me. I kill,
and I make alive. I wound, and I heal. Neither is there any that can
deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven,
and say, I live forever. If I wet my glittering sword
and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine
enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine
arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh,
and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives from
the beginning of the revenges upon the enemy." How God deals
with us. And He deals with us in a personal
way, yes, and sometimes He comes to deal with us in that way of
conviction he brings us to the end of ourselves convinces us
of the awful reality of our sins and Job knew it Job says much
the same Job chapter 5 verse 18 he maketh sore and bindeth
up he woundeth and his hands make whole Job knew it well did
he not in that strange and mysterious way that God took with him Now
that poor man lost everything. He lost everything. And yet we
have it here in the words of our text. The Lord is a God of
knowledge. By Him actions are wise. No mistakes
with God. He is the one who has all power
and all authority. And He does according to His
will among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth.
Our God, says the Psalmist, is in the heavens. He has done whatsoever
He pleased. But then finally this morning,
let me just say something of God's dealings with those who
are the poor. Oh, that's our mercy, is it not?
That's our great mercy. What does it say here? In verse 18, raiseth up the poor
out of the dust, lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to
set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne
of glory. For the pillars of the earth
are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. God is pleased to deal with those
poor souls, those needy souls. Again, we see it in other parts
of Holy Scripture. In the 113th Psalm, verse 7, following, He raiseth
up the poor out of the dust, lifteth the needy out of the
dungle, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes
of his people. He maketh the barren woman to
keep house and to be a joyful mother of children. How apt,
you see, to Hannah. The language here in the 113th
Psalm is not dissimilar to what we have in Hannah's song, is
it not? He maketh the barren woman to keep house, to be a
joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord, says the
Psalmist. Oh God, you see, He has to do with those who are
the poor and the needy. those who are nothing but beggars. We have the truth of that unfolded
to us in the Gospel when John the Baptist was in prison and
so beset with his doubts, his fears. Was Jesus of Nazareth
really that one who was the promised Messiah? And remember how we
are told in Matthew 11 that he sends some of his disciples to
Jesus and they are to inquire And how does the Lord answer?
Well, He directs John's disciples to the things that they're able
to witness in the Lord's own ministry. And amongst those things,
He says this, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Here
is the mark of Messiah, why He takes account of the poor. He comes with His gospel to them
in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit. theirs is the kingdom of God. All we know, all are spiritually
poor. That's the condition we're all
born into. But how few are poor in spirit, how few have any real
sense of their great needs, their terrible poverty of soul. that
all are sinners in God's sight there are but few so in their
own but the Lord you see the Lord deals with his people and
makes them to feel what they are he comes and he cuts and he convinces
them he brings them under such conviction as if he proves them
for their sins for James says Arkham my beloved brethren hath
not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith Heirs of
the Kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him. Ought
to be those who desire that one thing that we might be rich in
faith. Not the riches of this world, but to be rich in faith,
to have that blessed confidence, that full assurance of faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ. See the language here in Hannah's
song is really gospel language. What does she say as she comes
to the end? In the 10th verse, the adversaries
of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. Out of heaven shall he
thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends
of the earth. And he shall give strength unto his king and exalt
the horn of his anointed. Oh, she finishes on that note,
you see, the anointed one. Now it's true, historically there
is a reference to David. He shall give strength unto his
king and exalt the horn of his anointed. The judges are still
ruling. We have the book of Judges, followed
by the book of Ruth, followed by the first book of Samuel,
and the judges are ruling. These works really fall in proper
sequence, historically. But this boy that she had devoted
to the Lord, Samuel, he will be the one, will he not, who
is to anoint David the shepherd boy to be the king and we see
it later of course so you're familiar with these chapters
in chapter 16 here we see Samuel now as the Lord's prophet and
he's come to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse Verse 11, Samuel
says to Jesse, Are here all thy children? He said, There remaineth
yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel
said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down
till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him
in. There he was rodden, and with all of a beautiful countenance,
and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint
him, for this is her. Then Samuel took the horn of
oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren, and the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." He is the
one who is anointed. He is the one who is to be the
king after Saul. But ultimately, isn't David a
remarkable type of the Lord Jesus Christ? Christ is the anointed
one. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that
Hannah is speaking of here at the end of her prayer, or the
Lord's anointed. Now we see the truth of our text
in Christ. The Lord is a God of knowledge
and by Him actions are weighed. Think of the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. God's actions are wide. In Christ
we see the harmonizing of all God's divine attributes. We see
that God is a holy God and a righteous God and a just God. And God is
also a loving and a merciful and a gracious God. Now all this
comes together in Christ. Mercy and truth are met together,
says the Psalmist. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Why? God is just. And God is
the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. There upon the cross,
our God's justice is satisfied. When Christ makes that great
sacrifice for sins, when in his own person he takes upon him
all that dreadful curse that was due to those that the Father
had given to him in the covenant. We see the justice of God and
yet, oh, do we not see the great mercy of God in the salvation
of sinners, those that Christ suffered for. The psalmist says,
as for God, His way is perfect. And Hannah, through all the bitterness
of her tears, and all the sorrows of her barren years, and all
her calling and crying unto God, through all of that, did she
not come to prove that God's way is perfect? Talk no more so exceeding proudly. Let not arrogance come out of
your mouth, for let us not be those who would murmur and mutter
against God, The Lord is a God of knowledge. By Him, actions
are weighed. O the Lord then, bless to us
His Word. Amen. Let us sing our concluding praise. Hymn 419, the tune Church Triumphant,
868. In 419, just are thy ways and
true thy word, great rock of my secure abode, who is a God
beside the Lord, or where's a refuge like our God? The hymn 419.