Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. Hannah's request for a
son was heard and she returned to the tabernacle when the child
was weaned in order to pay her vow to give him to the Lord.
One can only imagine the anguish that gripped her heart as she
gave up her only son to Eli for service in the tabernacle. Only
by grace was she able to carry this out. The Lord will equip
His people to perform those things which He has ordained for them
to do. Thus we see her rejoicing in the Lord in another prayer.
And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord,
mine horn is exalted in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over mine
enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation. While prayer is
often given to us to make our requests known unto God, its
primary function is to express worship unto Him who rules in
the heavens and the earth. Even as the Lord gave the opening
line of His model prayer for His disciples, Our Father, which
art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. God will convince His children
of His holiness and justice as He manifests the giving of His
only begotten Son as a satisfaction of the law, which men have despised
and presently disregard, apart from His grace. By this revelation
He humbles the hearts of those sinners for which He shed His
blood. And they that know Thy name will
put their trust in Thee, for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken
them that seek Thee. A man cannot truly rejoice in
the goodness of God to make men to live until he first understands
that he has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell. 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. We see Hannah rejoicing in Him
who does indeed deliver men from death and destruction. Rejoice,
O ye nations, with His people, for He will avenge the blood
of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries,
and will be merciful unto His land and to His people. He delivers
his elect from the dunghill. A dunghill is literally a pile
of rubbish and filth. Men by nature like to think of
themselves as very special unto the Lord, as they entertain the
notion that they can do many things to please Him and earn
His favor by their morality, obedience, and devotion. Yet
the Lord has no regard unto men and their supposed righteousness.
He even likens their righteousnesses to a menstruous cloth. But we
are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags, and we do all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities,
like the wind, have taken us away. Yet we read that he has
seen his people in their dire condition and has had mercy upon
them according to his purpose. When I passed by thee and saw
thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast
in thy blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee, when thou
wast in thy blood, live. Now when I passed by thee and
looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love. And
I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea, thou
becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water,
yea, I throughly washed away the blood from thee, and I anointed
thee with oil. He has truly lifted up the beggar
from the dunghill. Apart from his sovereign grace
we would perish, for we had nothing wherewith to buy the gold of
his kingdom. He has raised up the poor out of the dust. The
Lord told Adam that he would surely die in the day that he
ate the fruit of the tree which he forbade him to eat. When Adam
had fulfilled this prophecy, acting according to his nature,
the Lord cursed the ground and told him, In the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.
For out of it wast thou taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust
shalt thou return. The outlook for mortal man is
quite bleak. He has no life within himself.
As the Lord told Adam, he would surely die. And he can look forward
to nothing but utter destruction in the lake of fire, apart from
the gift of life from Him who has the power to make men live.
For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to
the Son to have life in himself. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Surely
he raiseth up the poor out of the dust. Now by the new birth,
and later in the day of the resurrection, when the dead in Christ shall
awaken from their sleep, the sons of God may despair of their
own life in this world, but they are comforted in knowledge that
he who loved his people to the end is he who is the giver of
life. Are you alive in him? For a free
CD containing 15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to
forthepoor at windstream.net.