Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. Abraham was given a promise
that in him all nations of the earth would be blessed. He was
given two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. This prophecy was fulfilled in
the offspring of both to a certain degree, but only one of those
sons was heir of the promise. Just as Isaac is typical of those
who are the elect sons of God, Ishmael is typical of those who
live and die in his flesh without being made recipients of grace.
A man's natural birth has nothing to do with whether or not he
is given an entrance into the kingdom of God. The Lord is truly
no respecter of persons. God told Hagar that he intended
to make Ishmael into a mighty nation, which he did. Ishmael
was blessed with many lands, children, and flocks. He became
a mighty man in the earth. In this, Ishmael is typical of
the men of this world, who confess that this world is their home,
and they take great delight in the blessings and enjoyments
which is afforded them in this fleshly realm. They are not much
concerned with spiritual matters except in a passing way, finding
much greater delight and enjoyment in those things which can be
touched and handled. They are content to build bigger
and better barns, to take their ease in the enjoyment of this
world's goods. They are not bothered about worlds
to come, nor do their faults and failings give them much reason
to mourn, except insofar as it hampers their ability to enjoy
the way of the flesh. They are easily satisfied with
external religion, church attendance, tithing, et cetera, and see no
reason to overdo that, preferring to forsake the assembling of
themselves together for the things they deem more important, such
as recreational pursuits and quality time spent with family
and friends. They are quite content to be
entertained with some sort of amusement, even when they do
take time out of their busy schedules to be religious. The children
of the promise are often looked upon with pity by the sons of
Ishmael. They shake their heads and can only wonder why anyone
would actually take delight in the things of God. It is amazing
to them that someone would actually read the Bible and pray for some
reason other than religious duty. They cannot grasp the delight
that these heirs of grace take in the precious words and promises
of the Savior, nor can they understand how one could desire to worship
Him privately, quite apart from organized religious activities,
or why one would go about seeking to obey the Lord even when nobody's
looking or will ever find out. The world sees these children
of the promise as a peculiar people, kind of fanatical and
a little unbalanced. There's a contrast between the
sons of the promise and the sons of Ishmael in the things that
cause them heartache. The sons of God truly mourn over
their sin and the disobedience that is common in their flesh.
They are constantly mindful of how far short of God's standard
of righteousness that they come. As long as the sons of Ishmael
have an abundance of this world's goods, a healthy body, and a
prosperous family, they are generally quite content and without much
heartache. The contrast between the sons
of God is also seen by the things that bring them to joy. True
joy for the heirs of the promise is to walk in His presence and
blessings, to hear the good news of the gospel proclaimed as a
glorious feast for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
To be reminded of the perfection of the Lord and the imputation
of our sin to Him and His righteousness to us affords the true child
of God a constant source of joy unspeakable and full of glory.
To have Him whisper words of peace in their ear is a joy beyond
compare. If the sons of Ishmael are just
told that they are going to escape the fires of hell, they are quite
joyful, as long as their bellies are full and they have their
earthly desires fulfilled. We see this contrast in how they
view the law of God. The sons of Ishmael most often
view the law of God as a measuring stick by which they can tell
how much better they are today than they were yesterday. They
see it as a measurement of sanctification. The children of the promise,
while they revere the law and bow to its holiness, are always
quite discomforted by the law since it is a constant revelation
and reminder of the sin that doth so easily beset them. We
see this contrast in what they consider heaven to be. The sons
of Ishmael would gladly trade being in the presence of the
Lord for a full belly and the enjoyment of the flesh. The children
of the promise, however, would rather suffer the pains of hell
if that's what it took to be with the Lord. Job said, though
he slay me, yet will I trust him. Wherever Christ is, is heaven
for the heirs of the promise. Peter said, Lord, to whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. The children of
the promise confess, here have we no continuing city, but we
seek one to come. By him, therefore, let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit
of our lips giving thanks to his name. For a free CD containing
15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at
windstream.net.