Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. Israel as a nation is typical
of that nation which is indeed made up of the true sons of God,
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That
nation which is the Lord's is comprised of those who were redeemed
by the blood of the Lamb, out of every kindred and tongue and
people and nation. They are that people of whom
He said, For this is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws
into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be
to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall
not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord. For all shall know me, from the
least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember
no more. This is a nation whose God is
the Lord. All of his promises to them are
yea and amen, and none of them are conditional, except upon
those conditions he has promised to meet in their behalf. The
Lord has been pleased to demonstrate His everlasting love for His
people, both by contrasting the difference between them and natural
Israel, and also by many illustrations which describe His affectionate
dealing with them, which are pictures of His love to His saints.
One of those illustrations that gives us a glorious picture of
His mercy, care, and affection for those He calls His own is
found in the book of Ezekiel. We read his words to Jerusalem.
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, I swore unto thee and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest
mine. He said that she had nothing
of her own which could add anything to him. Rather, the condition
that she was in is likened to that of a helpless newborn infant,
still covered in the blood of its birth and cast out unwanted
into a field to die. There is nothing more helpless
than a newborn human. They have absolutely no power
to do anything towards their survival and are completely at
the mercy of someone else if they are to live and thrive.
His mercy to the castaway is an evidence of the great love
wherewith he has loved his people. He said, Behold, thy time was
the time of love. It most certainly could not have
any reference to their love for him, since they were left for
dead and wholly incapable of loving him. Yet he even goes
on to say how they demonstrated their rebellion against him,
in spite of his overtures and goodness to them. But God commended
His love toward us, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. God loves His people because
He loves them, not because of anything of worth foreseen in
them, nor that they could in any wise be of value to Him because
of their actions. That love which He was pleased
to demonstrate could not at all be appreciated by a newborn infant,
yet that is the time when He was pleased to show it. This
demonstration of mercy brought on by eternal love is that wherein
it pleased the Lord to cover the nakedness of his people.
Paul said, blessed are they whose sins are covered. He has spread
his skirt over us that we might be covered in his righteousness.
Not only did the Lord Jesus Christ die for us, That is, not only
did he satisfy the law's demands for our death and dying in our
place, but he has completely covered our nakedness, that we
might be presented to himself a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and
without blemish. He has spread his skirt over
us, that we might appear in his presence. David said, who shall
ascend unto the hill of the Lord, who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted
up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. None of us
could ever enter into that holy place except that he who has
clean hands and a pure heart has covered us with his righteousness.
He has spread his skirt over us that our accusers might not
be able to uncover our weakness. When the Lord designed the trial
of Job, he did not allow Satan to have free access to Job, but
only to afflict him according to that which he designed for
Job's benefit. There is no temptation taken
you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted or tried above that ye are able,
but will with the temptation or trial also make a way to escape
that ye may be able to bear it. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. A
debtor to mercy alone, of covenant mercy I sing, nor fear with thy
righteousness own my person and offerings to bring. The terrors
of law and of God with me can have nothing to do. My Savior's
obedience and blood hide all my transgressions from view.
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