Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The Lord sent a plague of darkness
upon the land of Egypt, which was so dark that it could be
felt. Yet the houses of the children of Israel had light. The exact
same thing is illustrated for us as these same children of
Israel stood trapped between the approaching army of the Egyptians
on the one side and the Red Sea on the other. There was no apparent
escape, and the Israelites began to cry and complain of what seemed
to be their certain destruction. Moses told them to stand still,
and they would see the salvation which the Lord had wrought. The
very cloud which had gone before them to lead their way now was
put between them and the Egyptians, as a barrier which could not
be crossed by either side. It was a cloud of illumination
unto those whom the Lord would save, and a cloud of darkness
unto those whom the Lord would destroy, in order to make his
power known. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and on whom he will he hardeneth." The cloud
displayed light on the one side and illuminated the waters of
the Red Sea so that the children of Israel could see the passage
which the Lord made through those chilly waters. Yet the very same
cloud which showed the way of salvation to the Israelites was
that which blocked the vision of the Egyptians. The preaching
of the cross is to foolishness to the religious men of the world.
They are convinced that there is something men can do to accomplish
their salvation, or at least comply with it by their own effort,
faith, or free will. Yet to the sons of God who have
been given eyes to see the glory of Christ's salvation, the preaching
of the cross is the most blessed sound they have ever heard. The
preaching of the cross is the preaching of an accomplished
salvation. Christ has purchased the redemption of his people.
The preaching of the cross is the proclamation of a completed
salvation. There is nothing left to be done.
The preaching of the cross is the declaration of a triumphant
Savior who has triumphed gloriously over all of the enemies of his
people and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father,
ever living to make intercession in their behalf. This cloud was
not only a source of illumination, but was a shield or barrier which
prevented the Egyptians from coming near or doing harm to
those whose deliverance the Lord was about to display. Even as
the Lord promised Abraham, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and
thy exceeding great reward. Zechariah testified, For I say,
if the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and
will be the glory in the midst of her. And Peter summed it up
by saying, Who were kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In the same
fashion as those whom the angel of the Lord struck blind outside
Lot's house in Sodom, and wearied themselves to find the door,
so did these Egyptians weary themselves to find a way that
they might destroy the work of God. But they could not. There's
hardly a greater force of deception at work in the world than those
who would attempt to make the preaching of the cross of Christ
limited or of none effect by adding the duty works of men
to that which Christ has finished. These are those who are ever
learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Some tell us that Christ has made an attempt to save all men
and has now left the outcome of whether or not any will actually
be saved in the hands of men, desiring that all men would take
advantage of it and just hoping that some will. This is a cloud
of darkness which hides the true work of Christ from the wise
and prudent. If the Lord has done all that He can to save
a man, and the man is still not saved, then that man is without
help. The cloud of light shows us that
Christ has obtained eternal redemption for every man for which He shed
His precious blood. If He has obtained it, then it
belongs to Him, and there can be no doubt that He will possess
it. The Lord has made no failed attempts
to redeem or purchase the eternal salvation of His people, just
like He did not fail to provide a perfect means of escape for
the children of Israel from the Egyptians. The preaching of the
cross is a great stumbling block unto the multitudes, who are
convinced that man's free will must be involved in his salvation. They delight in a mixture of
God's provision of the means of salvation and their own ultimate
effort to gain it. Yet they totally miss the truth
as they wander about in darkness and receive not a love of the
truth that they might be saved. They are not in a position to
stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. No man shall be
saved who has any confidence in anything other than that which
is supplied and accomplished by the Lord. This is the gift
of faith which is given to those who believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Have you believed on Christ, resting in His finished
work? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at ForThePoor at WinStream.net.