Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Solomon said the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy
is understanding. He also said forsake the foolish and live
and go in the way of understanding. In one of the Lord's parables
he contrasts the wise and foolish virgins and in doing so explains
the difference between those professors of faith who enter
the kingdom of heaven and those who were shut out. The nation
of Israel considered themselves to be wise, yet their ultimate
rejection of Christ as their king and ruler manifested their
innate foolishness. They assumed that they were the
heirs of the kingdom of God simply because of their natural birth
and supposed adherence to the law of Moses. This attitude is
akin to the multitude of those today who consider that they
are heirs of this kingdom because they have a profession of faith
in Christ. All ten of these characters in
the Lord's parable were virgins. A virgin is symbolic of that
which is pure, and in this parable I believe they represent those
who have some sort of profession of faith that they expect will
give them an entrance into the kingdom of heaven. They are not
the unrepentant, profligate, and profane members of the human
race, who shall all likewise perish. In this parable I believe
the foolish virgins illustrate the natural nation of Israel.
By inference and according to the meaning of this parable,
as we might apply it in the present day, these foolish virgins would
also represent those who call themselves Christians, but who
in reality are so in name only, without the fruit of the Spirit
or the evidence of the new birth. The wise virgins, on the other
hand, illustrate those who are the true sons of God, who are
given the gift of salvation manifested by the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit in each one. Those who are wise are made so
by the sovereign grace of God, totally apart from any merit
or innate ability on their part. Wisdom is a gift bestowed by
God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. How can a man fear God except
that the Lord gives him such reverence and awe? By nature
men scoff at the word of God and cannot worship him in spirit
and truth. Both the wise and the foolish
had lamps. All religions of the earth have
some form of light. In the case of the Jews, they
were given a great deal of light. Unto them were committed the
oracles of God. While they were given great light, they preferred
darkness, and even sought to kindle a light of their own making,
all the while professing that they loved God's light. There
are many so-called Christians today who have done the same
thing. They have hired teachers who are willing to tickle their
ears with a pleasant message which soothes their soul, salves
their conscience, and leaves them sevenfold more the children
of hell than before they heard it. They have turned aside from
sound doctrine and believe myths and lies rather than truth. While
both the wise and foolish had oil in their lamps, only the
wise had oil in their vessels. Oil is often typical of grace
and the Holy Spirit in the scriptures. A man may possess some religious
light, but unless he is possessed by the Holy Ghost and indwelt
by the same, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore,
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are
passed away. Behold, all things are become
new. Men often make the mistake of thinking that the lighting
of the lamp is the same as the continual burning of it. A man's
lamp may be lit with a small amount of oil, but the only way
that the lamp can continue to burn is with an abundant and
continual supply of oil. The wise and foolish virgins
both fell asleep when they should have been watching. All men,
whether they be the sons of God or the children of wrath, are
alike by nature. All are worthy of destruction,
and all are prone to fail and prove unfaithful. Take heed,
therefore, unto yourselves. Watch, therefore, for ye know
not what hour your Lord doth come. Only the wise had sufficient
oil to keep their lamps burning. They each had just enough for
themselves. For the time has come that judgment
must begin at the house of God. And if it first began at us,
what shall the end of those be that obey not the gospel of God?
And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly
and the sinner appear? The wives were able to go in
with the bridegroom while the foolish were shut out. The bridegroom
said, I know you not, to those who came too late. Is this not
exactly what he said to those in the seventh chapter of Matthew?
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord. Have we not prophesied in thy
name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name have
done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them,
I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. Are you among the wise? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.