GOD'S EVERLASTING LOVE The text before us declares the nature of spiritual life. Life in Christ Jesus does NOT involve exclusion from hardship and difficulty. It is true, there are texts that appear to indicate saints are exempted from the type of difficulties mentioned in our text. "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psa 37:25). "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD" (Isa 54:17). Jesus said, "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matt 6:28-30). It is vital that we comprehend these statements. THIS IS HOW IT LOOKS "As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'" Other versions read, "Just as it is written, 'For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered'" (NASB). "As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered" (NIV). "As scripture says: For your sake we are being massacred all day long, treated as sheep to be slaughtered" (NJB). This is a confirmation of WHY grievous circumstances cannot separate us from the love of God. – Tomorrow:
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39, NKJV)
These texts do not mean John the Baptist cannot be killed by Herod, or that the Apostles cannot be beaten by the Jews, or that Stephen cannot be stoned by the Jewish council. They do not mean Paul and Silas cannot be beaten and thrown in the inner prison, or that Joseph cannot suffer because of the false accusation of Potiphar's wife. Our Lord's words do not mean Lazarus will never be a "beggar," or that Paul cannot experience "nakedness." Often God is glorified by sustaining His people in such grievous circumstances, rather than delivering them from such trying times.
The text in Psalms does not say the righteous will never beg bread, but that their "seed," or offspring, will not do so. The text in Isaiah is affirming that nothing will abort the purpose of God for His people. Our Lord's words in Matthew confirm we are in the care of the Lord. The lilies of the field are NOT always robust and beautifully attired, and those who imagine they are do greatly err. Christ's words assure us we are not left to the power of circumstance, and that no situation is capable of putting us beyond the loving care of God. The love of God is powerful as well as tender. It is never abrasive, and always effective.
The power of this text is seen IN the experience of the things mentioned, not in being exempted from them. If such things could not occur to the people of God, the text would have no meaning. God has designed to save them "IN"these things. The comforting power of this affirmation is found in the total inability of such things to effectively separate us from the love of God which is in Christ.
The reference is found in Psalm 44:22. "Yea, FOR THY SAKE we are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter." A similar expression in found in Psalm 141:7. "Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth." It was even prophesied of our blessed Lord, "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter" (Isa 53:7). Why do such things occur?
Let it be clear that this is not a mere complaint because of difficult and unpleasant circumstances. This is an expression of spiritual insight, not one of Satanic delusion. It is not the complaining shout of the flesh, but the insightful cry of the spirit and of a contrite heart. It confirms the commonality of trouble among the faithful, and the extreme difficulties to which they are subjected in this world.
This is a confession of what IS happening for the sake of the Lord, or because we have aligned ourselves with Him, and embraced His Son. This is the result of believing and obeying the Gospel, cutting loose from the moorings if this world, and seeking a city that has foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. This is how the world reacts to those who have willingly crucified the flesh, denied ungodliness and worldly lusts, and confessed they are strangers in the earth.
For the child of God, the life of worldly ease is only a delusion. There really is no such thing, and that for a reason. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are strangers and foreigners here (Phil 3:20-21; 1 Pet 2:11). To be sure, our great God does grant us periods of quietness and rest. However, they always seem to be short-lived, because we are really en route THROUGH the land, not those who are willing to settle down in it.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus' name, I thank You for the candid expression of suffering souls that are found in Scripture. I do not want to pretend about these things, and thus am grateful for holy men who have written in Scripture precisely how I feel.