Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy, Volume IMackintosh, Charles Henry
Religion
Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy, Volume I
Mackintosh, Charles Henry
Bible. Deuteronomy -- Commentaries
It is a great thing always to submit ourselves meekly under the hand
of God. We are sure to reap a rich harvest of blessing from the
exercise. It is really taking the yoke of Christ upon us, which, as He
Himself assures us, is the true secret of rest. "Come unto Me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke
upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is
light."
What was this yoke? It was absolute and complete subjection to the
Father's will. This we see in perfection in our adorable Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. He could say, "Even so, Father; for so it seemed
good in Thy sight." Here was the point with Him--"good in Thy sight."
This settled every thing. Was His testimony rejected? did He seem to
labor in vain, and spend His strength for naught and in vain? What
then? "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." It was all
right. Whatever pleased the Father, pleased Him. He never had a
thought or wish that was not in perfect consonance with the will of
God. Hence He, as a man, ever enjoyed perfect rest. He rested in the
divine counsels and purposes. The current of His peace was unruffled,
from first to last.
This was the yoke of Christ; and this is what He, in His infinite
grace, invites us to take upon us, in order that we too may find rest
unto our souls. Let us mark and seek to understand the words, "ye
shall _find_ rest." We must not confound the "rest" which _He gives_
with the "rest" which we find. When the weary, burdened, heavy-laden
soul comes to Jesus in simple faith, He gives rest--settled rest--the
rest which flows from the full assurance that all is done,--sins
forever put away; perfect righteousness accomplished, revealed, and
possessed; every question divinely and eternally settled; God
glorified; Satan silenced; conscience tranquillized.
Such is the rest which Jesus gives when we come to Him. But then we
have to move through the scenes and circumstances of our daily life.
There are trials, difficulties, exercises, buffetings, disappointments,
and reverses of all sorts. None of these can, in the smallest degree,
touch the rest which Jesus gives; but they may very seriously
interfere with the rest which we are to find. They do not trouble the
conscience, but they may greatly trouble the heart; they may make us
very restless, very fretful, very impatient. For instance, I want to
preach at Glasgow; I am announced to do so; but lo! I am shut up in a
sick-room in London. This does not trouble my conscience, but it may
greatly trouble my heart; I may be in a perfect fever of restlessness,
ready to exclaim, How tiresome! How terribly disappointing! Whatever
am I to do? It is most untoward!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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