The All-Sufficiency of Christ. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. IMackintosh, Charles Henry
Religion
The All-Sufficiency of Christ. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. I
Mackintosh, Charles Henry
Theology
temptation," and He graciously delivered His poor servant out of the
evil into which he had plunged himself, and in which he would have
perished, had not the hand of God been stretched out to rescue him.
"Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them
to depart from him."[12]
[12] The reader will doubtless observe how the inspired writer
presents God under two different titles in the above verse. "_The
Lord_" brings out His connection with His distressed servant--His
connection in grace; while the expression "_God_" shows out the
powerful control which He exercised over the Syrian captains. It is
needless to say that this distinction is divinely perfect. As Lord, He
deals with His own redeemed people,--meeting all their weakness, and
supplying all their need; but as God, He holds in His omnipotent hand
the hearts of all men, to turn them whithersoever He will. Now we
generally find unconverted persons using the expression "God," and not
"Lord." They think of Him as One exercising an influence from a
distance, rather than as One standing in near relationship.
Jehoshaphat knew who it was that "_helped him_," but the Syrian
captains did not know who it was that "_moved them_."
Here we have the turning-point in this stage of Jehoshaphat's life.
His eyes were opened to see the position into which he had brought
himself; at least, he saw his danger, if he did not apprehend the
moral evil of his course. Encompassed by the captains of Syria, he
could feel something of what it was to have taken Ahab's place.
Happily for him, however, he could look up to the Lord from the depth
of his distress,--he could cry out to Him in the time of his
extremity; had it not been thus, the enemy's arrow, lodged deep in his
heart, might have told out the sorrowful result of his ungodly
association. "Jehoshaphat cried out," and his cry came up before the
Lord, whose ear is ever open to hear the cry of such as feel their
need. "Peter went out and wept bitterly." The prodigal said, "I will
arise, and go to my father;" and the father ran to meet him, and fell
on his neck, and kissed him. Thus is it that the blessed God ever
meets those who, feeling that they have hewn out for themselves broken
cisterns, which can hold no water, return to Him, the fountain of
living waters. Would that all who feel that they have in any measure
departed from Christ and slipped into the current of this present
world might find their way back, in true humility and contrition of
spirit, to Him who says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if
any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with Me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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