A Gleaning From A Friend’s Letter. —
“Please them well in all things.” Titus 2:9.
“Subject in everything.” Ephesians 5:24.
“Obey in all things.” Colossians 3:20.
The contrast between the man of the world and the man of God shown out in the following verses about Ishmael and Isaac seemed to me very striking. Ishmael living and dying in the presence of all his brethren, and between Egypt and Assyria, the two lands of Israel’s captivity, and Isaac dwelling in the presence of “Him that lived and saw him” “Lahai-roi” and dying at Mamre, the place where Abraham had held communion with God.
Ishmael.
“He shall dwell in the presence of his brethren.” Genesis 16:12,
“He died (marg. ‘ fell ‘) in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 25:18.
Isaac.
“And it came to pass after the death of Abraham that God blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.” Genesis 25:11.
A Contrast—
The disciples forsook all for Christ, Luke 5:11; Mark 1:18. The disciples forsook Christ and fled, Mark 14:50.
Mark 10:33,34.
The Son of man shall be: —
1. Delivered to chief priests and scribes.
2. Condemned to death.
3. Delivered to Gentiles.
4. Mocked.
5. Scourged.
6. Spit upon.
7. Killed.
But yet He shall rise again.
1 Samuel 23:18. “David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.”
Sol. 1:12. “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.”
2 Samuel 15:32-37. Hushai following David out of the city, and being sent back into it for David. “But if thou return to the city ... then mayest thou for me” &c. “So Hushai, David’s friend came into the city.”
John 7:53; 8:1. “And every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.”
John 12:3. “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.”
John 17:1, 18. “The men which thou gavest me out of the world.” “Even so have I also sent them unto the world.” And Mark 5:18-20.
WHO ARE BLESSED?
Those who are:—
1. poor,
2. hungry,
3. weeping,
4. hated,
5. avoided
6. reproached,
7. cast out as evil. Luke 6:20-22.
Luke 8:44, 47. Faith first came behind Him (Jesus), but soon its place is before Him.
Numbers 25:13
Phinehas.
1. Of an everlasting priesthood.
2. Zealous for his God.
3. Made an atonement.
Jesus Christ.
1. A priest forever, Hebrews 7:17.
2. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up, Psalms 69:9, John 2:17.
3. Made reconciliation, Hebrews 2:17.
STEPS OF GRACE, John 9
The man whose eyes were opened speaks of Jesus as:-
v. 11, a man,
v. 17, a prophet,
v. 38, the Son of God.