Scripture Queries and Answers.

A. The question of John’s disciples, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, and thy disciples fast not?” opened the door for our blessed Lord to set before them their real condition, both as individuals and as a nation, and also to expose the folly of endeavoring to make themselves better by religiousness. Like the present time, it was not a question of fasting, but of life. It was not a point of mending up the natural man, or the nation, but of the new birth. “Ye must be born again.” Besides, how could the disciples of Jesus fast and mourn while He Himself was with them? Our Lord therefore replied, “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” But men always prefer religiousness to Christ; they refuse God’s testimony to their real condition, and try to patch up by redoubled efforts what God has condemned as utterly unclean, and incurably bad. The nation had revolted, and separated themselves from God by their sins. Jesus “came unto His own, and His own received Him not;” and, as He afterward brought out, it would yet take to itself seven other spirits more wicked than the first, so that their last state would be worse than the first.” (chapter 12:45.) Their religiousness in fasting, &c. did not therefore meet the case. They were only trying to patch up the old garment, which the Lord knew to be threadbare, rotten, and unmendable. Patching therefore was in vain. Again, they might study Scripture theologically, and disseminate Bible instruction; but the vessel being corrupt, it was like putting new wine into old bottles, which would only end in destruction. Man must be born again. He does not need education, but life. The garment must be new. The bottle must be new. “Except a man be born again, He cannot see the kingdom of God.” The thought of the Pharisees then, and the thought of many now is, to get into the kingdom of God without being born again of God’s Spirit, ―by some other means short of that “eternal life” which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The nation, which is now a rotten, laid-by garment, with all the patching of self-righteous rejectors of Christ only makes “the rent worse.” But a nation shall be born at once. Then, and not till then, shall “Israel blossom, and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” (Isaiah 27:66He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. (Isaiah 27:6).)
Q. How do you understand that “we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us”? (Romans 8:3737Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:37).) ―A. B.
A. Does not this Scripture chew, that those who trust in the Lord Jesus not only get deliverance, but also much profit and blessing, and all through Him that loved us? When David, in deep distress, trusted in God, he not only recovered all, but had so much more, that he comforted and enriched others. (1 Samuel 30:1-261And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. 7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. 9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. 11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 12And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 13And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 14We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. 16And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil. 21And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. 22Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. 23Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. 25And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. 26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord; (1 Samuel 30:1‑26).) Again, when the enemies of Jehoshaphat threatened to swallow him up, he trusted in God. He said, “We know not what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.” (2 Chronicles 20:1212O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. (2 Chronicles 20:12).) What was the result? Not only full deliverance, but very much spoil― “more than they could carry away.”