A MEDITATION

What blessed words are these, spoken by God’s old servant when he was ready to depart from the people whom he had led for forty years in the wilderness. What good words for God’s Israel at that time, but also for the whole church throughout all ages.

The word “yea” is a sweet Scripture word and is a positive declaration that it is indeed and truly so, a solemn affirmation. God’s “yeas” and “amens” are firmer than all the oaths of creatures; and when Jehovah puts His “yea” to the love that He hath to His people, it ought to give great comfort and confidence to their faith. And oh! what testimonies hath Jehovah, in His Trinity of Persons, manifested in the Father’s love, and Redeemer’s grace, and the Holy Ghost’s fellowship, in proof of this affection.

That wonderful love is extended from eternity to eternity to the subjects of His love. It is a love that flows out of the Fountain of all love; it flows out of eternity. “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” Jer. 31:3.

It is a love of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. These three divine Persons are One, the Three-in-One God. God’s people are loved by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. When this love is revealed and tasted by His people there is a return of love and it is extended to the blessed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. So it will be perfectly into all eternity. Wonderful thought; wonderful experience! Sweet Immanuel’s land!

It is unchangeable and free love. God Himself is unchangeable; thus His love for His dear ones is unchangeable. There is no reason whatever in them why the infinite God should love them. It is His eternal pleasure! God’s people shall confess this wholeheartedly, and we read in Hosea 14:4: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him.”

It is an unspeakable love, and the greatest revelation of God’s love is that God has sent His only Son into this world to seek and to save sinners. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

How wonderful is the love of God shown to His spiritual Israel and special people, by giving them His Gospel, the precious truths, promises, and ordinances of it, and, above all, in giving them His Son to be the Redeemer and Saviour of them, as revealed therein. These He embraces in His arms and in His bosom, as the word here signifies; admitting them to great nearness and familiarity with Him, to commune with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to a participation of all the blessings of grace here, and the enjoyment of glory hereafter.

Yea, He loved His people. It is manifested in our days that the Lord God has some of those chosen and loved people even among the primitive heathens where our missionary, Rev. Kuijt, is laboring. More and more he is enabled to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ among those blind and ignorant people. The Lord has spoken to a few now already, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” How wonderful and holy are His ways! Truly,

“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform.”

“All His saints are in His hand.” In whatever point of view we regard these blessed words, they are blessed indeed. Oh, how clearly His love for His people is revealed therein. Whether the saints of the Lord Jesus, here spoken of, be Old Testament saints or New Testament believers, the sense is the same. Jesus committed all His people into His Father’s hands. “Keep them,” cried the Savior, (in that divine prayer, the specimen of His holy intercession), “Keep, holy Father, through Thine own name, those whom Thou hast given Me.’’ And hence the Redeemer elsewhere says: “My sheep shall never perish; neither shall any pluck them out of My hand.” Think how eternally safe and secure the church of Jesus Christ is, thus kept by the mighty power of God, through faith, unto salvation! What shall unclasp the hands of Jehovah? Who shall wrest the weakest, the humblest, the poorest of Christ’s little ones, from the holding of His omnipotence?

Here are blessed and comforting words for all the followers of the Lamb Christ Jesus in all the dangers of this world, considering the great powers of darkness and hell, and also considering the dangers wherein we find our missionary in West Irian and the friends in Nigeria. Wherever the Lord will have the Gospel preached and will work unto salvation, we know that the devil and his instruments will work—but to destroy. Two missionaries have been killed lately in his vicinity, and not long ago they found a friend and helper of Rev. Kuijt, by the name of Unugeri, dead on the roadside, terribly mutilated by the enemies.

May we be encouraged then by these blessed words spoken by Moses: “All His saints are in Thy hand.” And we read in Psalm 118: “The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.” He saith unto His oft fearing people: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” Isa. 41:10.

(This meditation was composed for our mission-paper “Paulus.”)

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