Milo

June 18

“Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” (Heb. 12:12, 13.)

THIS is God’s word of encouragement to us to lift up the hands of faith, and confirm the knees of prayer. Often our faith grows tired, languid, and relaxed, and our prayers lose their force and effectiveness.
The figure used here is a very striking one. The idea seems to be that we become discouraged and so timid that a little obstacle depresses and frightens us, and we are tempted to walk around it, and not face it: to take the easier way.
Perhaps it is some physical trouble that God is ready to heal, but the exertion is hard, or it is easier to secure some human help, or walk around in some other way.
There are many ways of walking around emergencies instead of going straight through them. How often we come up against something that appalls us, and we want to evade the issue with the excuse:
“I am not quite ready for that now.” Some sacrifice is to be made, some obedience demanded, some Jericho to be taken, some soul that we have not the courage to claim and carry through, some prayer that is hanging fire, or perhaps some physical trouble that is half healed and we are walking around it.
God says, “Lift up the hands that hang down.” March straight through the flood, and lo, the waters will divide, the Red Sea will open, the Jordan will part, and the Lord will lead you through to victory.
Don’t let your feet “be turned out of the way,” but let your body “be healed,” your faith strengthened. Go right ahead and leave no Jericho behind you unconquered and no place where Satan can say that he was too much for you. This is a profitable lesson and an intensely practical one. How often have we been in that place. Perhaps you are there today.
—A. B. Simpson.

Pay as little attention to discouragement as possible. Plough ahead as a steamer does, rough or smooth—rain or shine. To carry your cargo and make your port is the point.
—Maltbie D. Babcock.

18 JUNE

Providential preparation

‘The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.’ Isaiah 40:3–4
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Luke 2:1–20

A way was prepared for the Messiah in providence:
(i) by Alexander’s conquests, which spread the knowledge of the Greek language among many nations—and the Scriptures being afterwards translated into Greek became more common. An expectation of some Great Deliverer was raised far and wide, and the Messiah became in this sense the desire of many nations.
(ii) by the establishment and growth of the Roman power, which was in its height at our Lord’s birth; the principal part of the then known world was united in one empire—and as all the provinces were connected with Rome, an intercourse was opened on every side for the reception of the truth.
(iii) by John’s ministry and its effects. These were so great that John himself seems to have been astonished at the numbers and character of those who came to his baptism.
It was to Judea our Lord came, and there especially were the great obstructions to be removed. For he came:
(i) to exalt the valleys—to preach the gospel to the poor, to fill the hungry with good things, to save the chief of sinners, to open the kingdom to publicans and harlots; likewise to correct the low thoughts the Jews had indulged of the law of God, the office and kingdom of the Messiah.
(ii) to bring low every mountain and hill—to detect the wickedness and confound the pride of the Pharisees and rulers, to pour contempt on all human glory, and to show that the το ὑψηλον of man is abomination in the sight of God (see chapter 2[verses 11, 17], or 10:4–6).
(iii) to rectify the perverse disposition of the hearts of men—to soften and subdue their spirits and to make them willing in the day of his power.

FOR MEDITATION: ‘And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it’ (Isaiah 40:5).

SERMON SERIES: MESSIAH, NO. 2 [4/4], ISAIAH 40:3–5

June 17th

The uncritical temper

Judge not, that ye be not judged. Matthew 7:1.

Jesus says regarding judging—Don’t. The average Christian is the most penetratingly critical individual. Criticism is a part of the ordinary faculty of man; but in the spiritual domain nothing is accomplished by criticism. The effect of criticism is a dividing up of the powers of the one criticized; the Holy Ghost is the One in the true position to criticize, He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into communion with God when you are in a critical temper; it makes you hard and vindictive and cruel, and leaves you with the flattering unction that you are a superior person. Jesus says, as a disciple, cultivate the uncritical temper. It is not done once and for all. Beware of anything that puts you in the superior person’s place.
There is no getting away from the penetration of Jesus. If I see the mote in your eye, it means I have a beam in my own. Every wrong thing that I see in you, God locates in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17–20 ). Stop having a measuring rod for other people. There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing. The first thing God does is to give us a spiritual spring-cleaning; there is no possibility of pride left in a man after that. I have never met the man I could despair of after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.

June 17

“And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.” (Ezek. 1:25.)

WHAT is the letting down of the wings? People so often say “How do you get the voice of the Lord?” Here is the secret. They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.
We have seen a bird with fluttering wings; though standing still, its wings are fluttering. But here we are told they heard the voice when they stood and had let down their wings.
Do we not sometimes kneel or sit before the Lord and yet feel conscious of a fluttering of our spirits? Not a real stillness in His presence.
A dear one told me several days ago of a certain thing she prayed about, “But,” said she, “I did not wait until the answer came.”
She did not get still enough to hear Him speak, but went away and followed her own thought in the matter. And the result proved disastrous and she had to retrace her steps.
Oh, how much energy is wasted! How much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before Him! Oh, the calm, the rest, the peace which come as we wait in His presence until we hear from Him!

Then, ah then, we can go like lightning, and turn not as we go but go straight forward whithersoever the Spirit goes. (Ezek. 1:1, 20.)

“Be still! Just now be still!
Something thy soul hath never heard,
Something unknown to any song of bird,
Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,
A message from the Fatherland afar,
That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,
Cometh to thee if thou canst but be still.

“Be still! Just now be still!
There comes a presence very mild and sweet;
White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.
It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent
To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.
The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.
If thou would’st hear His message,
Dear soul, be still!”

17 JUNE

Withstanding Messiah’s progress

‘The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.’ Isaiah 40:3–4
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Isaiah 5:1–7

The state of the Jewish church and nation and the heathen when our Lord came: a wilderness. Israel, once the beloved people, was now, with a few exceptions, totally degenerated. The Lord’s vineyard brought only wild grapes. They had the temple, the Scripture, the name of Abraham’s seed. The prophet’s lamentation (in 1:21) was still more applicable afterwards: How is the faithful city become an harlot!
The heathen world is described as sitting in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death. Philosophers had talked of wisdom and morality from age to age. But their speculations were mere swelling words of vanity, and did no real good. There were philosophers, poets, painters, musicians, eminent in their way, but the world was buried in idolatry and abominable wickedness (Romans 1:23 to the end). Everything was diametrically opposite to the design and spirit of that kingdom the Messiah was about to set up, and therefore disposed, as the event proved, to withstand his progress.
FOR MEDITATION:
Happy are they, to whom the LORD
Though men despise them, or revile,
His gracious name makes known!
They count the trial small;
And by his Spirit, and his word,
Whoever frowns, if JESUS smile,
Adopts them for his own!
It makes amends for all.

Then mountains sink at once to plains,
Though meanly clad, and coarsely fed,
And light from darkness springs;
And, like their Saviour, poor;
Each seeming loss improves their gains,
They would not change their gospel bread
Each trouble comfort brings.
For all the worldling’s store.

SERMON SERIES: MESSIAH, NO. 2 [3/4], ISAIAH 40:3–5