Walking in the Lord's Ways

15 MAY

Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the trangressors shall fall therein. Hosea 14:9

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Numbers 13:25-33

The just find a plain and even way in the Word of the Lord; nothing stands in their path to obstruct their course. By daily advances they attain that to which the Lord calls them, even their celestial inheritance.

The just walk in the Lord's ways because the Lord leads them by His hand. Faith will be a hundred eyes and wings to them. Hope will sustain them, for they are armed with promises and encouragements. They have stimulants whenever the Lord earnestly exhorts them, and they have His warnings that are so terrible that they keep them awake. The faithful find the best ways in the Word of the Lord, and they follow them.

By contrast, the ungodly imagine all doubts, even the least, to be mountains. When they encounter anything intricate or obscure, they are confounded and say, "I would gladly seek to know the Holy Scripture, but I meet with so many difficulties." Hence, they regard a doubt as a mountain; nay, they purposely pretend doubts so they may have some excuse when they wish to evade the truth and turn aside from following the Lord.

The ungodly stumble in the ways of Jehovah. So we might read Hosea 14:9 in terms of the ungodly as: "Though the ungodly stumble, yet the just shall always walk in those ways of the Lord," meaning there is no reason why the ungodly should hold us back by their continual stumbling and by exclaiming that the Word of God is full of offense, for we shall find in it an even way. Let us then ascribe glory to God that He is just and that His ways are right.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION:

The Word of God, which clearly lays out the ways of God, has a remarkable power to divide and distinguish men from one another. One finds grace in its pages and loves to follow the Lord's paths. Another, reading the same pages, finds nothing but stumbling blocks and difficulties. Let us pray that God blesses us with His Spirit so that we find wonderful paths than stumbling blocks.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke