God's Wondrous Law

25 MARCH

Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Psalm 119:18

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 19

God gives light to us to see the wonder of His Word, the prophet says. We are blind to the gospel even in the midst of the clearest light until God removes the veil of blindness from our eyes. 

The psalmist confesses that his eyes were shut, making him unable to discern the light of the heavenly doctrine until God, by the invisible grace of His Spirit, opened them. The psalmist seems to be deploring his own blindness as well as that of the whole human race. But he tells us that the remedy is at hand, provided we do not, by trusting our own wisdom, reject gracious illumination that God offers to us.

Let us realize that we do not receive the illumination of the Spirit of God to make us condemn God's law and take pleasure in secret revelations, like many fanatics who do not regard themselves spiritual unless they reject the Word of God and put in its place their own wild speculations. 

The prophet's goal is very different. He wishes to inform us that God illumines us so we are able to discern the light of life that God manifests in His Word. He mentions the wondrous things of the law to humble us, to help us contemplate that law with admiration; and to convince us of our great need of God's grace to comprehend the mysteries of His Word which surpass our limited capacity. The law includes not only the Ten Commandments but also the covenant of eternal salvation with all its provisions, which God has made with us. Knowing that Christ, "in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," "is the end of the law," we need not be surprised that the prophet commends it and the sublime mysteries which it contains (Col. 2:3; Rom. 10:4).

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: When we focus on the wonder of the revelations of God's Word, we are much safer from the temptation to desire new and special revelations from God. The Bible contains so many wondrous things that a lifetime of study would not reveal them all to us; study them further to find new strength for each new day.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Testimony in Adversity

1 FEBRUARY

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Psalm 12:6

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Isaiah 45:18-25

God promises nothing in vain or to disappoint people, says the psalmist. This may seem a small matter, but when we consider more closely and attentively how prone we are to distrust and doubting, we will soon perceive the importance of realizing that our faith is supported by the assurance that God is not deceitful, that He does not delude or beguile us with empty words, and that He does not magnify His power or His goodness. Whatever He promises in word He will perform in deed.

We may frankly confess as David that the words of the LORD are pure. But those who liberally extol the truth of God’s word while lying in the shade and living in ease may think differently when they begin to struggle with adversity. They may not openly pour forth blasphemies against God, but they may privately charge Him with not keeping His word. When God delays to assist us, we may question His fidelity to His promises and murmur as if He has deceived us.

No truth is more generally received among people than that God is true, but few give Him credit for this when they are in the midst of adversity. It is, therefore, necessary for us to cut off distrust. Whenever any doubt respecting the faithfulness of God’s promises steals in upon us, we immediately ought to lift up a shield against it and affirm that the words of the Lord are pure.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: What adversity are you facing today? How is it affecting your attitude toward God and His promises? Remember: the words of the Lord are pure. Rest in them.

365 Days with Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

“My Doctrine Is... His That Sent Me”

[Since material and secular things] do not pertain to the soul and the future life and are subject to reason, a man may speak of them at home in whatever way he pleases and may say: This is mine. But in the ministry, where God’s Word is concerned, what Christ says here must obtain: that no one should preach a doctrine unless he has the confidence and conviction that he is not preaching doctrine which is his own...

Well, then, let everybody see  to it that he is sure when he is called on to speak of matters pertaining, not to matters secular but to conscience and salvation, that one may know where to leave his soul when he departs for another life and that every preacher and hearer then can say: I have not invented this doctrine; it is no explanation, interpretation, or teaching of my own; it is His who has sent me.

Everybody in Christendom should be convinced that the ministers, preachers, and teachers, yea, all who deliver the Word, are certain that their message is not their own but are sure that it is God’s Word, or that if they doubt that it is God’s Word, they will be quiet and not open their mouths until they are sure that it is indeed the Word of God. A man is a man and soon dies; his words and all his thoughts die with him, as is written in Ps. 146:4... The word of a mortal man is also mortal. If a man cannot have life eternal through his message and teaching, he should be quiet and hear nothing but the Word of God; for without God’s Word there is no life... for only the Word of God remains forever.

...Therefore a Christian, whether he is preacher or hearer, must be sure that he is speaking or hearing, not his own word but God’s Word; otherwise it would be better if he had never been born, and preacher and hearer together must go to the devil.

Martin Luther

What Luther Says, pp. 1111-1112

Bible Reading a Personal Responsibility and Necessary

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1 Peter 3:15

We shall have to acknowledge here that St. Peter addressed these words to all Christians, clergy and laity, male and female, young and old, of whatever state or condition they may have been. It follows that every Christian should know the ground of, and reason for, his faith and be able to maintain and defend it if necessary. But up to this time reading the Scripture has been forbidden the laity. For the devil hit upon a fine trick when he schemed to tear people away from Scripture. He thought: If I can keep the laity from reading the Scripture, I shall then bring the priests from the Bible into Aristotle so that, gossip what they will, the laity must hear whatever they preach to them. Otherwise, if the laity were to read Scripture, the priests would also have to study it in order not to be rebuked and refuted. But look now at what St. Peter here tells us all: We should give answer and show reason for our faith. When you are about to die, I shall not be with you; neither will the pope. If you then do not know the ground of your hope but merely say; I believe as the councils, the pope, and the fathers have believed, the devil will answer: Yes, but what if they were in error? Then he has won and  will drag you down to hell. Therefore we must know what we believe, namely, what the holy fathers believe or say. For you must place no confidence whatever in any person, but in the bare Word of God.

Martin Luther

What Luther Says, p. 79