Discouraged by Satan's Intrigues

17 MAY

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shll surely be led away captive out of their own land. Amos 7:10-11

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Luke 7: 31-35

We must be watchful, not only against the open violence and cruelty of enemies, but also against their intrigues, for as Satan is a murderer, and has been so from the beginning, so he is also the father of lies. Whosoever then strenuously and constantly wishes to work for the church and for God must prepare for a contest with evil. He must resist all fears and all intrigues.

I have not said without reason that God's servants ought to be prepared against the fear of death. They must remain intrepid, though they die, and lay down their necks, if need be, while performing their office, to seal their doctrine in their own blood. On the other hand, they should be prudent, for the enemies of the truth will often assail them by flatteries. Our experiences today sufficiently prove this.

More danger, I know, has risen when enemies attempt to terrify us by such objections as: "What is your purpose for doing this? The whole world must necessarily at length be consumed by calamities. Why do you seek that religion should flourish everywhere, sound learning should be valued, and peace should prevail? The fiercest war is at hand. Once it arises, all places will be full of calamities. Savage barbarity and cruelty will follow, and religion will perish. You will cause all of this by your persistence."

These things have often been said to us. When we read this passage, we ought to notice the methods by which Satan tries to undermine the efforts of the godly and the constancy of God's servants.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: 

Amos's example teaches us that we should not be surprised when we are misrepresented. With the mass media surrounding us, the possibility of intrigue and calamity is greater today than ever before. Satan easily can, and does, use these means to cast continual doubt upon the gospel and those who profess it.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Standing Firm Against Slander

13 APRIL

And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, God up against this land, and destroy it. Isaiah 36:10.

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: 2 Samuel 16:5-14

Rabshakeh, the field commander of the Assyrians, boasts of the greatness and power of his king in order to terrify Hezekiah. Such is the manner in which wicked men act toward us. They attack us with threatening words and try our patience with various terrors. Satan is at work in such labors, for we plainly see him speaking through the mouth of a person like Rabshakeh.

We ought, therefore, to distinguish between God's words and the words of those who falsely assume His name, for Satan resorts to various artifices to make himself appear to be like God. Rabshakeh unjustly brings many reproaches against Hezekiah, but the good king does not place his hope in his own strength and does not want to vaunt himself through reliance on the Egyptians. Godly men, even when they do well, must be exposed to evil reports. By these strategies Satan attacks our faith and unjustly slanders us among men.

The temptation to be terrified by such reports is highly dangerous, for we want our integrity to be well known. When we are well disposed, we take it ill if other men put a different interpretation on our conduct. Satan tries by slander to overturn all that we have done out of good conscience. Or he accuses us of something that we are not at all guilty of. Or he loads us with unfounded slanders or contrives what never came into our minds. An upright conscience ought to be like a brazen wall to us so that we might follow the example of Hezekiah to stand unshaken against the accusations and slanders of wicked men.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: 

When have you been unjustly accused of doing wrong? Did you stand unshaken in your integrity before God, or did you cower and fall before slanderous reports? How can we be more like Hezekiah when others question our character, reputation, or actions when we are sincerely following God's will?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Speaking ill of a Neighbor

3 FEBRUARY

LORD, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Psalm 15:1, 3

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: James 3

After briefly naming the virtues of those who desire to have a place in the church, David now names vices from which believers should be free.

First, they must not be slanderers or detractors; second, that they must restrain themselves from doing anything mischievous or injurious to their neighbors; and, third, they must give credence to backbiting and false reports.

David names backbiting and reproach as the first injustice by which neighbors are injured. If a good name is a treasure more precious than all the riches of the world (Prov. 22:1). We can inflict no greater injury than to wound a person’s reputation. Not very injurious word is condemned here; rather, the psalmist specifically refers to the disease and lust of detraction that stir a malicious person to spread false reports. At the same time, we cannot doubt that the Holy Spirit’s design is to condemn all false and wicked accusations.

In the clause that follows, the psalmist say the children of God should be far removed from the more general injustice of doing evil to his neighbour. The word neighbour here refers not only to those whom we often speak to and enjoy fellowship with, but also to people whom are bound to by the ties of humanity and a common nature. The psalmist uses these terms to clearly show the odiousness of what he condemns and to urge the saints to greatly abhor all wrong dealings with people, since every person who hurts his neighbor violates the fundamental law of human society.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: The sins David mentions are easy to commit. We can refer to these sins in many ways, but in the end, slander against our neighbor is a serious sin. Do we realize how wrong it is to speak ill of our neighbor, and that, if we persist in doing so, we will be unwelcome in the Lord’s house?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Righteous Before God

28 January

Here me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Matthew 1:18-25

David was in the uttermost distress and, indeed, was almost consumed by a long series of calamities. But he did not sink under his sorrow, nor was he so broken in heart that he could not approach God as his deliverer.

In his prayer, David testifies that, even when he is utterly deprived of all earthly succor, he can still hope in God. Moreover, he addresses his Maker as the God of his righteousness, which is like calling him the vindicator of his right. David appeals to God this way because people everywhere are condemning him. His innocence is besmirched by the slanderous reports of his enemies and the perverse judgments of the common people.

We should carefully note David’s reaction to this cruel and unjust treatment. For while nothing is more painful to us than to be falsely condemned and to endure wrongful violence and slander for doing well, such affliction often daily befalls the saints. It becomes us to learn under such hardship to turn away from the enticements of the world and to depend wholly upon God.

Righteousness is to be understood here as a good cause. David makes God the witness of his own righteousness as he complains of the malicious and wrongful conduct of men toward him. By his example, he teaches us that if our uprightness is not acknowledged by the world, we should not despair because God in heaven will vindicate our cause. Even the heathen know there is no better stage for virtue than a man’s own conscience. But our greatest consolation is to know that, when men vaunt themselves over us wrongfully, we may stand righteous in the view of God and of the angels.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: What comfort it is to know that we are vindicated in the eyes of God! This knowledge eases the intensity of the pain resulting from false accusations and a tarnished reputation. Remember and emulate David’s reaction the next time that you suffer for the right.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke