they have made void Your law

Posted : 13 Jul, 2013 02:18 AM

Psalm 119:126 It is time for You, Lord, to work; for they have made void Your law.





If I desire a more spiritual understanding of the revelation of

God, how can I but mourn to witness its awful neglect and

contempt? It seems as if the ungodly not only sin against it,

but that they would drive it out of the world. They make it void denying its power to rule, to annul its power to punish. Oh! let

us cherish that distinguishing feature of the Lord's people,

"sighing and crying for all the abominations of the land;" so

that we cannot hear or see the name of God dishonored,

without feeling as for our Father's wounded reputation. Can

we suffer the men of the world quietly to go on their course?

Must we not throw in our weight of influence, whatever it may

be, to stem the flowing torrent: and when (as, alas! is too often the case) all efforts are unavailing, carry the cause to the

Lord-"It is time for You, Lord, to work?" This pleading does not

contradict the law of love, which requires us to love, pray for,

and to bless our enemies; for the Lord's people are not angry

for their own cause, but for His. David had no regard to his

own honor, but to God's law. He had not injured his enemies.

"He had labored to overcome their evil with good." He had

often wept for their sins, and prayed for their conversion. But

all was in vain. 'Now, Lord, take the rod in Your own hand. "It

is time for You, Lord, to work."' This was true zeal-zeal of the

Spirit, not of the flesh. How gracious is our God in permitting

His servants thus to plead with Him, and, as it were, to give

Him no rest, until "he shall arise, and work," and sit upon the

throne of the kingdoms of the earth!

But why does He not break out with some overpowering

manifestation of His power? They are "his sword and rod" for

the chastening of His people, to discipline their watchfulness

into constant exercise. They are the trial of their faith-believing

the Lord's justice against apparent inconsistency; and of their

patience-"waiting the set time of deliverance." Thus they

become a profitable ministry for the church-and this valuable

end accomplished, God works His work upon them, and "will

avenge His own elect speedily."

Meanwhile-waiting for this "little while," let us "live by faith."

Let us be found on the Lord's side-laboring for sinners pleading with their hardness and rebellion in our Master's

name, and for our Master's sake. Let all the weight of personal

exertion and influence, consistent example, and wrestling

supplication, be concentrated in "coming to the help of the

Lord against the mighty." Let us see to it, that if we cannot do

what we would, we do what we can. And if at last we be

overborne by the torrent of ungodliness, we shall find our

refuge and rest in pleading with our Lord for the honor of His

name- Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord, and

that the foolish people have blasphemed Your name. "His

Spirit shall not always strive with man." Often, when He has

seen it time for Him to work, have His judgments made the

earth to tremble. "Sodom and Gomorrah" have "known the

power of His anger," and are "set forth for an example,

suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." And when His time to

work is fully come, what is all the resistance of earth and hell,

but as "setting the briars and thorns against Him in battle?" "I

would"-says he-"go through them. I would burn them

together." A word-a frown-a look-is destruction. "He is wise in

heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself

against Him, and has prospered?" Or "who has resisted His

will?"

But what shall we say of that stupendous work of His hand, by

which-when men had made void His law-when no restrictions

could bind, no forbearance win them-when He "saw that there

was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor,

therefore His arm brought salvation unto him, and His

righteousness, it sustained him." Surely, if we could conceive

the hosts of heaven to have taken up this expression of ardent

concern for the glory of God, It is time for You, Lord, to work they could little have thought of such a work as this-they could

never have conceived to themselves such an unlooked-for,

combined display of power, justice, and mercy. To set at

nothing then this work-is it not to refuse all hope-all remedy?

To persist in making void the law after so magnificent an

exhibition of Almighty working- must it not expose the

transgressors to reap the fruit of their own obstinacy, and to

prepare to meet Him as their Judge, whom they refuse to

receive as their Savior? Nor must they wonder, if the Lord's

people, with a holy indignation against sin, and a fervent zeal

for His glory, should appeal to His faithfulness for the

fulfillment of His judgments-It is time for You, Lord, to work: for

they have made void Your law.

by

Charles Bridges

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