TEHILLIM 84

2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Yahweh: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living EL.

...from the same sense of present desolation we groan together, heart and flesh crying out for the living God.

This made up the principal part of the sufferings of Christ. In the midst of much people, he was as a sparrow on the house-top -a pelican in the wilderness alone in the surrounding desolation. This is an experience that continues for every son of God.

There are plenty of people and plenty of activity, but neither the people nor what they are doing has any interest for those who are Christ's. In this respect we suffer with him, even if we are not the objects of direct persecution.

We are not at liberty to unite with the present world as regards its aims and principles and pleasures. We do not belong to it if we belong to Christ; for he expressly said "I am not of this world," and he affirmed the same fact of his disciples, saying, "Ye are not of this world."

Bro Roberts - 'God a sun and shield'

11 For Yahweh Elohim is a sun and shield: Yahweh will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Here we have a most encouraging picture of the kindness of Him with whom we have to do. This character is the central glory of revelation.

We fail, perhaps, at all times to remember it sufficiently. Many things help to cloud it from our view. Our weakness, our shortcomings, our pre-occupations in other directions, the weariness of the constant fight of faith, and other things, prevent us from realising as constantly as we might, that the Eternal Father, who invites us to Himself by Christ, is full of tenderness and compassion, and overflowing with loving-kindness to such as keep His covenant, and even abounding in long- suffering and goodness towards those who are far from Him.

Our failure in this respect is part of the weakness of our present nature; but our failure to apprehend does not interfere with the fact. God is love, even if we faint and fail.

The everlasting hills are not endangered when we grow tired and sleepy. The strength of God is in no way diminished when we die. So His loving-kindness is none the less because we forget. Yea, it operates sometimes in the inverse ratio of our weakness.

Bro Roberts - 'God a sun and shield'

12 O Yahweh hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Here we have a most encouraging picture of the kindness of Him with whom we have to do. This character is the central glory of revelation. We fail, perhaps, at all times to remember it sufficiently. Many things help to cloud it from our view.

Our weakness, our shortcomings, our pre-occupations in other directions, the weariness of the constant fight of faith, and other things, prevent us from realising as constantly as we might, that the Eternal Father, who invites us to Himself by Christ, is full of tenderness and compassion, and overflowing with lovingkindness to such as keep His covenant, and even abounding in long- suffering and goodness towards those who are far from Him.

Our failure in this respect is part of the weakness of our present nature; but our failure to apprehend does not interfere with the fact. God is love, even if we faint and fail. The everlasting hills are not endangered when we grow tired and sleepy. The strength of God is in no way diminished when we die. So His loving-kindness is none the less because we forget.

Yea, it operates sometimes in the inverse ratio of our weakness.

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them who fear Him; for He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are but dust."

He loved us while we were yet enemies. He provided His Son to die while death and darkness reigned throughout the world; He raised him when none comprehended the loving mystery. He established this propitiatory-this meeting point of reconciliation --while we yet wandered far from Him in disregard and alienation; not that He required to be propitiated - not that He needed reconciliation: The kindness was with Him: the advance was from Him; it was our reconciliation that was sought by

"God who was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them."

In Christ crucified He gave us the declaration of His righteousness, that bowing down before this, and identifying ourselves with it in baptism, we might exalt His holiness and remember His forgiveness and friendship. All this was arranged before we knew anything about it; and the goodness that contrived this kindness is as great to-day as before it was announced by the apostolic ministration to the world.

Bro Roberts - 'God a sun and shield'