Chapter. 15. Entreat God not to take the advantage of us when our hearts are low.
Chapter 15:
The First Use The First Use, which teaches us to request that God does not take advantage of us when our hearts are low.
Use 1: This should teach us all to implore God not to take advantage of us when our hearts are low, when we are inclined towards evil or disinclined towards good. Instead, we should ask God to have mercy on us and show us favor. We should pray that God would only call us to undertake great service or suffer for Him when He sees that we are in the right disposition for it. It is a remarkable mercy of God not to call out His people except when they are prepared.
The same applies to temptation to sin. God sees the various dispositions within each of us, and He knows how corruption often works. If a temptation to sin were to come at such a time, what would become of us? We would likely forsake God, His cause, and wound our consciences. So, acknowledge the mercy of God in keeping temptations away from you at such times. There are moments when we stray from God, and if the roaring lion were to encounter us then, how likely it would be that we would be devoured. Sometimes we are ready to stumble upon every straw, and if God were to place stumbling blocks before us at that time, what would become of us?
This is a mercy that God does not grant to others. In fact, God frequently deals with wicked individuals in a different manner. When
an opportunity arises for them to enjoy great good, something occurs that opposes that good. It may be God's providence ordering it such that a minister is about to discuss a subject that would be remarkably beneficial, and God is assisting him more than usual. Then, something happens to prevent them from participating in that exercise. Their corruption is stirred up to harden their hearts, or some other occurrence captures their attention, preventing them from receiving the good they could have obtained. However, this is the mercy of God towards those He intends good for—that He grants them an opportunity to receive good when they are ready for it.
There was a time when their hearts would have been unprepared if a certain point had been addressed, but at another time, that point will be emphasized, and God says, "I will order it so that they will break through difficulties to engage in the exercise. Even though corruption may be present, I will ensure it is not stirring at that time."
Similarly, when it comes to temptation to sin, God often observes how a person's corruption is active, and they are susceptible to temptation. If temptation were to come at that time, they would be drawn and succumb to it. However, those whom God will curse, He allows Satan to prey upon them and permits them to continue when their corruption is at its peak.
As for the case of Ahab, when he wanted to go to Ramoth Gilead, God said in 1 Kings 22:21-23, "Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go?" Then a spirit came forth and said, "I will persuade him." God instructed the spirit, saying, "Go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." God permitted it to happen. Now, if Ahab had been a godly man, God would have prevented him from going. Sometimes, godly individuals are in such a disposition to sin that if they receive
any encouragement, they would indulge in it. But God tells Satan not to go. It is interesting to note how God takes advantage of wicked individuals, just as in Genesis 34:25 when Simeon and Levi attacked the Shechemites while they were vulnerable. Similarly, when many people are in a disposition where they have no ability to resist temptation, that's when the Devil comes upon them. We see this in Psalms 35:6 and 73:18. In Psalm 35:6, it says, "Let their way be slippery and dark, and let the Angel of the Lord persecute them."
Notice how God takes advantage of wicked people—they are in a dark and slippery way, and then the Angel of God persecutes them. When a person is in a slippery place, they need something to lean on. But when they are in a slippery place and their enemy persecutes them, it becomes dangerous. That's how God deals with the wicked. It is different for the godly. When the godly are weak and their way is slippery, God pities them, and the good Angel preserves them. So, when people are in a slippery way and on the verge of falling into sin,
God says to the evil Angel, "Now, follow them in that sin." In Psalm 37:18, it says, "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places, thou castest them down into destruction." Learn from this to always entreat God to consider your state and say, "Lord, you know I am in a slippery place and not in the right frame of mind as I am at other times. Lord, keep me from temptation now. Do not let me fall." God has promised in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He will not allow His people to be tempted beyond their strength. Sometimes the godly can say,
"My heart is fixed, speak Lord, here I am to do Thy will." Sometimes God's people are able to endure any danger, and then God brings them to the trial. Just as the disciples, after the Holy Spirit came upon them, were called to suffer. They had never experienced such trials before. When God shows His people mercy in this way, it is truly a mercy.