God Rewards His People by Sparing Them
death! "For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die!" (1 Cor. 15:53). Heaven is a healthy climate; no death-bell goes there. This mortal body shall put on immortality.
Let us labor to he in the number of God's jewels, that when the Lord shall make up his jewels, he may perfect our souls and bodies in glory
Question: How shall we know that we are in the number of God's jewels?
Answer: Have we holiness? "But we are washed—but we are sanctified" (1 Cor. 6:11). We are not God's jewels by creation—but regeneration. If holiness sparkles in us—it is a sign we are God's jewels; and then when God comes to make up his jewels, he will put glory upon our souls and bodies forever!
C. God Rewards His People by Sparing Them The third part of the saints reward is God's sparing them: "I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him." The Hebrew word to spare signifies to use clemency. In this phrase, there is less said—and more intended. "I will spare them", that is, "I will deal with them as a father does with his son. The kind of tenderness that a father shows to his child, the same will I show to those that fear me."
Doctrine: God will deal with those who fear him—as a compassionate father does with his dutiful son.
Two things are in this proposition:
1. That God is a Father. He is a father by creation. He has given us our being: "Have not we all one father? Has not one God created us?" (Mal. 2:20). God is also a father by election: he has chosen out a certain number, to be his children (Eph. 1:4). And God is a father by special grace: he stamps his impress of holiness upon men (Col.
3:10). All God's children resemble him—though some are more like him than others.
2. That God will deal with those that fear him, as a compassionate father does with his dutiful son.
A. God will accept them, as a father does his son. If the child only lisps and can hardly speak plainly, the father takes all in good part.
So God, as a father, will accept what his children do in sincerity:
"There will I require your offerings ... I will accept you with your sweet savor" (Ezek. 20:40-41).
B. To such as fear God, he will be full of pity to them, as a tender father is to his son. There are in God, affections of compassion and affections of delight.
Affections of compassion. A father feels for his child. God has great pity and tenderness towards his children. (Isaiah 63:15). The compassion of parents are steel and marble compared with God's
—"the tender mercy of our God" (Luke 1:78). In the Greek it is "the affections of mercy". These affections make God sympathize with his children in misery. He is touched in their wounds: "As a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear him" (Psalm 103:13 ).
In God are also affections of delight. How dearly did Jacob love Benjamin! His life was bound up in him (Gen. 44:30). All the
affections of parents come from God. They are but a drop of his ocean, a spark of his flame. God's love is a love that "passes knowledge!" (Eph. 3:19). The saints cannot love their own souls, so entirely as God loves them. In particular, a. God loves the persons of his children; they are the apple of his eye
(Zech. 2:8). He engraves them upon the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16). This alludes to those who carry about them, engraved on the stone of their ring, the picture of some dear friend whom they entirely love. b. God loves the places his children were born in, the better for their sakes: "God loves the gates of Zion" (Psalm 87:2); "This and that man was born in her" (verse 5); that is, "this and that believer". God loves the very ground his children walk upon. Why was Judea, the ancient seat of Israel, called "a delightsome land" (Mal. 3:12)? Not so much delightful for the fruit growing in it—as for the saints living in it. c. God so loves his children, that he charges the great ones of the world upon pain of death, not to hurt them. They are sacred to him.
"He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm" (Psalm 105:14-15). By "anointed" are meant such as have the anointing of the Spirit (1 John 2:20). d. God delights in his children's company, he loves to see their faces, "Let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely." (Song of Sol. 2:14) If but two or three of God's children meet and pray together, God will he sure to make one of the company: "There am I in the midst of them!" (Matt.
18:20).
e. God so loves his children that his eye is never off them: "The eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him" (Psalm 33:18).
Question: But is this such a privilege—to have God's eye upon his children? God's eye is upon the wicked too.
Answer: it is one kind of eye that the Judge casts upon the malefactor; and another that the Prince casts upon his favorite.
God's eye upon the wicked is an eye of vengeance—but his eye upon his children is an eye of benediction. f. God sets a continual guard about his children, to preserve them from danger. He hides them in his pavilion (Psalm 27:5). He covers them with the golden feathers of his protection (Psalm 91:4). No prince goes so well guarded, as God's child, for he has a guard of angels about him. The angels are a numerous guard: "The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire" (2 Kings 6:17). Those horses and chariots of fire were the angels of God, gathered in the manner of a huge army to defend the prophet Elijah. g. God clothes his children in rich garments: "Her clothing is of wrought gold" (Psalm 45:13). Jacob loved his son Joseph and gave him a finer coat to wear than the rest of his brethren: "He made him a coat of many colors" (Gen. 37:3). God loves his children and gives them a finer coat, more finely woven, a coat of diverse colors. It is partly made of Christ's righteousness, and partly of inherent holiness
(Rev. 19:8). h. Such is God's love that he thinks nothing too good for his children!
He enriches them with the upper and lower springs; he gives them the finest of the wheat, and honey out of the rock; he makes them a feast of fat things (Isaiah 25:6). He gives them the body and blood of
his Son, and delights to see his children spreading themselves as olive plants round about his table (Psalm 128:3).
3. God will receive the PETITIONS of those who fear him— as a tender father receives his son's petitions. They may come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). If they come for pardon of sin, or strength against temptation, God will not deny them. Three things may cause boldness in prayer—the saints have a Father to pray to, the Spirit to help them to pray, and Jesus Christ as their
Advocate to present their prayers.
4. On such as are fearers of God, God will bestow an inheritance, as a father does upon his son. This inheritance is no less than a kingdom! (Luke 12:32). In it are gates of pearl, rivers of pleasure; and (which is to be noted as a difference between God's settling an inheritance on his children, and an earthly father's settling an inheritance) a son cannot enjoy the inheritance until his father is dead; but every adopted child of God may at once enjoy both the inheritance and the father, because God is both father and inheritance! (Gen. 15).
5. With such as are fearers of God, God will pass by many infirmities. That is what is meant by this expression in the text, "I will spare them as a man spares his own son." What a wonder is this
—that God did not spare the angels (2 Pct. 2:4)! No, he did not spare his natural Son (Rom. 8:32). Yet he will spare his adopted sons! "I will spare, them, I will not use extremity as I might—but pass by many aberrations."
Caution: It is not that the sins of God's children are hidden from him—but such is his paternal clemency that he is pleased to bear with many frailties in his children. He spares them as a father spares his son. How often do God's people grieve his Spirit by the neglect of
spiritual watchfulness, or the loss of their first love; but God spares them! Israel provoked God with their murmurings—but he used fatherly indulgence towards them (Psalm 78:38; Neh. 9:17).
First Use: INFORMATION.
1. From this word, "I will spare them as a man spares his son", take notice that even the best need sparing. "If you,
Lord, should mark iniquities—who shall stand?" (Psalm 130:3). The Papists speak of merits—but how can we merit—when our best services are so defective that we need sparing! How can these two stand together, our meriting and God's sparing? What will become of us without sparing mercy? We need to pray as Nehemiah,
"Remember me, O my God, concerning this also—and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy!" (Neh. 13:22). Let us fly to this asylum, "Lord, spare us as a father spares his son!"
2. See God's different dealing with the godly and the wicked. The Lord will not spare the wicked: "I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy—but destroy them!" (Jer. 13:14). It is sad when the prisoner begs of the judge to spare him—but the judge will show him no favor. God's cup of wrath is unmixed! (Rev. 14:10). Yet it is said to be mixed. The cup of wrath God gives the wicked is mixed with all sorts of punishments. But in this sense it is unmixed— it is without the least drop of mercy in it! (Psalm 78:45-51). God for a while reprieves men—but forbearance is not forgiveness. Though
God spares his children—yet obdurate sinners shall feel the weight of his wrath!
3. If the Lord spares his people as a father does his son— then they should serve him as a son does his father.
1. They should serve him WILLINGLY. "Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought!" (1 Chron. 28:9).
Cain's sacrifice was rejected, because he brought it grudgingly and against his will. It was rather the paying of a tax than a free-will offering. The best obedience is that which is voluntary, as that is the best honey which drops from the honeycomb. God sometimes accepts of willingness without the work (1 Kings 8:18)—but never of the work without willingness.
2. They should serve God UNIVERSALLY. True obedience is universal; it observes one command as well as another; it fulfills difficult duties and dangerous duties. As the needle points the way that the magnet draws, so a gracious heart inclines to those things which the Word teaches (Luke 1:6). It is the note of a hypocrite to be partial in obedience; some sin he will indulge (2 Kings 5:18), some duty he will dispense with; his obedience is lame on one foot.
3. They should serve God SWIFTLY. Beware of a dull temper of soul; the loveliness of obedience is in the liveliness of it. We read of two women, "The wind was in their wings" (Zech. 5:9). Wings are swift—but wind in the wings denotes great swiftness. Such swiftness should be in our obedience to God. If God spares us as a father does his son, we should serve him as a son does his father.
Second Use: EXHORTATION.
If God spares us as a father does his son—let us imitate God. It is natural for children to imitate their parents; what the father does, the child is apt to learn the same.
Let us imitate God in this one thing—As God spares us, and passes by many failures—so let us be sparing in our censures of others; let us
look upon the weaknesses and indiscretions of our brethren with a more tender compassionate eye.
Indeed, in cases of scandal we ought not to bear with others—but sharply reprove them. But if through inadvertence or passion they act wrongly—let us pity and pray for them. How much God bears with us! He spares us, and shall not we be sparing to others? Perhaps they have been wronged, and false things may be said about them.
Athanasius was falsely accused by the Arians of adultery; Basil was falsely accused of heresy. It is usual for the world to misrepresent the people of God; therefore let us be sparing in our censures. God spares us--and shall not we be sparing towards others?
Third use: COMFORT.
Here is comfort to the children of God in case of failings. The Lord will not be severe to mark what they have done amiss—but will spare them. He passes by many infirmities: "He will rest in his love" (2eph.
3:17); in the original it is, "He will be silent in his love". As if the prophet had said, though the church had her failings—yet God's love was such, that it would not allow him to mention them. God turns a blind eye to our many oversights: "My eye spared them from destruction" (Ezek. 20:17).
I do not speak of presumptuous sins—but of failings such as vain thoughts, deadness in duty, sudden surprises by temptation. These being mourned for, God for Christ's sake will spare us as a father does his son.
This is one of the richest comforts in the Book of God. Who is he who lives—and sins not? How defective we are in our best duties! How full our lives are either of blanks or of blots! Were it not for God's sparing mercy—we would all go to hell. But this text is a choice