Evening and Morning
By Charles
Haddon Spurgeon
April 18
Morning
"She bound the scarlet line in the
window."—Joshua 2:21.
Rahab depended for her
preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the
representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was
very obedient. To tie the scarlet line in the window was a very trivial act in
itself, but she dared not run the risk of omitting it. Come, my soul, is there
not here a lesson for thee? Hast thou been attentive to all thy Lord's will,
even though some of His commands should seem non-essential? Hast thou observed
in his own way the two ordinances of believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper?
These neglected, argue much unloving disobedience in thy heart. Be henceforth
in all things blameless, even to the tying of a thread, if that be matter of
command.
This act of Rahab sets forth a yet more solemn lesson. Have I
implicitly trusted in the precious blood of Jesus? Have I tied the scarlet
cord, as with a Gordian knot in my window, so that my trust can never be
removed? Or can I look out towards the Dead Sea of my sins, or the Jerusalem of
my hopes, without seeing the blood, and seeing all things in connection with
its blessed power? The passer-by can see a cord of so conspicuous a colour, if it hangs from the window: it will be well for me
if my life makes the efficacy of the atonement conspicuous to all onlookers.
What is there to be ashamed of? Let men or devils gaze if they will, the blood
is my boast and my song. My soul, there is One who will see that scarlet line,
even when from weakness of faith thou canst not see it thyself; Jehovah, the
Avenger, will see it and pass over thee. Jericho's walls fell flat: Rahab's house was on the wall, and yet it stood unmoved; my
nature is built into the wall of humanity, and yet when destruction smites the
race, I shall be secure. My soul, tie the scarlet
thread in the window afresh, and rest in peace.
Evening
"And thou saidst, I
will surely do thee good."—Genesis 32:12.
When Jacob was on the other
side of the brook Jabbok, and Esau was coming with
armed men, he earnestly sought God's protection, and as a master reason he
pleaded, "And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee
good." Oh, the force of that plea! He was holding God to His
word—"Thou saidst." The attribute of
God's faithfulness is a splendid horn of the altar to lay hold upon; but the
promise, which has in it the attribute and something more, is a yet mightier
holdfast—"Thou saidst, I will surely do
thee good." And has He said, and shall He not do it? "Let God
be true, and every man a liar." Shall not He be true? Shall He
not keep His word? Shall not every word that cometh out of His lips stand fast
and be fulfilled? Solomon, at the opening of the temple, used this same mighty
plea. He pleaded with God to remember the word which
He had spoken to his father David, and to bless that place. When a man gives a
promissory note, his honour is engaged; he signs his
hand, and he must discharge it when the due time comes, or else he loses
credit. It shall never be said that God dishonours
His bills. The credit of the Most High never was impeached, and never shall be.
He is punctual to the moment: He never is before His time, but He never is
behind it. Search God's word through, and compare it with the experience of
God's people, and you shall find the two tally from the first to the last. Many
a hoary patriarch has said with Joshua, "Not one thing hath failed of all
the good things which the Lord your God spake
concerning you; all are come to pass." If you have a divine promise, you
need not plead it with an "if," you may urge it with certainty. The
Lord meant to fulfil the promise, or He would not
have given it. God does not give His words merely to quiet us, and to keep us
hopeful for awhile with the intention of putting us
off at last; but when He speaks, it is because He means to do as He has said.