You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Sermons
I. GOD AS SHEPHERD FOR THE NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE. Shepherding involves competency of knowledge of the district, so as to provide pasture and water. Apply to the provisions made for Israel when journeying through the wilderness - manna, water, meat. These represent our common everyday needs, which truly come by the Shepherd's providing, arranging, and controlling. But a flock has special needs, such as arise from sickness, weather, time of lambs, etc. And so the striking figure is given us of God, "He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd; he shall gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that give suck." Shepherding, then - flock leading - involves that our "God doth provide." "My God shall supply all your needs." II. GOD AS SHEPHERD FOR THE CHANGES OF HIS PEOPLE. This point is specially Eastern. Flocks necessarily kept moving, changing the pasture grounds, because of failing food and need of adjustment to different seasons. In mountain lands the cattle are taken to the higher grounds for the summer months, and brought down into the valleys again before winter sets in. Some of the changes in the circumstances of God's people are made by his providence. There never was an age of greater restlessness and changeableness than this in which we live. Some of the changes come through our own wills and wilfulness; and these changes try the Shepherd. Within the Shepherd's will the sheep have their own will - freedom, in many ways, to follow their own inclination. So we have a large liberty, a measure of free will; but it has always to he kept within the Shepherd's lines. Man's free will must be kept well within God's will. On this side special dealing is sometimes found necessary for the sheep and for God's people. The Shepherd may require to be even rough in his restrainings and restorings. III. GOD AS SHEPHERD FOR THE DANGERS OF HIS PEOPLE. Illustrate from Eastern flocks: day dangers - such as crossing rivers, broken limbs, sudden floods down the wadies, etc.; night dangers - need of finding sheep cotes, gathering brushwood to top the hurriedly raised wall of the fold, watching against wild animals and robbers. But the sheep are not aware of, or fail to estimate, their dangers. All the burden of watching depends on the shepherd. So the dangers of God's people come from (1) what they are; (2) where they are; (3) the relation between what they are and where they are. Their Shepherd knows precisely both them and their circumstances. The faithfulness of our Shepherd only meets with fitting response in our submission and obedience. If God is still leading his people as a flock, two things may be impressed on us. 1. Able to lead is God's attribute. 2. Willing to be led is his people's attitude. - R.T.
My soul refused to be comforted. I. When a man's soul refuses to be comforted, POSSIBLY HE MAY BE RIGHT. He may have a great spiritual sorrow, and some one, who does not at all understand his grief, may proffer to him a consolation which is far too slight. Not knowing how deep the wound is, this foolish physician may think that it can be healed with any common ointments. So, too, it is equally right to refuse to be comforted, when the comfort is untrue. When a man is under a sense of sin, I have known his friends say to him, "You should not fret; you have not been so very bad. You have been, indeed, a very good sort of fellow. You have not committed any very terrible sin; God help the world if you are a great sinner! I do not know what will become of the rest Of us." Another says, "You have only to pray, and go to a place of worship; perhaps be a little more regular in your attention to religion, and it will all come right again; you are not so bad as you think you are." Such talk as that is a lie, and the man whom God has really awakened to feel his state by nature will refuse to be comforted by such falsehoods as those. We have known others who have tried to comfort poor, mourning, repentant sinners in an unhallowed way. They have said, "You want to raise your spirits, I can recommend you some fine old wine; it will do you a world of good." Another will say, "You should really mix a little more in society, and shake yourself up; you should get with some gay, lively people, they would soon take this melancholy out of you." I am sure that a person who is really troubled in spirit will increase his sorrow if he attempts to cure it in that way. It is only putting more fuel on the flame. "In danger every moment of death, and certain that, if death came, I should be lost, can I enjoy mirth? It cannot be!" Refuse every comfort short of being born again, and made a new creature in Jesus.II. But now, I want to show WHEN THIS REFUSAL IS WRONG. PROBABLY HE IS WRONG who says, "My soul refused to be comforted." It is quite wrong if it be a temporal matter that causes your sorrow. Refuse not to be comforted, I pray you; you are only driving the dagger deeper into your wounds. Instead of doing that, think of the mercies that you still have, think of how God can bless your troubles. But now I will suppose that yours is a spiritual trouble. Do not refuse to be comforted, for if you do, you will be spiritually a suicide. The man who will not eat, and so dies of starvation, is as much a suicide as he that puts the pistol to his head, and blows out his brains. III. But now, HAPLY YOU WILL HAVE TO REPENT OF REFUSING TO BE COMFORTED. Possibly you will have to repent it in a very terrible way. Suppose, now, that you should refuse to be comforted, and so should wilfully go into a yet darker and deeper dungeon of despair. Suppose that your Christian friends should grow weary of you. Where would you be then? And suppose that, because you shut your eyes to the light, God should take it away? I do hope that many here present, who have refused to be comforted, will yet regret it when they shall be enjoying the fulness of comfort. "What a fool am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty I I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle." So he pulled it out of his bosom, put it in the lock, opened the door of the dungeon, and they soon passed out. Now, finally, when you and I get to heaven, we shall regret that we ever refused to be comforted. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) I. Concerning so deplorable a state of heart, alas I still so common, we will remark in the first place that IT IS VERY WONDERFUL. It is a most surprising thing that there should be in this world persons who have the richest consolation near to hand, and persistently refuse to partake of it. Doth the ox refuse its fodder? Will the lion turn from his meat? Or the eagle loathe its nest? The refusal of consolation is the more singular because the most admirable comfort is within reach. Sin can be forgiven; sin has been forgiven; Christ has made an atonement for it. It is said that some years ago, a vessel sailing on the northern coast of the South American continent, was observed to make signals of distress. When hailed by another vessel, they reported themselves as "Dying for water!" "Dip it up, then," was the response, "you are in the mouth of the Amazon river." There was fresh water all around them, they had nothing to do but to dip it up, and yet they were dying of thirst, because they thought themselves to be surrounded by the salt sea. How often are men ignorant of their mercies! How sad that they should perish for lack of knowledge! But suppose after the sailors had received the joyful information, they had still refused to draw up the water which was in boundless plenty all around them, would it not have been a marvel? II. Secondly, this wonderful madness has a method in it, and MAY BE VARIOUSLY ACCOUNTED FOR. In many, their refusal to be comforted arises from bodily and mental disease. It is in vain to ply with scriptural arguments those who are in more urgent need of healing medicine, or generous diet, or a change of air. In some the monstrous refusal is suggested by a proud dislike to the plan of salvation. They would be comforted, aye, that they would, but may they not do something to earn eternal life? May they not at least contribute a feeling or emotion? May they not prepare themselves for Christ? In others it is not pride, but an unholy resolve to retain some favourite sin. In some cases we have found out that the sorrowing person indulged still in a secret vice, or kept the society of the ungodly. I fear, in a great many, there is another reason for this refusing to be comforted, namely, a dishonouring unbelief in the love, and goodness, and truthfulness of God. They do not believe God to be gracious; they think Him so stern that a sinner had need plead full many a day before the stern heart of God will be touched. Oh, but you do not know my God! What is He? He is love. Some, however, have refused comfort so long, that they have grown into the habit of despair. Beware of nursing despondency. Does it creep upon you to-day through unbelief? Oh, shake it off if possible! III. This remarkable piece of folly ASSUMES DIVERS FORMS. One is a persistent misrepresentation of the Gospel, as though it claimed some hard thing of us. Another shape of this malady is this: many continually and persistently underestimate the power of the precious blood of Jesus. There are some who will then say, "But I have sinned such and such a sin." What, and cannot the blood of Jesus wash that away? "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men." IV. This refusal to be comforted INVOLVES MUCH OF WRONG. When you hear the Gospel and refuse to be comforted by it, there is a wrong done to the minister of God. He sympathizes with you, he desires to comfort you, and it troubles him when he puts before you the cup of salvation, and you refuse to take it. But worse than that, you wrong God's Gospel. You put it away as though it were a thing of nought. You wrong this precious Bible. It is full of consoling promises, and you read it, and you seem to say, "It is all chaff." Oh, but the Bible does not deserve to have such a slur cast upon it. You do wrong to the dear friends who try to comfort you. Above all, you do wrong to your God, to Jesus, and to His Holy Spirit. The crucifixion of Christ is repeated by your rejection of Christ. V. SUCH A REFUSAL SHOULD NOT BE PERSISTED IN. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) People Aaron, Asaph, Jacob, Jeduthun, Joseph, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Aaron, Asaph, Flock, Guiding, Hast, Lead, Led, Leddest, Maschil, PsalmOutline 1. The psalmist shows what fierce combat he had with distrust10. The victory which he had by consideration of God's great and gracious works. Dictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 77:20 5103 Moses, significance Library June the Eleventh the Path Across the Sea"Thy way is in the sea." --PSALM lxxvii. 11-20. And the sea appears to be the most trackless of worlds! The sea is the very symbol of mystery, the grim dwelling-house of innumerable things that have been lost. But God's way moves here and there across this trackless wild. God is never lost among our mysteries. He knows his way about. When we are bewildered He sees the road, and He sees the end even from the beginning. Even the sea, in every part of it, is the Lord's highway. When His way is in … John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year A Question for a Questioner Ere Another Step I Take Despondency Self-Corrected. --Ps. Lxxvii. A Path in the Sea How the Whole and the Sick are to be Admonished. Letter iii (A. D. 1131) to Bruno, Archbishop Elect of Cologne Letter Xlii to the Illustrious Youth, Geoffrey De Perrone, and his Comrades. Joy Prayer Covenant Duties. The Early Life of Malachy. Having Been Admitted to Holy Orders He Associates with Malchus Of Faith. The Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties. Psalms Links Psalm 77:20 NIVPsalm 77:20 NLT Psalm 77:20 ESV Psalm 77:20 NASB Psalm 77:20 KJV Psalm 77:20 Bible Apps Psalm 77:20 Parallel Psalm 77:20 Biblia Paralela Psalm 77:20 Chinese Bible Psalm 77:20 French Bible Psalm 77:20 German Bible Psalm 77:20 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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