Dec. 20
MEN AS MEN; GOD AS GOD
"I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou
shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man
which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that
hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the
earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of
the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury
of the oppressor?" Isa. 51:12 , 13
Let the text itself be taken as the portion for today. There is no
need to enlarge upon it. Trembling one, read it, believe it, feed on
it, and plead it before the Lord. He whom you fear is only a man after
all; while He who promises to comfort you is God, your Maker, and the
Creator of Heaven and earth. Infinite comfort more than covers a very
limited danger.
"Where is the fury of the oppressor?" It is in the Lord's hand. It
is only the fury of a dying creature; fury which will end as soon as
the breath is gone from the nostril. Why, then, should we stand in awe
of one who is as frail as ourselves? Let us not dishonor our God by
making a god of puny man. We can make an idol of a man by rendering to
him excessive fear as well as by paying him inordinate love. Let us
treat men as men, and God as God; and then we shall go calmly on in
the path of duty, fearing the Lord, and fearing nobody else.