Morning, November 7
Go To Evening Reading
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
Isaiah 49:16
No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word “ Behold ,” is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence.
Zion said, “The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me.” How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What
can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God’s favoured people? The Lord’s loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, “How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the
memorial is set upon my very flesh?” O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most
to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people.
He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes
us doubt him. He never faileth; he is never a dry well; he is never
as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we
are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions,
and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert.
“Behold,” is a word intended to excite admiration . Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may
well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to
the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his
hands. “I have graven thee .” It does not say, “Thy name.” The name is there, but that is not all: “I have graven thee .” See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy
case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses,
thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all
that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever
say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee
upon his own palms?