THINGS THAT PLEASE GOD

1 Sam. 12:22

Morning Meditation 1/19/15

"For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people."

The Children of Israel has sinned against the Lord. What is the first thing you think of when you go astray after God has done such great things for you? There is one thing I know, and you probably do too. God can pull the plug of life from me on the spot and that will end it all for me down here. He also can allow Satan to attack me with severe illness like He did Job. Even in the case of Herod in Acts 12:21-23, "And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." God can strike immediately or He can punish by a prolonged terminal illness. Now I am not saying all illness is chastening. Job's wasn't. There are others that wasn't, like the blind man in John 9. But it can be.

So our text is from Samuel to the people of Israel. Let's back up a little to 1 Samuel 12:16-22, "Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king (confession and acknowledging their sin). And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people." (Parenthesis mine)

Samuel told them that God would not destroy them because "it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people." This is a demonstration of grace in the Old Testament. Grace gives us what we don't deserve and is always one sided. It comes to us from God's side. We do not deserve it. We do nothing in the way of good works to obtain it. It is a matter of confessing our sins and asking God for His mercy. Samuel told Israel it hath pleased the LORD to make you His people. And that is true of any blood bought child of God in our day. It is just as true today as it was in Samuel's day. Thank God for that. First of all,

IT PLEASED GOD TO BRUISE HIS SON

This is the way God will save the believer. Jesus is bruised to pay sins penalty for us. Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."

The word "pleased" translates "chaphets" and means, "to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with." The word "bruise" translates "daka" and means, "to crush, be crushed." The weight of the sins of the world weighed heavy upon the sinless humanity of Jesus. He was forsaken of God and punished beyond human imagination. The world has no idea of the punishment they face when they stand before their creator. Neither do they realize how much God truly loves them and how much He wants to save them. They do not realize that God has to save them in a way that it does not compromise His holiness and justice. The only way this can take place is for someone to be punished and die in their place that God can forgive them because another has suffered as their substitute. When Isaiah said God was pleased to bruise Him, it was because in bruising Him He would make a way for every sinner to be saved. When it says God was pleased, it means that God can forgive me and you and we will be His forever. He looks beyond the suffering of His Son, and is satisfied that His justice on man's behalf has been completely taken care of. This is the reason that it pleased God to bruise His Son.

Next,

IT PLEASED GOD TO MAKE ALL FULNESS TO DWELL IN HIS SON

Paul said in Colossians 1:19, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;"

The word "pleased" translates "eudokeo" and means, "to be well pleased with, take pleasure in." The word "dwell" means, "to settle down and be at home. To dwell permanently."

Barnes notes says, "The meaning is, that he chose to confer on his Son such a rank, that in all things he might have the preeminence, and that there might be in him "all fulness." Hence, by his appointment, he was the agent in creation, and hence he is placed over all things as the head of the church."

Barnes continues, "That in him should all fulness dwell. That in him there should be such dignity, authority, power, and moral excellence as to be fitted to the work of creating the world, redeeming his people, and supplying everything needful for their salvation.

Paul teaches the same thing in Colossians 2:9, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

Robertson's Word Pictures of the Greek New Testament comments: "In this sentence, given as the reason (hoti, because) for the preceding claim for Christ as the measure of human knowledge Paul states the heart of his message about the Person of Christ. There dwells (at home) in Christ not one or more aspects of the Godhead but the very essence of God."

Paul is combating the gnostic heresy by showing that Jesus is not a creature but the Creator, not an emanation from God but God Himself. This being true there is nothing about God that is not found in the person of Christ. The Trinity is one of the most difficult doctrines to explain but it is true that God is One in three persons, i.e., God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And each person (not personality) in the God head shares complete equality. So Paul's teaching here does away completely with the gnostic heresy.

IT PLEASES GOD TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE

1 Corinthians 1:21 says, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

The message that is preached is found in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.."

This passage implies that the use of "excellency of speech and the wisdom of words" can neutralize the effects of the preaching of the cross. It is probably that these things draw attention to the speaker rather than the message that is preached. For this reason Paul says, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." It would be good for us to guard against this in this modern age. The same principle exists today as did then. So if it was possible to detract from the message by the use of excellency of speech and the wisdom of words in that day, why would not the same be true today?

It is mercy and grace that God exercises to make the plan of redemption from our side as simple as believing. This takes all boasting out of it. A college president can say, "I believed and received Christ as my Saviour." And the dumbest most illiterate person in the audience can stand to his feet and answer, "Yes, isn't it wonderful. I did that myself. And God immediately lifted the burden of sin."

It is nothing less than a miracle of a loving merciful grace bestowing Saviour who saves all men alike. He paid the price in full and makes salvation a gift from Him to us whether we be bond or free, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. To God be the glory great things He has done.

IT PLEASES GOD TO REVEAL HIS SON IN THE SAVED ONES

Paul said in Galatians 1:15-16, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:"

Verse 15. But when it pleased God. Paul traced all his hopes of eternal life, and all the good influences which had ever borne upon his mind, to God.

Barnes comments: "Who separated me, etc. That is, who destined me; or who purposed from my very birth that I should be a preacher and an apostle. The meaning is, that God had in his secret purposes set him apart to be an apostle. It does not mean that he had actually called him in his infancy to the work, for this was not so, but that he designed him to be an important instrument in his hands in spreading the true religion. Jeremiah Jer 1:5 was thus set apart, and John the Baptist was thus early designated, for the work which they afterwards performed. It follows from this, that God often, if not always, has purposes in regard to men from their very birth. He designs them for some important field of labour, and endows them at their creation with talents adapted to that.

It is wonderful to know that God has a purpose in the creation of this world and has a purpose in every living soul from their very birth. They must be saved before this can come to fruition but as soon as they embrace the gospel by faith God will begin to work out that plan and we marvel at the ability of the man, but let us not forget that he has nothing that was not given him from the Lord. Paul set the record straight in 1 Cor. 4:7: "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"

There is a sad tendency to glorify a man especially when he dies. People glorify that man and exalt him as one who was some great person. Paul says in this verse that if he was a great preacher and attained a great following and did things that others had tried and couldn't do. He is still just a sinner saved by grace and what he has that produces that greatness AS THE WORLD SEES IT was given to him by God. So all the glory should go to God.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White