June 28

The lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations. - 2 Peter 2:9.

WE have here to consider a gracious assurance, and we observe that “the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” in three ways. The First is, By exemption; that is, by preventing them. This may not seem so easily inferred; but the connection of the words leads to this: Peter is speaking of exemption from sufferings, and shows us how in this way the Lord knows how to deliver his people. Thus, he speaks of Lot being delivered from the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus, he speaks of Noah as being exempted when the flood came upon the world of the ungodly. Thus, he placed a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites, and, while the former were enveloped in darkness, the other had light in all their dwellings. And so in the prophecies of Ezekiel we see how God ordered a mark to be set on the foreheads of the men that sighed for the abominations that were done in the land; and what an order was given to the men who had a weapon,-not to approach any man upon whom was the mark! In public and private calamities God knows how to deliver his people; and with regard to any trial he knows how to screen them, and will do so if it be for their profit. Thus he says, by Isaiah, “Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until these calamities be overpast.”

Secondly, By preservation; not only by exempting them from trials, but in preserving them. Observe in this instance that while the afflictions are not removed, but allowed to continue, his people are kept from the evil of them; and there are many in a state of suffering that can only be preserved by the grace of God. Thus, we may despise the chastening of the Lord, or we may faint in the day of adversity. We may envy others who have not the same trials; we may charge God foolishly, or with being unkind; we may murmur or complain; we may sometimes be ready to look up and curse God to his face.

Now, what a mercy is it in our afflictions to be preserved from all this! It is, therefore, mentioned as a kind of moral wonder with regard to Job, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” What a blessing is it to have realized in our experience the language of Elihu, “He delivereth the poor in his afflictions,” when he does not deliver him out of them! But then there is another way in which he knows how to deliver the godly. This was the case with Job and David, and many others, who could even say, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted” by emancipating them from their sufferings. The apostle therefore tells the Corinthians that “nothing had befallen them but that which was common to man, and that with the temptation God would make a way of escape, so that they might be able to bear it.” We see how often he has delivered his people, according to the instances recorded in Scripture. He knew how to deliver Job and Moses, and the three Hebrew children and Daniel. Many of these deliverances, indeed, were miraculous, and we are not now to look for miracles; but he who performed them is the living God, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He could do now as formerly, and

“Sooner all nature shall change,

Than one of his promises fail.”

Well, this deliverance is twofold,-partial here: from how many afflictions and trials has God already delivered us! but now “the clouds return after the rain.” “Deep calleth unto deep:” as long as we are here we may look for sorrows of some kind or other, but at death the deliverance will be complete. Death is a blessed thing with regard to Christians: it is from all sorrow, and to all joy,-it is from all evil, and to all good,-that death conducts them.

Soon nothing will remain of all the sufferings of the godly but a remembrance of the hand that sustained him under them and that freed him from them. He will then be able exultingly to sing, “Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling;” and then will be fulfilled the promise, “Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more.”