If There Be With Him a Messenger,
God's love seeks to hold us back from our purpose, and we need an interpreter, preferably the Holy Spirit, to understand His purpose and dealings.
F.B. Meyer emphasizes the necessity of having a messenger or interpreter to understand God's dealings with humanity, particularly in times of pain and suffering. He explains that God, in His love, seeks to guide us away from destruction, but often we fail to grasp His intentions without help. The role of an interpreter, whether a friend, minister, or the Holy Spirit, is crucial in revealing the meaning behind God's actions and leading us to amend our ways. Meyer encourages believers to seek the Holy Spirit for understanding, as He is the ultimate guide through the complexities of faith and divine providence.
Text
If there be with him a messenger,
an interpreter. Job xxxiii. 23.
GOD is greater than man, and by his love seeks to hold man back from his purpose. Sometimes He comes in the visions of the night; sometimes in pain and sickness. But we are too dull to understand the inner reason of God's endeavours to deliver us from the brink of destruction; and therefore we need an interpreter, one among a thousand, to explain the meaning of his dealings, and to show us the way in which we should amend our ways. How often has the sick visitor, the minister, the friend, interpreted God's purpose, enabling us to see light in his light. There are few higher offices in this world than to act in this way between God and our fellows.
To perform this function, however, we need to understand two languages; the one of the throne, obtained from deep and intimate converse with our Father, while the other is man's native language of pain and sorrow. Each must be spoken perfectly before we can interpret: ‑‑
"And to the height of this great argument
Assert eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to man."
But, as Bunyan truly says, the best Interpreter is the Holy Spirit. As soon as the Pilgrim has passed the Wicket‑gate, he is conducted through the Interpreter's house by the Interpreter Himself. Are you perplexed as to the meaning of God's Word, the dealings of God's providence, the mystery of God's moral government? Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you through chamber after chamber, unfolding to you the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. They are for babes ‑‑ for the childlike and pure in heart. He will show you wondrous things out of his law.
Sermon Outline
- God's Endeavours to Deliver Us
- The Need for an Interpreter
- The Requirements for an Interpreter
- The Best Interpreter
- God's love seeks to hold man back from his purpose
- God's methods of communication: visions, pain, sickness
- Understanding God's purpose requires an interpreter
- The interpreter's office: explaining God's dealings and showing the way to amend our ways
- Understanding two languages: the language of the throne and man's native language
- Speaking both languages perfectly before interpreting
- The Holy Spirit as the best interpreter
- The Holy Spirit's role in leading us through the mysteries of God's Word
Key Quotes
“GOD is greater than man, and by his love seeks to hold man back from his purpose.” — F.B. Meyer
“And to the height of this great argument Assert eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to man.” — F.B. Meyer
“He will show you wondrous things out of his law.” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- We need to seek the Holy Spirit's guidance to understand God's Word and His dealings.
- We must be willing to amend our ways according to God's guidance.
- The Holy Spirit is the best interpreter of God's mysteries.