Thou Shalt Be Gathered Intothou Shalt Be Gathered Into
God's promise can be fulfilled despite our actions, but our unbelief and choices can limit or hinder it.
F.B. Meyer discusses the paradox of Josiah's death, which was prophesied to be peaceful yet ended in conflict due to his own choices. He emphasizes that while God desires to bless His people, their actions and unbelief can lead to missed blessings and consequences. Meyer warns against having an 'evil heart of unbelief' that can frustrate God's purposes for our lives. He reminds us that God's plans for us are often greater than we can imagine, but we must not limit Him through our own decisions. Ultimately, we have the choice to align with God's will for a life of peace or to face the repercussions of our own folly.
Text
Thou shalt be gathered into
thy grave in peace. 2 Kings xxii. 20.
AS a matter of fact, Josiah's death was not a peaceful one. He persisted in going into conflict with Pharaoh‑necho, king of Egypt, against the latter's earnest remonstrance (see 2 Chron. xxxv. 20‑22); and, in consequence of his hardihood, met his death. His servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo (ch. xxiii. 30). Is there, then, any real contradiction between the prophet's prediction and this sad event?
Certainly not! The one tells us what God was prepared to do for his servant; the other what he brought on himself by his own folly. There are many instances of this change of purpose in the Word of God. One of them is known as "his breach of promise," or "altering of purpose " (Num. xiv. 34, marg.). He would have saved his people from the forty years' wandering in the wilderness, but they made Him to serve with their sins, and wearied Him with their iniquities. He would have gathered Jerusalem as a hen gathers her brood, but she would not.
Let us beware lest, a promise being left us, we should seem to come short of it; lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, and frustrating some blessed purpose of his heart. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him "; but we may limit the Holy One of Israel, and so restrain Him by our unbelief as to stay the mighty works which are in his plan for us. He may desire for us a prosperous life and a peaceful death; but we may close our dying eyes amid disaster and defeat, because we wilfully chose our own way.
Sermon Outline
- Introduction
- God's Promise vs. Human Folly
- Beware of Unbelief
- Limiting God's Plan
Key Quotes
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” — F.B. Meyer
“He may desire for us a prosperous life and a peaceful death; but we may close our dying eyes amid disaster and defeat, because we wilfully chose our own way.” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- We must beware of limiting God's plan for our lives by our unbelief and choices.
- Trusting in God and not wilfully choosing our own way is essential to allowing Him to work in our lives.
- An evil heart of unbelief can lead to frustrating some blessed purpose of God's heart and limiting His plan for our lives.