When Thou Teachest Them the Good Way
God often teaches us through affliction and disappointment, but His desire is to instruct and guide us through His Word and Spirit.
F.B. Meyer emphasizes that God often teaches us the good way through affliction, as seen in the biblical account of Elijah, where drought was a means to bring Israel back to God. He suggests that our disappointments and pain may not be acts of wrath but rather expressions of divine love, guiding us away from the futility of idol-worship and towards wisdom. Meyer encourages believers to recognize that God desires to instruct us gently through His Word and Spirit, rather than resorting to severe measures. The sermon calls for self-reflection and a return to God, highlighting the importance of learning from our experiences rather than facing harsh consequences. Ultimately, it is a reminder to seek God's guidance willingly to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Text
When Thou teachest them the good way
wherein they should walk. 2 Chron. vi. 27 (R.V.).
THIS sentence is exactly parallel with the previous one, When Thou dost afflict them. The obvious meaning then is, that God sometimes taught Israel the good way wherein they should walk, by afflicting them and shutting up the heaven so that there was no rain. This was notably the case in the day.s of Elijah. Possibly, these words were in his heart, when be prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not for the space of three years and six months. Perhaps the prophet felt that in no other away could the people be brought back to their senses, and reconciled to God, except by learning the futility of idol‑worship. So he asked God to teach them the good way, by shutting up the bad one.
What a lesson for ourselves: God often teaches us by bitter disappointment and pain. Our familiar paths are barricaded by thorns, our familiar hidingplaces are blocked up, our fountains are poisoned, and all our pleasant things are laid waste. We sometimes suppose that this is in wrath; may it not rather be in love? God is reaching us the good by us the evil; is urging us to tread in the pleasant ways of wisdom, by allowing us to prove the sharp flints and thorns of transgression. Then Ephraim bemoans himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed to the yoke: turn Thou me, and I shall be turned. Then the soul cries, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now.
Sit in God's school, and learn from his Word and Spirit, that He may not be compelled to have recourse to such severe measures as these. Why shouldst thou be afflicted, when He is willing to instruct and teach thee in the way that thou shouldst go!
Sermon Outline
- God's Teaching Methods
- Lessons for ourselves
- God's desire for our instruction
- Avoiding severe measures
- Seeking instruction through God's Word and Spirit
Key Quotes
“God often teaches us by bitter disappointment and pain.” — F.B. Meyer
“God is reaching us the good by us the evil; is urging us to tread in the pleasant ways of wisdom, by allowing us to prove the sharp flints and thorns of transgression.” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- Seek instruction from God through His Word and Spirit to avoid affliction and pain.
- Recognize that disappointment and pain can be opportunities for growth and learning.
- Trust in God's love and desire to guide you, rather than assuming His actions are in wrath.