God's Entreaties

But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people. 

Rom 10:21

 

 

God's entreaties

 

Nothing can be more wonderful. That man should stretch out his hands to God—the dependent and sinful creature supplicating the supremely righteous and holy Creator—this is as it ought to be. But here—the Creator stretches out His hands to the creature; God entreats man; the offended Sovereign beseeches the offending subject! But is there not something still more wonderful, that He should have to complain of want of success? Yet such was the mournful fact! God's entreaties were—

I. Condescending. When a father entreats a child, a master a servant, a monarch, a subject, there is condescension. But what is all the condescension of creature to creature?—of creature the most exalted to creature the most insignificant and mean? But what is the difference between any one creature and any other, compared with the difference between the Eternal God and the highest of them all?

II. Forbearing—for there was a principle in the Divine nature, that drew powerfully in the opposite direction—God's infinite hatred of sin. His whole conduct was but a practical utterance of the pathetic pleading—"How shall I give thee up." (Hos 11:8-9).

III. Earnest. The posture or attitude expresses this.

IV. Perseveringly importunate. "All day long," etc.

V. Disinterested. When we hear of "calling" and "stretching out the hands" to another, we naturally think of some deep-felt want, or some suffered or dreaded evil; of which the supply is earnestly desired, or the endurance deprecated. A starving man stretches out his hand for food; the oppressed for deliverance; the slave for freedom; the criminal for pardon; the victim of assassination for life. But does God need anything from His creatures? They needed Him; not He them. The danger was on their part, not on His; the damage resulting from their refusal to hear Him, all their own. The sum of His entreaties is, "Do thyself no harm," and His kind assurance, in beseeching them to obey His voice—"I will do you no hurt." Far was it from His heart to do them hurt. Judgment was His strange work. His threatenings and His solicitations were alike in mercy.

(R. Wardlaw, D.D.)

 

 

Deafness to God's appeals

God offers not only a truce, but a peace, and has been most active in urging a reconciliation. Can He manifest His willingness in clearer methods than that of sending His Son to reconcile the world to Himself? Can He evidence more sincerity than by His repeated and reiterated pressing of our souls to the acceptance of Him? God knocks at our hearts, and we are deaf to Him; He thunders in our ears, and we regard Him not; He waits upon us for our acceptance of His love, and we grow more mad against Him; He beseeched us, and we ungratefully and proudly reject Him; He opens His bosom, and we turn our backs; He offers us His pearls, and we tread them under our feet; He would clothe us with pure linen, but we would still wear our foul rags; He would give us angels' bread, and we feed on husks with swine. The wisdom of God shines upon us, and we account it foolishness; the infinite kindness of God courts us, and we refuse it, as if it were the greatest cruelty. Christ calls and begs, and we will not hear Him either commanding or entreating. To love God is our privilege, and though it be our indispensable duty, yet it had been a presumption in us to aspire so high as to think the casting our earthly affections upon so transcendent an object, should be dear to Him, had He not authorized it by His command, and encouraged it by His acceptance. But it is strange that God should court us by such varieties of kindness to that, wherein not His happiness, but our affection does consist; and much stranger, that such pieces of earth and clay should turn their backs upon so admirable an object, and be enemies to Him, who displays himself in so many allurements to their souls, and fix their hatred upon that tender God who sues for their affections. (S. Charnock.)