Prayer.
"Give ear," etc. There are prayers, some of the most fervent and spiritual, which refuse words, and need not language (Romans 8:26). But God, who hath given speech as the glory of our nature and the principal instrument of human progress, will have us consecrate it to this highest use-converse with our Maker, the Father of our spirits.
I. PRAYER IS PERSONAL CONVERSE WITH GOD. "My voice shalt thou hear" (Psalms 5:3). On this turns the whole reality, efficacy, spiritual benefit, of prayer.
1. Reality. We are not speaking into the air; or to an Infinite Impersonal Power that takes no heed; but to the living God. "He that planted the ear," etc. (Psalms 94:9). To the Father of spirits (Luke 11:13).
2. By efficacy of prayer we mean, not that prayer has a virtue or power of its own, not that God needs instructing what to give, or persuading to give. The very power to pray comes from him. But the earnest desire and pleading request of his children have real value in his sight; as they must have, if "God is love." True, God knows what we need, better than we do; but fervour of desire, perseverance and patient faith in asking, accompanied with childlike resignation to his will, are often the very conditions of its being wise and right (and therefore possible) for God to grant what we ask.
3. The spiritual benefit of prayer is no doubt its chief blessing. Nothing else could bring the soul so near to God. But this benefit turns on its reality and efficacy. God might have given promises without inviting or permitting us to pray; but faith claims and pleads his promises in prayer.
II. PRAYER SHOULD HAVE ITS SET SEASONS, though it should not be confined to any. "In the morning," i.e. every morning. Our day should begin with God (comp. Psalms 55:17; Daniel 6:10).
III. THE HABIT OF PRAYER MUST BE MAINTAINED BY HOLY PURPOSE, STEADFAST RESOLVE. "Will I direct," etc.; order and arrange it, gathering up all my powers to this great employment, this glorious privilege, as happy as holy. God's ear is not chained to a careless prayer, of which the offerer himself makes no account.
God's hatred of sin.
"Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness," etc. It needs courage to preach the severe side of Bible truth. Time was when preaching could not be too severe. Men loved to hear the thunder and see the fire of Sinai. Now it cannot be too flattering and soothing. A view of Divine love is current, not to say fashionable, which tends to reduce it to an easy-going apathetic tolerance, taking little account of the difference between moral good and evil. We need reminding that in God's judgment the opposition is irreconcilable, infinite, eternal. These verses strongly set forth God's hatred of sin.
I. GOD'S HATRED OF SIN IS INSEPARABLE FROM HIS HOLINESS. Having "no pleasure in wickedness" stands here for abhorrence, unchangeable opposition. Were it possible to conceive "a God that hath pleasure in wickedness," this would be the most terrible, hateful, and hideous of all imaginations—an Omnipotent Fiend I Even a wicked man must see that such a thought is monstrous. But if all sympathy with evil is thus abhorrent to the Divine character, the very thought revolting, it follows that sin must be infinitely hateful to God. Not to hate sin is characteristic of a bad man (Psalms 36:4); he finds in himself no standard by which to test and hate it. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil!" (Psalms 97:10).
II. GOD'S HATRED OF SIN DOES NOT CONTRADICT HIS LOVE, but is inseparable from it. Because "God is love," he must desire the happiness of his creatures. But men are created to be happy through holiness. Sin poisons the very source of human happiness; fills the world with strife, injustice, cruelty, vice, disease, want, pain, tears, death. Where would Divine love be if our Maker calm]y looked upon the destruction of all that is best in his creatures, and the wholesale wreck of human happiness? Again, because "God is love," he must desire the love of his children. Love asks love. Sin robs God of his children's love; robs them of the very power of loving him, and of all the joy that can spring only from his love. Because "God is love," he must desire men to know him and converse with him; and in this communion grow up to their true spiritual stature (Ephesians 4:13). Sin tends to banish the knowledge of God from earth; to dry and choke the channel of communion with God (John 17:3; Romans 1:20, Romans 1:21, Romans 1:28; Ephesians 4:18).
III. How CAN HATRED OF EVIL BE RECONCILED WITH LOVE TO THE WRONG-DOER? How separate sin from sinners—the sinner from his sins? The gospel is the answer. By the atonement of the Son of God, and by the renewing power of the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5, Titus 3:6; 1 Corinthians 6:11). The Old Testament Scriptures contain abundant promises of pardon to the penitent; and one wonderful example in King Manasseh (Exodus 34:6, Exodus 34:7; Psalms 32:1-11.; 2 Chronicles 33:12, 2 Chronicles 33:13). But Law, and fear of punishment, were necessarily predominant till "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." On the other hand, never forget that if the sinner will not and cannot separated from his sin, the New Testament is fully as severe as the Old (Matthew 7:23; Matthew 13:49, Matthew 13:50; Romans 2:8, Romans 2:9). The cross, which reveals God's love to sinners, is at the same time the most tremendous of all witnesses against sin (Romans 8:3, Romans 8:4).