September 7—Morning—Malachi 2:16

"For the Lord, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce."—Malachi 2:16.

And well it is for you, my soul, that he does: for if the Lord God of Israel had dealt with you once as you have always dealt with him, you would have been ruined forever. But what is the cause of your mercies? Is it not the covenant faithfulness of God your Father, founded in his own everlasting love, secured by his promise and his oath to Jesus, and established in his blood and righteousness? Is this why the Lord God of Israel hates divorce? Is this why God rests in his love? Oh, for grace to see the cause, to adore the mercy; and where the Lord God of Israel rests, there, my soul, you must rest also.

See to it, my soul, that your life of faith and your life of hope are both founded in Jesus, not in your sense of these precious things. The things themselves remain the same, however different your view of them may be at different times. The everlasting worth, the everlasting efficacy of Jesus's blood and righteousness are always the same; and his people's interest in it is the same, although, from the different views we have of it, at different times, it seems as if it were sometimes lost, and our own state worsens.

My soul, on such occasions, call to mind this sweet scripture: "The Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce." Observe, the Lord not only hates divorce but says it so that his people may know and properly value his unchanging love. Oh, to cry out with the assurance of this precious truth and feel the blessedness of what the Lord said through his servant the prophet: "The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty; he will save; he will rejoice over you with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing."

September 7—Evening—1 Samuel 9:13

"For the people will not eat until he comes, because he blesses the sacrifice; and afterward they eat who are invited."—1 Samuel 9:13.

I do not know how scrupulous the Israelites were about not partaking of the sacrifice until the prophet Samuel had blessed it in the name of the Lord; but I do know that no offering, under the gospel dispensation, can be profitable or blessed until Jesus is first seen in it and first enjoyed in it too. Surely, dear Lord, you are the all in all of everything that is sacred, blessed, and significant. You are the altar, the sacrificer, and the sacrifice! And it can only be from your blessing upon our poor ordinances, when we hold a feast upon your one all-sufficient sacrifice, that any real enjoyment of a spiritual nature can be found in them.

Neither, Lord, until I hear your bidding, can I venture to eat. If Jesus indeed says, "Eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved," then I feel confident in your welcome to every gospel feast, and I "sit down under your shadow with great delight, and your fruit is sweet to my taste." Come then, dear Lord! Come to your own banquet, to your church, your table, your house of prayer, your ordinances! Come and bless your people, and command a blessing upon all your own appointments, and all will be truly blessed!

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by Robert Hawker