"God's Marvelous Kindness."

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WHAT David experienced of God’s loving kindness evidently filled his own heart with admiring wonder. But what has since come to light shows that it is marvelous beyond anything that David experienced of it. Indeed it has been set forth in all its absolute perfection by God’s beloved Son. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:1818No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)). Jesus came from heaven and took human form for that very purpose. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth,” and from His own blessed lips we hear it. “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:99Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? (John 14:9)). That which marked His holy life was kindness to all who came near Him ― ‘marvelous kindness’; kindness expressed both in deeds and words. But the crowning wonder was revealed at the end. Jesus had told them that God is “kind to the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:3535But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)). But if man’s sin is hateful to His holy nature, and righteousness demands that it shall not escape His just judgment, how can He consistently gratify His desire to have man at rest in His presence eternally? How can He express kindness to such beings, and at the same time effectually stop the mouth of the great accuser? The answer is found in the death and resurrection of His beloved Son; and public proclamation is made of the same by the Holy Ghost sent from heaven after the holy Sufferer had been glorified. And the result will be eternally abiding to His praise; for “in the ages to come He will show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:77That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)). Blessed be God, “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” The Holy One of God became a voluntary Surety for the guilty; and “suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust that He might bring us to God.” Thus, at an unutterable cost to Himself, Jesus expressed the kindness of God to sinful men. Even while hanging on the cross of shame, words were heard from His dying lips which are enough to convince the hardest heart that His marvelous kindness remained unchanged, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
This gracious request was simply another lovely witness of His Father’s kindness; and in the repentant robber’s blessing we find a heaven rejoicing answer on the spot. All this was in accord with what had been written of Him in earlier days (see Neh. 9:1717And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. (Nehemiah 9:17)): “Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.”
Then the witness of this kindness did not end with the Saviour’s departure to heaven. Notwithstanding the treatment He had received from the city He wept over, His disciples were “endued with power from on high” to preach remission of sins in His name, and told to “begin at Jerusalem”! Though in the martyrdom of Stephen the same deadly hatred to His name was manifested; through the opened heavens this faithful disciple was given to see his rejected Lord standing at God’s right hand; and kneeling down he cried, in the hearing of his murderers, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” and then, we are told, in the midst of a shower of stones, “he fell asleep” (Acts 7:6060And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:60)). What was this but a continued witness of the marvelous kindness which shone in His gracious Master when He was here. A little later Stephen’s prayer was answered, for one of those prominently identified with this outrage ― Saul of Tarsus ― was arrested on his way to Damascus, where he intended to make further havoc of the saved of the Lord. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” was heard from heaven, and tender pity was in it. “It is hard for thee!” We know the result. He trembled and was astonished. “Trembled” to think of what he was found doing, and astonished to find such gracious kindness in the One he hated. Then, years after, when it came to his lot along with Silas to suffer like treatment at Philippi, the kindness of God was again witnessed. With backs torn by the many stripes laid upon them, they were thrust into the inner prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks; but all this did not make them question God’s kindness: their confidence was still in Him. “They prayed and sang praises to God” at midnight, we are told, and the other prisoners heard them. Then by an earthquake God shook the prison to its foundations; doors were thrown open and bonds were loosed; and when the trembling keeper approached he heard Paul saying with a loud voice, “Do thyself no harm, we are all here.” His heart and conscience were reached, and falling down before them he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The happy result is well known. The repentant jailor welcomed the news with rejoicing. Angels in heaven were witnesses of God’s joy in it, and His servants on earth were permitted to share it. Well may our hearts agree with David when he said, “Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord” (Psa. 107:4343Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord. (Psalm 107:43)).
GEO. C.