One day in the closed season for hunting, a man passing through the state to his new home in the West shot a quail. The game warden learned about it and arrested him, tried him before a justice He was found guilty and fined. Not having the fine they took his gun and watch till he could raise the amount of his fine.
Two carpenters were building a house for the Justice; one of them hearing about it, and seeing the wife crying as she sat in the wagon waiting for them to be on their way, stepped up to the Justice saying,
“I will pay his fine for him, let him have his watch and gun.”
And that is what they did. The man was guilty, fined and another paid his fine for him.
He then turned to the criminal, the Justice and all those present and preached Christ to them.
A fine illustration of the position and condition of all mankind before a holy, righteous God—guilty, ruined, having nothing with which to pay our debt; can not pay, and Another comes to our rescue and meets the claims of a righous God for us.
In Romans 3 we read all are guilty, all are under condemnation, all have broken God’s holy law.
“There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
We cannot pay the fine; all are as helpless as this man was, so our blessed Lord Jesus said, “I’ll pay the debt.”
But O, what a price He paid! Not a little money like this man did, but He gave His life, shed His own precious blood to pay the great debt we cannot pay. Nothing else, nothing less than His own precious blood which He shed on Calvary for us will meet God’s claims against us,
“Without shedding of blood is no remission” of sins.
O, dear reader, are you one who “has nothing to pay” and owing the great debt? Do you wish your debt canceled for ever? Then hear the gracious invitation,
“Take the guilty sinner’s place, and a guilty sinner’s Saviour claim.”
ML 05/14/1944