The Upper Room Daily Reflections in Nashville, Tennessee, United States: daily words of wisdom and faith for Monday, 3 July 2017 through Sunday, 9 July 2017

The Upper Room Daily Reflections in Nashville, Tennessee, United States: daily words of wisdom and faith for Monday, 3 July 2017 through Sunday, 9 July 2017

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"God’s Grace" for Sunday, 9 July 2017
Today’s Reflection:
WE ARE CREATED with a deep need to be loved. There are two radically different kinds of love: conditional and unconditional. Conditional love involves bargaining, and there are conditions that we must meet in order to receive love from others. … Such conditional living is exhausting, involving a treadmill of constant doing in order to earn and maintain love. …
Unconditional love is radically different, involving a conversion of our motives. The Christian dynamic is “not that we loved God but that he loved us” (1 John 4:10). Unconditional love is a gift in which the initiative is God’s and not ours. … Human love always expects something in return, yet God’s love does not. Grace is the name for God’s incredible love. … God loves us because of who God is, not because of who we are or what we have done. [W. Paul Jones, Becoming Who God Wants You to Be]
From pages 54-55 of Becoming Who God Wants You to Be: 60 Meditations for Personal Spiritual Direction by W. Paul Jones. Copyright © 2013 by W. Paul Jones. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Can human beings love unconditionally? Can we love as God loves?
Today’s Scripture:
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:29-30, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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"The Sign of the Cross" for Saturday, 8 July 2017
Today’s Reflection:
A FORM OF PREPARATION for prayer, practiced from time immemorial by Roman Catholics and increasingly used by thoughtful non-Catholics, is to make the sign of the cross on oneself as a confession of obedience to the Christian way. This is accomplished by placing the thumb against the first two fingers of the right hand and thoughtfully touching the forehead, the heart, the left side of the chest, and the right side of the chest.
I once heard a nun, who had been a Protestant and a homemaker until she was 40 years old, say that she wished her Protestant friends were not so afraid of this simple gesture of relationship to Christ. Even if she were to leave the Roman Catholic church, she said, she would continue to make the sign of the cross before prayers, for she found the inward dimension of this symbolic action exceedingly helpful. [John Killinger, Beginning Prayer]
From pages 31-32 of Beginning Prayer by John Killinger. Copyright © 2012 by John Killinger. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Why is this gesture helpful to some Christians?
Today’s Scripture:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” [Matthew 11:28, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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"The Benefits of Waiting" for Friday, 7 July 2017
Today’s Reflection:
WE CANNOT ESCAPE WAITING. Such is life. We are always waiting.
What can we learn from this truth that all would prefer not to have to endure? On the one hand, it encourages us to pay attention. It reminds us that we need to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In so doing, we learn to see through the eyes of discernment.
Above all, waiting can teach us that God’s love will lead us. A mutual relationship with God will lead us to green pastures and wells of abundant grace that anoint us with God’s unending provision and love. [Disciplines 2017]
From the devotion for July 4, “Trust in God’s Leading” by Marysol Diaz, page 225 in The Upper Room Disciplines: A Book of Daily Devotions. Copyright © 2016 by Upper Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
What have you learned from waiting?
Today’s Scripture:
Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! [Romans 7:24-25a, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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"God’s Love for Us" for Thursday, 6 July 2017
Today’s Reflection:
THERE IS NO creature made that can understand how much and how sweetly and how tenderly our Maker loves us. And so we may with God’s grace and help stand in spiritual beholding with everlasting marveling at this high, surpassing, immeasurable love that our good Lord has for us. And therefore we may ask of our Lover with reverence all that we will, for our natural will is to have God, and God’s good will is to have us, and we can never cease willing or loving until we have God in the fullness of joy. [Writings of Julian of Norwich]
From page 19 of Writings of Julian of Norwich, edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 1998 by Upper Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Contemplate the love God has for you.
Today’s Scripture:
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. [Romans 7:15, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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"Control" Wednesday, 4 July 2017
Today’s Reflection
AS YOU GO about your day, remember that we are not in control of life. We can control only one thing: how we respond to life. Take responsibility for responding in a manner that would please God, and trust that all else is in God’s hands. If God wants you to accomplish something, trust that it will be accomplished. [Christopher Maricle, The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits]
From page 106 of The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits by Christopher Maricle. Copyright © 2007 by Christopher Maricle. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
What area of your life needs you to “take responsibility for responding in a manner that would please God?”
Today’s Scripture:
I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever. [Psalm 45:17, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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"Make Me Worthy, Lord" for Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Today’s Reflection:
MAKE ME WORTHY, Lord, to serve you and all the world’s people who live and die in loneliness, hunger, poverty, and sickness. Give them through my hands this day their daily bread, and by my love, give them peace and joy. Amen. [A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God]
From page 48 of A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God by Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck. Copyright © 2003 by Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. MAKE ME WORTHY, Lord, to serve you and all the world’s people who live and die in loneliness, hunger, poverty, and sickness. Give them through my hands this day their daily bread, and by my love, give them peace and joy. Amen. 
Today’s Scripture:
With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. [Psalm 45:15, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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"Writings of John of the Cross" for Monday, 3 July 2017
Today’s Reflection:
ENDEAVOR TO BE INCLINED ALWAYS:
not to the easiest, but to the most difficult;
not to the most delightful, but to the most distasteful;
not to the most gratifying, but to the less pleasant;
not to what means rest for you, but to hard work;
not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling;
not to the most, but to the least;
not to the highest and most precious, but to the lowest and most despised;
not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing. [Writings of John of the Cross]
From page 31 of Writings of John of the Cross, edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 2000 by Upper Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
What endeavor would you add?
Today’s Scripture:“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.'”[Genesis 24:45, NRSV]
This Week: pray to be an instrument of God’s work.
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Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.
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This week we remember: Alice Paul (July 09).
Alice Paul
July 09
Alice Paul (1885-1977) was a leader in the woman's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family, Alice graduated from Swarthmore College, and continued her education in social work, sociology, and economics. She received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania with a dissertation on "The Legal Position of Women in Pennsylvania." Paul also received two advanced law degrees from American University.
As a leader in the Women's Social and Political Union, Alice pressed for women's right to vote. She organized demonstrations and nonviolent civil disobedience, picketed in front of the White House with signs such as "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?" She was arrested numerous times for "obstructing traffic," spent months at a time in prison, staged a hunger fight, endured force feeding, and was brutalized by prison guards. She continued to demand full freedom for women.
When the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, women finally had the right to vote. For the rest of her life, Alice continued to work for women's rights around the world. She helped Jewish refugees during World War II, fought for the Equal Rights Amendment, and protested the Vietnam War. She died at the age of 92.
If Alice Paul had taken the Spiritual Types Test, she probably would have been a Prophet. Alice Paul is remembered on July 9.
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Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Sunday,9 July 2017
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost, Year A
"From Chaos to Community: Legacy"
Like all human families, the first families of our faith tradition were not perfect. They had their share of failure and struggles, just like everyone else. But throughout it all they knew the abiding presence of the Lord God was with them—perhaps most clearly known during moments of difficult decision, rites of passage, and periods of painful transition.
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES:
Genesis 24:34-38
Psalm 45:10-17 or Psalm 72 (UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL 795 by Gary Alan Smith)

"You Said" 

(originally by Reuben Morgan)

1. You said, "Ask and you will receive

Whatever you need"

You said, "Pray and I'll hear from Heaven

And I'll heal your land"

2. You said, Your glory will fill the earth

Like water, the sea

You said, "Lift up your eyes

The harvest is here, yes the Kingdom is near"

3. You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you"

Oh, Lord, that's the cry of my heart

Distant shores and the islands will see

Your light, as it rises on us

4. You said, Your glory will fill the earth

Like water the sea

You said, "Lift up your eyes

The harvest is here, the Kingdom is near"

5. You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you"

Oh, Lord, that's the cry of my heart

Distant shores and the islands will see

Your light, as it rises on us

6. You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you"

Oh, Lord, that's the cry of my heart

Distant shores and the islands will see

Your light, as it rises on us

7. You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you"

Oh, Lord, that's the cry of my heart

Distant shores and the islands will see

Your light, as it rises on us

You said that we believe

8. Oh, Lord, I ask for the nation

Oh, Lord, I ask for the nation

Even though you were there Lord

Oh, Lord, I ask for the nation

Oh, Lord, I ask for the nation

Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

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SCRIPTURAL TEXTS: Genesis 24:34 He said, “I am Avraham’s servant. 35 Adonai has greatly blessed my master, so that he has grown wealthy. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah my master’s wife bore my master a son when she was old, and he has given him everything he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You are not to choose a wife for my son from among the women of the Kena‘ani, among whom I am living; 38 rather, you are to go to my father’s house, to my kinsmen, to choose a wife for my son.’
Psalm 45:10 (9) Daughters of kings are among your favorites;

at your right stands the queen in gold from Ofir.

11 (10) Listen, daughter! Think, pay attention!

Forget your own people and your father’s house,

12 (11) and the king will desire your beauty;

for he is your lord, so honor him.

13 (12) Then the daughter of Tzor, the richest of peoples,

will court your favor with gifts.

14 (13) Inside [the palace], the king’s daughter looks splendid,

attired in checker-work embroidered with gold.

15 (14) In brocade, she will be led to the king,

to you, with the virgins in her retinue.

16 (15) They will be led in with gladness and joy,

they will enter the king’s palace.

17 (16) You will have sons to succeed your ancestors;

you will make them princes in all the land.

18 (17) I will make your name known through all generations;

thus the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

Psalm 72:1 (0) By Shlomo:

(1) God, give the king your fairness in judgment,

endow this son of kings with your righteousness,

2 so that he can govern your people rightly

and your poor with justice.

3 May mountains and hills provide your people

with peace through righteousness.

4 May he defend the oppressed among the people,

save the needy and crush the oppressor.

5 May they fear you as long as the sun endures

and as long as the moon, through all generations.

6 May he be like rain falling on mown grass,

like showers watering the land.

7 In his days, let the righteous flourish

and peace abound, till the moon is no more.

8 May his empire stretch from sea to sea,

from the [Euphrates] River to the ends of the earth.

9 May desert-dwellers bow before him;

may his enemies lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and the coasts will pay him tribute;

the kings of Sh’va and S’va will offer gifts.

11 Yes, all kings will prostrate themselves before him;

all nations will serve him.

12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry,

the poor too and those with none to help them.

13 He will have pity on the poor and needy;

and the lives of the needy he will save.

14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence;

their blood will be precious in his view.

15 May [the king] live long!

May they give him gold from the land of Sh’va!

May they pray for him continually;

yes, bless him all day long.

16 May there be an abundance of grain in the land,

all the way to the tops of the mountains.

May its crops rustle like the L’vanon.

May people blossom in the city like the grasses in the fields.

17 May his name endure forever,

his name, Yinnon, as long as the sun.[Psalm 72:17 Or: “May his name flourish/propagate as long as the sun.” Jewish tradition considers Yinnon a name of the Messiah.]

May people bless themselves in him,

may all nations call him happy.

18 Blessed be Adonai, God,

the God of Isra’el,

who alone works wonders.

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever,

and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen. Amen.

20 This completes the prayers of David the son of Yishai.

Romans 7:15 I don’t understand my own behavior — I don’t do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate! 16 Now if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am agreeing that the Torah is good. 17 But now it is no longer “the real me” doing it, but the sin housed inside me. 18 For I know that there is nothing good housed inside me — that is, inside my old nature. I can want what is good, but I can’t do it! 19 For I don’t do the good I want; instead, the evil that I don’t want is what I do! 20 But if I am doing what “the real me” doesn’t want, it is no longer “the real me” doing it but the sin housed inside me. 21 So I find it to be the rule, a kind of perverse “torah,” that although I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me! 22 For in my inner self I completely agree with God’s Torah; 23 but in my various parts, I see a different “torah,” one that battles with the Torah in my mind and makes me a prisoner of sin’s “torah,” which is operating in my various parts. 24 What a miserable creature I am! Who will rescue me from this body bound for death? 25 Thanks be to God [, he will]! — through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord!

To sum up: with my mind, I am a slave of God’s Torah; but with my old nature, I am a slave of sin’s “Torah.”

Matthew 11:16 “Oh, what can I compare this generation with? They’re like children sitting in the marketplaces, calling out to each other,

17 ‘We made happy music,

    but you wouldn’t dance!

We made sad music,

    but you wouldn’t cry!’

18 For Yochanan came, fasting, not drinking — so they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came, eating freely and drinking wine — so they say, ‘Aha! A glutton and a drunkard! A friend of tax-collectors and sinners!’ Well, the proof of wisdom is in the actions it produces.”

25 It was at that time that Yeshua said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you concealed these things from the sophisticated and educated and revealed them to ordinary folks. 26 Yes, Father, I thank you that it pleased you to do this.

27 “My Father has handed over everything to me. Indeed, no one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.[Matthew 11:29 Jeremiah 6:16] 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Genesis 24:34-38

Verse 34

[34] And he said, I am Abraham's servant.

I am Abraham' servant — Abraham's name, no doubt, was well known among them, and respected; and we may suppose them not altogether ignorant of his state, for Abraham knew theirs, Genesis 22:20.

Psalm 45:10-17

Verse 10

[10] Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;

Hearken — The prophet having hitherto spoken to the bridegroom, now addresseth his speech to the bride.

O daughter — He speaks like an elder person, and as her spiritual father and counsellor.

Incline — He uses several words, signifying the same thing, to shew his vehement desire of her good.

Forget — Comparatively.

Verse 11

[11] So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

So — So thou shalt be acceptable to thy husband; which will abundantly recompence thee, for the loss of thy father's house.

Thy Lord — As he is thy husband, and also as he is thy king, and God.

Verse 12

[12] And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.

The daughter — The people of Tyre; as the daughter of Zion or Jerusalem, are put for their inhabitants: he mentions the Tyrians; because they among others, and before many others, were to be converted to Christ, but they are here put for all the Gentiles, whom that city fitly represents, as being the mart of the nations.

A gift — To testify their homage.

The rich — Of other nations.

Verse 13

[13] The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

Daughter — The spouse; so called, because she was the daughter of one king, and the wife of another.

Within — In her soul.

Her cloathing — She is outwardly adorned with virtuous and honourable actions.

Verse 14

[14] She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

Brought — He alludes to the custom of conducting the bride to the bride-groom's house.

Companions — Her bride-maidens attending upon her.

Verse 16

[16] Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

Instead — Having directed his speech to the bride, he now returns to the bridegroom, as may be gathered both from the Hebrew words, which are of the masculine gender; and from the next verse, which unquestionably belongs unto him, and therefore this cannot be understood of Solomon, and his marriage with Pharaoh's daughter, because he had no children by her, and but very few by all his wives and concubines; and his children were so far from being made Princes in all the earth, that they enjoyed but a small part of their father's dominions, but this was fully accomplished in Christ: who instead of his fathers of the Jewish nation, had a numerous posterity of Christians of all the nations of the earth, which here and elsewhere are called princes and kings, because of their great power with God and with men.

Verse 17

[17] I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Remembered — As he began the psalm with the celebration of the king's praises, so now he ends with it, and adds this important circumstance, that this nuptial song should not only serve for the present solemnity, but should be remembered and sung in all successive generations.

 or 

Psalm 72

Verse 1

[1] Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

Judgments — He saith judgments in the plural number, because though the office of judging and ruling was but one, yet there were divers parts and branches, of it; in all which he begs that Solomon may be directed to do as God would have him to do.

Verse 2

[2] He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

Thy afflicted ones — For such are thine in a special manner, thou art their judge and patron.

Verse 3

[3] The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

The mountains — Which are so dangerous to passengers, in regard of robbers and wild beasts. Hereby it is implied, that other places should do so too, and that it should be common and universal.

Verse 4

[4] He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

Judge — Vindicate them from their oppressors.

Verse 5

[5] They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

Thee — Thee, O God, this shall be another blessed fruit of this righteous government, that together with peace, true religion shall be established, and that throughout all generations, which was begun in Solomon's days, but not fully accomplished 'till Christ came.

Verse 6

[6] He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

He shall come — Christ did come down from heaven, and brought or sent down from heaven his doctrine, (which is often compared to rain) and the sweet and powerful influences of his spirit.

Verse 8

[8] He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Dominion — From one sea to another, or in all the parts of the habitable world. This was accomplished in Christ, and in him only.

The river — Euphrates: which was the eastern border of the kingdom of Canaan, allotted by God, but enjoyed only by David, Solomon, and Christ. Of whose kingdom this may be mentioned, as one of the borders; because the kingdom of Christ is described under the shadow of Solomon's kingdom.

Verse 10

[10] The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

The sea — Of remote countries, to which they used to go from Canaan by sea; which are frequently called isles in scripture; the kings that rule by sea or by land.

Verse 11

[11] Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

All nations — Which cannot be said of Solomon with any truth or colour, but was unquestionably verified in Christ,

Verse 14

[14] He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

Deceit and violence — The two ways whereby the lives of men are usually destroyed.

Precious — He will not be prodigal of the lives of his subjects, but like a true father of his people, will tenderly preserve them, and severely avenge their blood upon those who shall shed it.

Verse 15

[15] And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

Live — Long and prosperous, as Solomon: yea, eternally as Christ.

Gold — This was done to Solomon, 1 Kings 10:15, and to Christ, Matthew 2:11. But such expressions as these being used of Christ and his kingdom, are commonly understood in a spiritual sense.

Verse 16

[16] There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

A handful — This intimates the small beginnings of his kingdom; and therefore does not agree to Solomon, whose kingdom was in a manner as large at the beginning of his reign, as at the end, but it exactly agrees to Christ.

The earth — Sown in the earth.

Mountains — In the most barren grounds.

Shake — It shall yield such abundance of corn, that the ears being thick and high, shall, when they are shaken with the wind, make a noise not unlike that which the tops of the trees of Lebanon, sometimes make.

Of the city — The citizens of Jerusalem, which are here put for the subjects of this kingdom.

Verse 20

[20] The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

The prayer — This psalm is the last which David composed: for this was wrote but a little before his death.

Romans 7:15-25a

Verse 16

[16] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

It is good — This single word implies all the three that were used before, Romans 7:12, "holy, just, and good."

Verse 17

[17] Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

It is no more I that can properly be said to do it, but rather sin that dwelleth in me — That makes, as it were, another person, and tyrannizes over me.

Verse 18

[18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

In my flesh — The flesh here signifies the whole man as he is by nature.

Verse 21

[21] I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

I find then a law — An inward constraining power, flowing from the dictate of corrupt nature.

Verse 22

[22] For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

For I delight in the law of God — This is more than "I consent to," Romans 7:16. The day of liberty draws near.

The inward man — Called the mind, Romans 7:23,25.

Verse 23

[23] But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

But I see another law in my members — Another inward constraining power of evil inclinations and bodily appetites.

Warring against the law of my mind — The dictate of my mind, which delights in the law of God.

And captivating me — In spite of all my resistance

Verse 24

[24] O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Wretched man that I am — The struggle is now come to the height; and the man, finding there is no help in himself, begins almost unawares to pray, Who shall deliver me? He then seeks and looks for deliverance, till God in Christ appears to answer his question. The word which we translate deliver, implies force. And indeed without this there can be no deliverance.

The body of this death — That is, this body of death; this mass of sin, leading to death eternal, and cleaving as close to me as my body to my soul. We may observe, the deliverance is not wrought yet.

Verse 25

[25] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord — That is, God will deliver me through Christ. But the apostle, as his frequent manner is, beautifully interweaves his assertion with thanksgiving;' the hymn of praise answering in a manner to the voice of sorrow, "Wretched man that I am!" So then - He here sums up the whole, and concludes what he began, Romans 7:7.

I myself — Or rather that I, the person whom I am personating, till this deliverance is wrought.

Serve the law of God with my mind — My reason and conscience declare for God.

But with my flesh the law of sin — But my corrupt passions and appetites still rebel. The man is now utterly weary of his bondage, and upon the brink of liberty.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Verse 16

[16] But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

This generation — That is, the men of this age. They are like those froward children of whom their fellows complain, that they will be pleased no way.

Verse 18

[18] For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

John came neither eating nor drinking — In a rigorous austere way, like Elijah.

And they say, He hath a devil — Is melancholy, from the influence of an evil spirit.

Verse 19

[19] The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

The Son of man came eating and drinking — Conversing in a free, familiar way.

Wisdom is justified by her children — That is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by those who are truly wise.

Verse 25

[25] At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Jesus answering — This word does not always imply, that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the speaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding. The following words Christ speaks in reference to the case of the cities above mentioned: I thank thee - That is, I acknowledge and joyfully adore the justice and mercy of thy dispensations: Because thou hast hid - That is, because thou hast suffered these things to be hid from men, who are in other respects wise and prudent, while thou hast discovered them to those of the weakest understanding, to them who are only wise to Godward. Luke 10:21.

Verse 27

[27] All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

All things are delivered to me — Our Lord, here addressing himself to his disciples, shows why men, wise in other things, do not know this: namely, because none can know it by natural reason: none but those to whom he revealeth it.

Verse 28

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Come to me — Here he shows to whom he is pleased to reveal these things to the weary and heavy laden; ye that labour - After rest in God: and are heavy laden - With the guilt and power of sin: and I will give you rest - I alone (for none else can) will freely give you (what ye cannot purchase) rest from the guilt of sin by justification, and from the power of sin by sanctification.

Verse 29

[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Take my yoke upon you — Believe in me: receive me as your prophet, priest, and king.

For I am meek and lowly in heart — Meek toward all men, lowly toward God: and ye shall find rest - Whoever therefore does not find rest of soul, is not meek and lowly. The fault is not in the yoke of Christ: but in thee, who hast not taken it upon thee. Nor is it possible for any one to be discontented, but through want of meekness or lowliness.

Verse 30

[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

For my yoke is easy — Or rather gracious, sweet, benign, delightful: and my burden - Contrary to those of men, is ease, liberty, and honour.

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