PROVERBS 21
Verse 28:"A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly." Such an act is forbidden even if it is done in the name of the Lord.
PROVERBS 22
Verse 9:"He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor." May all the parents always practice this verse!
JEREMIAH 26
Verses 2-3:"Thus says Jehovah, Stand in the court of the house of Jehovah and speak to all the cities of Judah, who come to worship in the house of Jehovah, all the words which I command you to speak to them, and do not take away a word. Perhaps they will listen and turn, every one from his evil way, that I may repent of the evil which I intend to do to them because of the evil of their deeds." "Perhaps" --this is a hope. Only by preaching faithfully the whole counsel of God can we hope to save others.
Verse 14:"As for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your eyes." How faithful are the words in verses 12 and 13. "As for me" --if it pleases God that everyone repents, His mission is fulfilled, and it is all right even if I die. This is indeed the "testimony" of those who "loved not their soul-life even unto death" (Rev. 12:11).
Verse 15:"Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and upon her inhabitants; for truly Jehovah has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears." This is not his self-pitying, but a concern for the future of those who tried to take his life. What a love this is! This is not a threat of anger which says, "Kill me..and you will see...."
Verses 23-24:"And they brought Uriah out of Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, and he struck him with the sword and threw his corpse into the graves of the common people. Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hands of the people to put him to death." To the Lord, the testimony of the martyr and that of the living prophets are equally precious.
MATTHEW 8
Verse 1:"And when He came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him." Many were those who followed, but few were there who were true worshippers of the Lord! In fact there was only one.
Verses 8-10:"But the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not fit for You to enter under my roof; but only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it. Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed, Truly I say to you, With no one in Israel have I found such great faith." Faith is not what we see. The Lord’s word does not depend on human feelings. Faith is to care for nothing else and to take the Lord’s word as real.
Verses 31-34:"And the demons entreated Him, saying, If You cast us out, send us into the herd of hogs. And He said to them, Go! And they came out and went into the hogs. And behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep slope into the sea, and they died in the waters. And those who were feeding them fled and went away into the city and reported everything, including what had happened to those possessed by demons. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they entreated Him to depart from their borders." Here are two entreaties: the demons entreated that they be allowed to enter the hogs, and men entreated that the Savior leave them.
MATTHEW 11
Verses 20-24:"Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His works of power took place, because they did not repent: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the works of power which took place in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who have been exalted to heaven, to Hades you will be brought down. For if the works of power which took place in you had taken place in Sodom, it would have remained until today. But I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." The Lord is showing us clearly here the vanity of the result of social services. Who can serve more powerfully than Christ did? Yet what was the result? He had to rebuke the ones whom He served! The Lord’s commandment at present is not to do social service, but to preach the gospel to all nations.
(Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 1) Vol. 07: The Christian (5), Chapter 28, by Watchman Nee)
