Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

December 20
Men As Men; God As God

I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that  shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker,  that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and host feared  continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and  where is the fury of the oppressor? - Isaiah 51:12-13

Let the text itself be taken as the portion for today. There is no need to enlarge upon it. Trembling  one, read it, believe it, feed on it, and plead it before the Lord. He whom you fear is only a man  after all; while He who promises to comfort you is God, your Maker, and the creator of heaven  and earth. Infinite comfort more than covers a very limited danger.

"Where is the fury of the oppressor?" It is in the Lord's hand. It is only the fury of a dying  creature; fury which will end as soon as the breath is gone from the nostril. Why, then, should we  stand in awe of one who is as frail as ourselves? Let us not dishonor our God by making a god of  puny man. We can make an idol of a man by rendering to him excessive fear as well as by paying  him inordinate love. Let us treat men as men, and God as God; and then we shall go calmly on in  the path of duty, fearing the Lord and fearing nobody else.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon