Verse 8
Get thee behind Me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
--The necessity of a quick and speedy rejection of a sinful motion is, then, beyond dispute, and there needs no more to be said for the explanation of this direction, but an account of what is implied in a speedy denial. It contains these four things:--
1. That it must issue from a fixed determination against sin.
2. This positive denial must be also wisely jealous of Satan, in motions that are unlikely, or that may seem light, little, and not directly intended.
3. The refusal must be so quick, that it may be ready to take the temptation by the throat.
4. When this is done, we must endeavour to maintain and stick to our first disallowance. (R. Gilpin.)
Service joined to worship
Dr. Thomas Taylor similarly, but in his own original way, observes:--“God must not only be worshipped, but also served. The distinction is easily observed. For a man may in heart and gesture honour another to whom he owes but little service. And this word in the Hebrew is taken from servants, who, besides inward reverence and outward worship, owe to their masters their strength, labour, and service, yea, frank and cheerful obedience. And suppose any man have a servant who will be very complimental, and give his master cap and knee and very good words, yet when his master commands him anything, he will not do it--here is honour, but no service; and denying service, he plainly showsthat his honour is but dissembled and hypocritical. So as this service to God, as to earthly masters, stands--
(1) In ‘fear’ and reverent inward affection;
(2) In dutiful and ready obedience in all holy and civil [moral] actions. For--
1. These two, God in the Scriptures hath everywhere joined together; and therefore no man may separate them. ‘Oh that there were in them such an heart to “fear” his, and to keep My commandments!’ (Deuteronomy 5:29). ‘Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in uprightness, else choose you: for I and my house will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:14-15). ‘Let us hear the end of all, Fear God and keep His commandments’ Ecclesiastes 12:13), which is all one with ‘fear God and serve him.’
2. This service is a fruit of fear, and a true testimony of it, for fear of God is expressed in service; and if a man would make true trial of his fear he may do it by his service.” (A. B. Grosart.)
Temptation firmly rejected
The nature of temptations, as dangerous or infectious, doth sufficiently enforce a necessity of their speedy removal. Things of danger require a sudden stop. If poison be taken into the body, we speedily labour to cast it up, or to overcome it by antidotes. We labour to stay the spreading of a gangrene presently. Who thinks it fit to delay when fire hath taken hold upon a house? The very opportunity of help is in the speediness of the endeavour. It is too late to bring water when the house is consumed, too late to apply a remedy when the disease hath conquered. They that consider what a temptation is will see no reason to move slowly in opposing. (R. Gilpin.)
The devil quotes Deuteronomy
The Law (we know) is a great cooler to presumption. (Bishop Audrewes.)
True worship: The essentials of true worship
I. THE OBJECT: The Lord God.
II. THE CHARACTERISTICS:
1. Meditation;
2. Realization;
3. Personal communion. (A. F. Barfield.)
The service of God
I. HE HAS THE RIGHT TO CLAIM OUR SERVICE. His right is threefold. He is--
1. Our Creator.
2. Our Preserver.
3. Our Redeemer.
II. HIS CLAIM UPON US IS FOR OUR UNDIVIDED AND WHOLE-HEARTED SERVICE. “Him only.” You cannot serve Him and anything else that is contrary to Him. Our “reasonable service “ is the presentation of ourselves.
III. HIS SERVICE CONFERS THE HIGHEST HONOUR UPON THOSE WHO UNDERTAKE IT. To serve self and sin is to sink always deeper into the depths of degradation. To serve God is to be exalted to the position of fellow-labourer with Him in the accomplishment of His purposes.
IV. HIS SERVICE IS THE ONLY SERVICE WHICH IS FREEDOM. “I will walk at liberty, for I seek Thy precepts.”
V. THE SERVICE WHICH HE HAS A RIGHT TO DEMAND HE YET CONDESCENDS TO ENTREAT. He seeks for no compulsory obedience. The only service acceptable in His sight is that which springs from love. “My son, give Me thy heart.” (J. R. Bailey.)
Satan cannot stand a text
“What’s wrang wi’ ye nee? I thocht ye were a’ richt,” said a ragged boy, himself rejoicing in the Saviour, to another, who a few nights before professed to be able to trust Jesus, but who had again begun to doubt. “What’s wrung wi’ ye nee? Man, I’m no richt yet,” replied the other, “for Satan’s aye tempting me.” “And what dae ye then?” asked his friend. “I try,” said he, “to sing a hymn.” “And does that no send him away?” “No; I am as bad as ever.” “Weel,” said the other, “when he tempts ye again, try him wi’ a text; he canna staun then.”
Unflinching fidelity to God
Be not in haste to be rich or to be famous or to be admired. “Make haste slowly,” says the proverb, and it means just this--Make haste in God’s way; take everything you can get from God, take nothing from the devil. Most powerfully was this illustrated in the life of the noble Havelock. For many years in the army he struggled against the arbitrary character of official patronage, and the odious abuses of the purchase system; and he, who in the end was the redeemer of the Indian Empire, was for a dreary while only a lieutenant. Yet how did he bear himself under it? As a Christian soldier, after the pattern of the Lord here, he placed the worship of the Lord first, and that he would not renounce for anything that man could name. Hear his words, and they are worthy of being written in letters of gold; yea, the spirit which utters them manifests a nobler courage than that which won so many fights and rescued the forlorn garrison at Lucknow. Here they are: “Let me ask you, my good friend, what you mean by prejudices against me. Tell me plainly. I am not aware of any. Old and others used to tell me that it was believed at the Horse Guards and in other quarters that I professed to fear God, as well as to honour the Queen, and that Lord Hill and others had made up their minds that a man could not be at once a saint and a soldier. Now, I dare say any such authorities must be right, notwithstanding the example of Colonel Gardiner, Cromwell, and Gustavus Adolphus. But, if so, all I can say is, that their bit of red ribbon was very ill bestowed upon me; for I humbly trust that in that great matter I should not change my opinions and practice, though it rained garters and coronets as the reward of apostasy.” (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Motto for the tempted
There is in the south of France, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, a huge tower, forming part of the fortifications by which St. Louis secured his embarkation for his troops for the last crusade. It is called the Tower of Constance, and in it were imprisoned during the reign of Louis XIV., Protestant women who would not renounce their faith at the request of the great king. In this lonely tower there is a gloomy chamber in which these women passed their lives, and there carved with some rude instrument on the pavement of the prison this one word, “ Resist.” It is ascribed to Marie Duran, who, for being sister to a French pastor, was there confined for more than forty years. She found her great resource, her great consolation, in carving out this word for any one who should hereafter come to read it there. (Dean Stanley.)
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