The Words Paraphrased

We have in these words a true believer in his worst, and natural men in their best condition, set forth together to our view. And withal, the power of true faith, as it alone upholds him in the saddest hour of darkness that can befall him: opposed to, and compared with, the falseness of their presumptuous confidence in their greatest security: together with the differing supports of either — the one in the tenth verse, the other in the eleventh.

First, take a true believer, who has had the least beam of the light of the glory of God, which shines in the face of Christ, let in upon his soul, and his heart so taken with that sight as it became eternally divorced from all things here below, and resolved to adventure all his future hopes of comfort and happiness in the enjoyment of that light of God's countenance alone: which, that he may enjoy, he fears to offend the Lord more than hell, and endeavors as truly to obey the voice of his servants as ever he desires to attain to that happiness. Think with yourselves, what is the worst thing, next to the eternal loss of God, really and indeed that can be supposed to befall this man? What worse than to have that cranny, through which he first spied that beam, to be as it were clean shut up, the light of God's countenance withdrawn, yes all light and appearance to him of his own graces withheld and overclouded; the face of heaven so overcast with darkness that neither sunlight nor starlight appears to him, so that he has no light; yes further, finds his soul beset and besieged round with all the powers of hell and darkness, and the terrors of the Almighty shot into his soul? And he thus quite left, walking in this darkness, is filled with strong fears and jealousies that God is not his God — indeed questioning whether he ever will be — yes, apprehending by the wrath he feels, God to have become his enemy. All this is set forth to us here as the very estate of one who fears the Lord and obeys him, and is comprehended in these words: 'That walks in darkness and has no light.' You see him at his worst.

In which forlorn condition, what is there to be found to relieve and support this man? But only one thing, which is here held forth to him: the name of the Lord, for him to trust and stay himself upon — both that name of God (Exodus 34:6), 'The Lord God, gracious and merciful,' etc., and that name of Christ, which is called (Jeremiah 23:6) 'Jehovah our righteousness.' Both, or either of which, he, by the naked hand of faith laying hold upon, may now make use of as of a staff (as David compares it, Psalm 23:4), while he thus walks in darkness and through the valley of the shadow of death, safely to trust and stay himself upon, so as in the end to come forth to see light in God's light for evermore. You see likewise the prop of his soul in this condition.

On the contrary, let us behold — as all are here called to do — the best and most secure of unregenerate men encompassed about with all means and supports of confidence and comfort, whether of legal righteousness of their own (which these Jews made boast of), together with the addition of all worldly and outward comforts: both which the prophet here compares to fire and sparks, as preserving light and comfort in them. First, let their lives and natural dispositions abound with never so many sparks of legal righteousness, which themselves have kindled: for so he compares all those several acts and performances of natural [reconstructed: outward] and acquired righteousness, struck out and drawn from the powers of natural principles improved, which make a great blaze in a man's own opinion and esteem; which yet, not proceeding from the Holy Ghost baptizing them as with fire and renewing them, nor from internal principles of regeneration, which Christ compares to fire (Mark 9, last verse), are all in God's account but as a sacrifice offered up with strange fire, which was forbidden, and are here said to be of their own kindling. And such were the sparks in the light of which these Jews walked, who went about to establish their own righteousness, and with confidence trusted therein, and not on the name of the Lord. And further, second, let these men be surrounded and encompassed about with the greatest splendor of worldly glory, and abound in all those good things this world can afford them (the comforts whereof Solomon in like manner compares to a fire of thorns and the pleasures of it to the crackling of thorns, as here to sparks), and let them keep never so good fires to warm and cheer themselves withal, lay on as much every day as shall even encompass them about with sparks; and in the light and confidence of both these, let them walk for many years, despising that other poor believer that fears to be found in his own righteousness and refuses to be comforted by any of these. Yet let them know (says Christ, who is brought in as the speaker here) that when they have thus walked presumptuously and securely, and even walked themselves weary (as it is Isaiah 40:13), weary of all their own ways and pleasures (as they will be one day), and then at their deathbeds think to lie down and rest them: they shall lie down indeed, says Christ, and their bed shall be of my making and providing — this you shall have of my hand, you shall lie down; but in a bed of sorrow and despair, in which they shall lie down never to rise again.

These words place before us a true believer at his worst and an unregenerate person at his best, side by side. They show the power of true faith — how it alone sustains the believer in his darkest hour — set against the emptiness of the unbeliever's presumptuous confidence at his most secure. The tenth verse addresses the believer's condition and support; the eleventh addresses the unbeliever's.

Consider a true believer who has had even the faintest ray of the glory of God — the light that shines in the face of Christ — let into his soul. His heart, captivated by that sight, has turned away forever from everything in this world and has committed all his future hope of comfort and happiness to enjoying that light of God's face alone. To keep that enjoyment, he fears offending God more than he fears hell, and he strives to obey the voice of God's servants as earnestly as he desires the happiness that awaits him. Now ask yourself: what is the worst thing, short of the eternal loss of God, that could truly befall this man? What could be worse than having the crack through which he first glimpsed that ray sealed shut — the light of God's face withdrawn, every evidence of his own graces hidden and clouded over, the sky of heaven so overcast that neither sunlight nor starlight appears — so that he has no light at all? And worse still: his soul surrounded and besieged by all the powers of hell and darkness, with the terrors of the Almighty shot into his spirit. Left entirely to himself, walking in this darkness, he is filled with deep fears and suspicions that God is not his God — even questioning whether God ever will be — and sensing from the wrath he feels that God has become his enemy. All of this is presented here as the very condition of one who fears the Lord and obeys Him, summed up in the words: 'that walks in darkness and has no light.' You see him at his worst.

In such a desperate condition, what can be found to relieve and sustain this man? Only one thing is held out to him: the name of the Lord, on which he is to trust and lean — both the name of God declared in Exodus 34:6, 'The Lord God, gracious and merciful,' and the name of Christ called in Jeremiah 23:6 'Jehovah our righteousness.' By reaching out with the bare hand of faith and taking hold of either or both of these, he can use them as a staff — as David describes in Psalm 23:4 — while he walks in darkness through the valley of the shadow of death, leaning on it safely until at last he comes through and sees light in God's light forever. You see, likewise, the support of his soul in this condition.

By contrast, consider — as we are all invited here to do — the best and most confident of unregenerate men, surrounded by every means of confidence and comfort. This includes their own legal righteousness, which these Jews boasted of, along with every worldly and outward comfort they possessed. The prophet compares both of these to fire and sparks, since they produce light and a sense of warmth. First, let their lives and natural dispositions abound with countless sparks of legal righteousness that they themselves have kindled. This is how he describes all the various acts and performances of outward, acquired righteousness — struck out from the power of natural principles — which produce a great blaze in a person's own opinion and self-esteem. Yet because these acts do not proceed from the Holy Spirit baptizing them with fire and renewing them, nor from internal principles of regeneration (which Christ compares to fire in Mark 9), God counts them all as a sacrifice offered with strange fire, which was forbidden. Such were the sparks in the light of which these Jews walked — those who sought to establish their own righteousness and trusted confidently in it rather than in the name of the Lord. Second, let these men also be surrounded with the greatest worldly glory and abundance of everything this world can give them. Solomon similarly compares worldly comforts to a fire of thorns and their pleasures to the crackling of thorns — here called sparks. Let such men keep their fires burning, piling on more each day, surrounding themselves with sparks, and walking for many years in the light and confidence of both their righteousness and their prosperity — despising all the while that poor believer who fears to rest in his own righteousness and refuses to be comforted by any of these things. Even so, Christ — who is the speaker here — says: when they have walked presumptuously and securely until they have walked themselves weary (as Isaiah 40:13 says), weary of all their own ways and pleasures as they will be one day, and then come to their deathbeds expecting to lie down and rest — they will indeed lie down, says Christ, and the bed will be of His making and His providing. This you will have from My hand, He says — you will lie down; but it will be a bed of sorrow and despair, from which they will never rise again.