January 18

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17.

OBSERVE the permanency of Jehovah’s love to his people. “He shall rest in his love;” that is, he shall feel fixed and changeless complacency and satisfaction. We do not always rest in our love, for love is often the offspring of ignorance and weakness’- a mere impulse of passion; it often leaves no solace or contentment in the review; it is one of the things that are repented of; it varies with a thousand causes; it sometimes not only cools with indifference, but it terminates in the most perfect disgust and aversion.

But with him there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. “I, the Lord, change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Is he a friend? He “loveth at all times.” Is he a husband? “I will betroth thee unto me,” not “until death us do part,” but “I will betroth thee unto me forever.” Is he a father? “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” He will, indeed, correct them. This is dealing with them as with sons; for what son is he whom his father chasteneth not? But, though he chastens, he will not cast them off, he will not disinherit them; he will heal their backslidings and love them freely; and, when the rod has answered its purpose, it will fall from his hand upon the ground, and he will break forth and say, “Is Ephraim, my dear son, is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still.” Men fail in their natural affection-and women, they sometimes fail in their natural affection.

Yes, the mother sometimes forgets her sucking child, and has no compassion on the son of her womb. Yes, says God, who knows all things, this may be the case with her, but, nevertheless, “I will not forget thee.” “Behold, I have engraven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”