Jer_10:23. Man’s Insufficiency to Direct His Steps
"It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps."’97Jer_10:23.
A great deal has been written for and against the freedom of the human will. Some have contended that man is a machine, and moves only as he is acted upon. In connection with this, it has been taught that all things are inevitably fixed, and all things happen of necessity. It must be seen that this at once destroys man’s responsibility, and lays the cause of all events at the foot of God’s throne. Nothing is more clear, than the Scriptures everywhere treat man as a free moral agent. God addresses him as such; as such he calls him lo consider, to return, to repent, to believe and obey him. On this principle, he threatens punishment and offers rewards; and God says to every man, "If thou doest well," &c. Now, while all this is true, yet it is quite clear that all the movements of man are under the providential government of God. God has the hearts of all men in his hand, and all their ways a his disposal. In this sense the way of man is not in himself, &c.
I. Let us explain and confirm the Truth of the Text.
II. Refer you to several Scriptural Illustrations of it.
I. Explain and confirm the Truth of the Text.
1. He cannot direct, &c., because of his short-sightedness.
Man in his most improved state, is exceedingly ignorant. What can he know? He may have some faint remembrance of the past, some faint conception of the present, but of the future he has no knowledge whatever; he has nothing to guide him; nothing to penetrate the veil; he cannot draw it aside; all is dark, &c. "No man can tell what a day," &c. How clear then, that, "It is not in man." The truth of the text is obvious, &c.
2. From the feebleness of man.
If he has to direct his own steps, he should be able to command circumstances, and to produce such effects as he desires But man has no such power; there may be difficulties in his path which he cannot remove; dangers he cannot avert; enemies he cannot overcome. Man’s resources are those of a worm, &c.
3. From the evanescence of man.
Man is but the creature of a day; his breath is in his nostrils; he stands on the brink of the grave; he cannot make his own heart heave; he cannot cause one pulse to beat; he cannot command the means of existence for one instant; he lives, moves, and has his being in God every moment. How, then, can he direct his own steps? Now,
II. Notice several Scriptural Illustrations.
1. See it in the case of the preservation of Moses.
His parents desired to save his life. At last he is conveyed to the water; there, in a fragile ark, he is left floating on the waters. Who can trace the subsequent history, and not perceive a forcible illustration of the text.
2. See it in the history of Joseph.
He is sent on a message of kindness to his brethren. Then, observe the malevolent purpose of those brethren. Now, here we see the designs of Jacob and Joseph, and of the brethren going in opposite directions. God, by an under-current, overruled the whole, and effected his own mind.
3. See it in the history of Naaman.
A captive Israelitish maid becomes a servant in the house of the leper; here she refers to the prophet in Israel, and it leads to the recovery of her master.
4. See it in the death of Jesus.
See Act_2:23. The scribes, &c., hated him; plot to destroy him; try, condemn, and put him to death. In all this, they consulted only their prejudices, and wicked and envious hearts; yet God so overruled it, that they just did that which God had predetermined should be done.
Application
This subject should lead us,
1. To commit all our concerns into the Lands of God; every thing then will be right, and for the best; he will do all things well.
2. It should greatly tend to deliver us from the fear of man. However potent and malignant our enemies may be, God can counteract all their plans, overrule all their machinations; "He maketh the wrath of man," &c. He that fears and trusts in God, need not fear all the men in the world.
3. It should produce a spirit of moderation both as to the fears and hopes of life. The darkest seasons he can enlighten, bitterest cup sweeten, the brightest day turn into a night of adversity.
4. Let us constantly honor Jesus, as the moral Governor of the world; by praise in prosperity; by prayer in all things, &c.
Autor: JABEZ BURNS