#128 Love Questioned and Vindicated

Israel under Malachi was in a captious, querulous condition; his brief prophecy is full of unbelieving questions, in which man seems bent upon having the last word with God.

The text might be treated as bearing upon our own favored nation, for God has been very gracious to Britain, and Britain is sadly ungrateful.

We prefer to consider Israel as the type of the election of grace.

It occurs even to the chosen, when grace runs low, to fall into an ill humor, and to appear beaten down, depressed, and full of sullen unbelief. This is a very wretched state of affairs.

With this state of heart we deal.

I. GOD’S LOVE DECLARED. “I have loved you, says the Lord.”

To every believer the special love of God is declared in the Scriptures, and to that love the text refers. This is clear if we observe the words which follow:—“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau.” This is the precise language used by Paul when speaking of the election of grace. Romans 9:13.

To every believer this love has been shown in—

Election in Christ Jesus from of old.
Covenant engagements made by Christ on his behalf.
Accomplished Redemption by the Lord Jesus.
Regeneration and the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Pardon of sin, justification by faith, adoption, sanctification, etc.
Preservation to this hour, and promise for all future time.
- This is a scanty list of the ways by which the Lord has said to each regenerate soul, “I have loved you.”
- Do we not remember times of love when this was personally sealed upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit?
- Even now the Lord speaks thus to his redeemed by his Word, and by his Spirit. Do they not hear it? Are they not touched with so gracious and condescending an avowal of love?

II. GOD’S LOVE QUESTIONED. “Yet you say, Wherein have you loved us?”

This is a shocking and disgraceful thing; but, alas, it indicates a condition of heart which has been seen far too frequently.

Such a question has been asked—

Under great afflictions in which there seemed no relief. Petulantly the sorrowing one has questioned divine love.
In sight of the prosperous wicked in their day of pride many a poor despised believer has rashly doubted the special love of God.
In times of grievous doubt as to one’s personal salvation, and under heavy temptations of Satan, the same doubt has arisen.
Alas, this has also happened when, immersed in worldliness, the man for the time has lost all sight and sense of spiritual things, and has treated distinguishing love as though it were a fiction!
- This is a grievous wounding of the Lord of love.
- It pours despite upon amazing mercy.
- It exposes the questioner to fearful peril.

III. GOD’S LOVE CONSIDERED.

When we solemnly turn, and meditate upon these things, we see—

Love lamenting. Is God to be thus treated? Shall he mournfully cry, “I have loved you. Yet you say, Wherein have you loved us?”
Love entreating. Does not each accent say, “Return to me”?
Love abounding. Our question shames us God loves us in ten thousand ways; loves us so as to be patient even when we wickedly question his love.
Love conquering. We bow at Jehovah’s feet with shame, and yield our heart’s best love in return for his love.
- Come, you cast down ones, leave your sullen questionings!
- Run into his arms, and receive the quietus of all your fears.

Love-Notes

A child has willfully disobeyed. For this offence he has been chastised, and confined to his own room. He is very sullen and obstinate, and his father reasons with him, and tells him with tears that he is greatly grieved with him, and feels wounded by the ingratitude which he receives after all his love. The boy angrily replies that he does not believe in his father’s love: if he loved him, why did he whip him, and send him to bed? This would be a very rebellious speech; but it would be pitched in the same key as our text. It would also set forth the spirit which is often seen in Christians when they measure the Lord’s love by their temporal circumstances, and ask in rebellion whether their poverty, their pains, and their persecutions are fit fruits of divine favor. The Lord knows how foolish we are apt to be when our soul is vexed with bitter anguish, and therefore he does not destroy us for our presumption, but he patiently reasons with us that he may bring us to a better mind.

If it would be marvelous to see one river leap up from the earth full-grown, what would it be to gaze upon a vast spring from which all the rivers of the earth should at once come bubbling up, a thousand of them born at a birth? What a vision would it be! Who can conceive it? And yet the love of God is that fountain, from which all the rivers of mercy, which have ever gladdened our race—all the rivers of grace in time, and of glory hereafter—take their rise. My soul, stand you at that sacred fountain-head, and adore and magnify forever and ever God, even our Father, who has loved us.—C. H. S.

What is more tender than a mother’s love

To the sweet infant fondling in her arms?

What arguments need her compassion move

To hear its cries, and help it in its harms?

Now, if the tenderest mother were possessed

Of all the love within her single breast

Of all the mothers since the world began, ‘Tis nothing to the love of God to man.—John Byrom.

A very tender parent had a son, who, from his earliest years, proved headstrong and dissolute. Conscious of the extent of his demerits, he dreaded and hated his parent. Meanwhile, every means was used to disarm him of these suspicions, so unworthy of the tenderness and love which yearned in his father’s bosom, and of all the kindness and forbearance which were lavished upon him. Eventually the means appeared to be successful, and confidence, in a great degree, took the place of his ungenerous suspicions. Entertained in the family as one who had never trespassed, he now left his home to embark in mercantile affairs, and was assured that if in any extremity he would apply to his parent, he should find his application kindly received. In the course of years it fell out that he was reduced to extremity; but, instead of communicating his case to his parent, his base suspicion and disbelief of his tenderness and care again conquered him, and he neglected to apply to him. Who can tell how deeply that father’s heart was rent at such depravity of feeling? Yet this is the case of the believer, who, pardoned and accepted, yet refuses to trust his heavenly Parent, throws away his filial confidence, and with his old suspicions stands aloof in sullen distrust. Oh, how is God dishonored by this sinful unbelief!—Salter.

Dr. Chalmers used to say that “As soon as a man comes to understand that ‘God is love,’ he is infallibly converted.”