P art II G od is th e wonderful P rovider for all our needs. The provision is for all our needs. See the plenti- tude suggested in Phil. 4:19, “as- cording to His riches in glory.” There is more than one way of giving a penny to a beggar. You can throw it at him if you like. You can pitch it into the mud as you throw a bone to a dog. You may grab a coin out of your pocket as though you were los ing an eye tooth. There is yet anoth er way of doing it: by a courteous kindness which expresses sympathy for the poor creature’s need. We have seen that God has rich abun dance in wisdom, grace and love. Now we are told that He gives ac cording to His riches. As rich as God is in goodness, wisdom, grace, and glory, so He divinely meets our every need. This He does by Christ Jesus. Never leave the Lord out of this promise. It is by Him that the Father .supplies our needs. “He that spared not His own Son, but deliv ered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). See the won derful truths in such other verses as Col. 2:9 and 10, John 14:2 and 3; John 15:16; and John 1:16. Elijah stands out among the Old Testament saints as one who proved that God was able to supply even in the time of famine and national dis aster. The prophet obeyed the Lord and secluded himself by the brook. There God’s ravens fed him. I don’t know anything about bird language. The God who created birds does. He even tells them how to get their food (Matt. 6:26). They were told to take care of His trusting child (I Kings 7 :l-6). I grant you that this method of supplying the needs of a man is rather unconventional and far re moved from social forms. The aver age Christian would probably appeal to his family, friends, church em ployer or a loan company. How many know how to trust God when a need
arises? Elijah did. David testified, “I have been young, now am I old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread (Psalm 37:25). David didn’t say he never saw the righteous suffering or sorrowing. He did say he never saw a righteous man forsaken by God so that he should be forced to live by begging. The righteous man has a bold entrance into God’s storehouse. His prayers avail much (James 5:15). The secret of the supply is uprightness of heart. “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk unrightly” (Psalm 84:11). You must turn to Christ. Come to Him as you are, empty and in need of His fullness. Trust Him and Him only. There is another interesting point in our study. We read in Scripture that God is able “to succour them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). The Greek word translated succour means “to hasten to the cry of another,” “to render assistance.” Christ is the One of whom the inspired writer is speaking. He hears our cry of dis tress and hastens to our aid. In the light of widespread physical, emo tional, and mental distress in these times, I would say that this is a most blessed truth. How comforting to know that the God who saves and supplies our every need is abundant ly able to succour us. Christ came in order that He might taste death for every man. He was made perfect th ro u g h sufferings (Heb. 2:10). This statement has troubled the minds of some students. The ques tion is sometimes asked, “How can a perfect person be made perfect?” The answer is in the fact that verse 10 does not refer to the person of Christ. He had no moral faults which needed to be cured. It is rather in reference to His office, a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb. 4:15). The Greek word translated perfect in Heb. 2:10 means to make adequate or completely effective. The suffering 13
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