April 22
What is Man?
“What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him”
Job 7: 17.
An enemy to God: By nature, he is an enemy to God, an enemy in his mind. “The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8: 7; Colossians 1: 21).
A slave to sin: So that the state of man was this—he was not only overly persuaded . . . to sin against God. But he drank this sin, like water, into his very nature, mingled it with every faculty of his soul and member of his body. By the means of which he became alienated from God, and an enemy to him in his very heart. And will you, O Lord, as the Scripture has it, “And you do open your eyes upon such a one?” (Job 14: 3). Yea, open your heart and take this man, not into judgment, but into mercy with thee?
In covenant with death and hell: Further, man by his sin had not only given himself to be a captive slave to the devil; but continues in his sin. He made head[way] against his God, struck up a covenant with death, and made an agreement with hell. But for God to open his eyes upon such a one, and to take hold of him by riches of grace, this is amazing (Isaiah 28: 16-18).
Now when I passed by you, and looked upon you, behold, your time was the time of love. I spread my skirt over you and covered your nakedness. Yea, I swore unto you and entered into a covenant with you, said the Lord God and you became mine.” Sinner, see further into the chapter, Ezekiel 16. All this is the grace of God, every word in this text smells of grace.