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What I have learned from Richard Sibbes

A dear friend gave to me a copy of Richard Sibbes' "A Tender Heart". I never thought that I would one day be reading 16th century books but I did, and must commend the very good people at Banner for Truth for translating the archaic English into something readable.



Though small, it is packed full of stuff just worth deliberating and meditating over.

I will quote one of the tenets of the book, which Sibbes goes on to defend vigorously, that has really captured my thoughts for a few days:

"Doctrine I: That God graciously fits prophets for persons, and his word to a people that are upright in their hearts. Where there is a true desire to know the will of God, there God will give men sincere prophets that shall answer them exactly"

Now this is truly a remarkable idea that should never leave our heads. The God whose righteousness is beyond us and whom we cannot bear to stand in the presence of, would choose to speak to us should we incline our hearts to want to do so. A prophet for every sin committed, a pearl of wisdom for every occasion of folly, and an encouragement when the road is weary.

Much of the book is in fact an exposition on 2 Chronicles 34:26-27, the passages of King Josiah.

But the idea Sibbes is trying to convey, I have discovered, is found in other passages as well.

Take for example King Joash's heart choosing to listen to the "princes of Judah" after the death of Jehoida, the priest buried among the kings because of the work he did for Judah.

"But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. 

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention."

The ultimate act of grace is not in fact the sending of the prophets. It is God's working in us to make us receptive to His word. This cannot happen by ourselves and only by the Spirit's intervention.

Yet, dwell on His showing of divine mercy for a moment and let that idea captivate you. When our hearts were deeply mired in sin, He chose to work in us such that our heart turned from our hardened state to a tendered one and we realized that something wasn't right. He was relentless in sending forth His word and we realized the true magnitude of the error of our ways. We were then able to respond to His word in repentance.

What have we done to deserve such grace? Absolutely nothing. He would have been justified to pour on His wrath on us.

"Against you, and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." (Psalms 51:4)

He did not left us in the state of sin but He gave us His word to draw us back to Him.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Did that capture your imagination and your heart? What a great God worship - truly deserving of all praise, honor and glory. The warning for us remains the same as the days of old:

"For he is our God, and we are people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the days at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work." (Psalm 95: 7- 9)


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