1 Samuel, chapter 2:
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. And the priest’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
God’s program of salvation is not pleasant to mankind. God tells us that we are sinners, and that we are all presently under His wrath and subject to an eternal destruction unless a Saviour is found. God then goes on to tell us (in His Word the Bible) that due to the deadness of our souls no man will seek Him or have faith sufficient for salvation.
The one thing that God permits for a spiritually dead sinner to do while still in his sins----is to cry out for mercy. Bartimaeus, while still in his blindness beseeched the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy that he might see. Each sinner is also permitted to cry out to Christ that he might see spiritually.
What happens immediately after a sinner does begin to cry out for mercy? What is the next step in God’s salvation plan?
Waiting. Cry out as Bartimaeus, "thou Son of David, have mercy upon me…."; and then wait. Wait for God to open your eyes. Wait for God to give you a new heart; and a new spirit.
IS GOD’S MERCY CLEAN GONE FOREVER?
Perhaps you have already been waiting on the Lord, waiting for Him to bestow the gift of His salvation; but as yet nothing has happened. Days, weeks, months, and even years have gone by but still you are in your sins. You might begin to wonder as the Psalmist in Psalm 77:
Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favourable no more? Is His mercy clean gone for ever? Doth His promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah.
You have cried out but you have not become saved. Could it be that the Lord’s mercy is clean gone for ever?
My friend, a day is fast approaching when the Lord’s mercy will indeed be gone for ever. That is on the day of judgment. But up until that time be assured that God is a Great God of mercy. Let’s look at some verses that are very clear on this point:
Deuteronomy 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee,...
Also, very significantly we find the following verses in the book of Lamentations (which is a book that pictures the day we are living in: a day in which God is judging His church), chapter 3:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. IT IS OF THE LORD’S MERCIES THAT WE ARE NOT CONSUMED, because His compasssions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
We must realize that the God we are beseeching for His mercy is a very merciful God: turn to Psalm 147:11
The LORD taketh PLEASURE in them that fear Him, IN THOSE THAT HOPE IN HIS MERCY.
Also, let’s read those wonderful verses in the book of Micah, chapter 7:
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passseth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He DELIGHTETH IN MERCY. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
This is the God that a poor sinner cries out to: a God who declares that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but a God who takes great pleasure in bestowing the gift of His salvation upon undeserving men and women.
Now that we have pointed out that God is extremely merciful, we also need to realize that it is God’s sovereign right to grant His pardoning mercy to those whom He chooses to save.
Turn over to Psalm 130, and we will read the last five verses:
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the LORD more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Notice, that verse 4 above tells us that God possesses an attribute that causes man to fear Him. Is it His terrible power? Or His fierce wrath?
No! Verse 4 tells us that "there is forgiveness" with God in order that He be feared. Why would the fact that God possesses the ability to forgive man his sins lead a sinner to fear Him?
Because it is God’s right to bestow mercy upon whom He will bestow mercy.
Yes, my friend, cry out for salvation. By all means fall down at God’s throne of grace and beseech Him that you might find grace to help in your terrible hour of need; but realize O sinner, that God may indeed not save you. You cannot earn His favour. You cannot demand His favour be upon you. You cannot think that you are deserving of His mercy in any way: beseech Him as the criminal that you are. Beseech Him as the prisoner of sin …that you are. Beseech Him as someone who truly deserves nothing but eternal damnation; and perhaps---it could be--- He might spare you?
Remember how the Ninevites cried out that God spare them? Turn to the book of Jonah, chapter 3:
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell IF God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?
Who can tell ----if-----God will spare you? Cry out because it is your only hope of escaping eternal destruction. And maybe, the Lord will spare you. The fact that salvation rests solely with the Lord might lead God to move a sinner to begin fearing Him.
WAIT ON THE LORD? FOR WHAT?
God’s salvation program is so totally alien to the church today that they mock the idea of crying out for mercy and waiting on the Lord for Him to do the saving. How ridiculous it seems to many church leaders and Bible scholars that there are some individuals who cry out for mercy and then wait; for days, months, years. All the while unsure of their salvation.
The church’s plan of salvation is simple today: admit you are a sinner. Confess Christ as your Saviour; and then you are saved. Instantaneously, no sweat; no worry. Reach out and take Christ to yourself; and you will be saved.
And yet, God despises this type of free will gospel. This invention has eliminated the necessity of waiting on the Lord for Him to act in creating a new soul. In man’s perversion of the gospel of grace, man himself is the one who speaks and a new creation (new soul) comes into being (supposedly). Let’s go to the 1 book of Samuel, and read about Hophni and Phineas, the 2 sons of Eli, who also thought that they could pervert the gospel of the Bible:
Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will NOT HAVE SODDEN FLESH OF THEE, BUT RAW.
First of all, let’s remember that in the Old Testament sacrificial system; every sacrifice was a picture of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether it was a dove, or a pigeon, or a lamb, etc. Each animal killed typified Christ and the death that He would die in the fullness of God’s salvation plan.
The priests (were sons of the high priest) Hophni and Phinehas, were types of those who call themselves believers. They were to partake of the sacrificial animal. They were to eat of the sacrifice after it had the fire set to it. Look at verse 16:
And if any man said unto him, let them not fail to BURN THE FAT PRESENTLY, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
What was the problem here?
The problem was that the flesh of the sacrificed animal typified the Lord Jesus Christ; and Hophni and his brother Phinehas desired to partake of that flesh: which was fine. However, they did not desire to wait for the fire to be put to the flesh in order that it be sodden flesh.
The FIRE REPRESENTS CHRIST PAYING THE WRATH OF GOD FOR ONE’S SINS. Once the fat of your sins has been purged in the fires of hell; then come and eat of the broken body of Christ which has been broken for you. Come and eat of Christ as much as thy soul desires.
Hophni and Phinehas demanded that the flesh be given them RAW! They even said that it shall be given them now; or they would take it by force.
Hophni and Phinehas’s approach to the sacrificial system is the identical one to that taken by …the corporate church today: the church today demands that Christ be sacrificed for them. They demand that Christ’s atoning work be accomplished for them the moment that they desire. And when it is pointed out to the church today that the fires of God’s wrath has not been poured out for the masses who are claiming they possess salvation-----they then take the salvation of God to themselves by force; by doing violence to the Scriptures.
RAW FLESH
Very well, if you demand your flesh now, you may have it. It is very interesting that God has allowed this particular Hebrew word to be translated as "raw" 6 times in the Old Testament. Once here in 1 Samuel; and five times in the book of Leviticus: all 5 occurences in Leviticus are in the same chapter, chapter 13:
Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. But when RAW FLESH appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall see THE RAW FLESH, and pronounce him to be unclean: for THE RAW FLESH IS UNCLEAN: it is a leprosy. Or if the RAW FLESH turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;
Leprosy is a vivid picture of a sinner being consumed by his sins. When a sinner is saved by God’s grace he is as a leper cleansed from the uncleanness of his leprosy. Partaking of the sacrificial animal pictured this. But, when Hophni and Phinehas refuse to wait for the flesh to be sodden; it is just like those in the church today that do not wait on the Lord for salvation. Any who take salvation to themselves, are in essence, partaking of raw flesh. Of flesh that has never seen the fire; and therefore, of flesh that is unclean. Flesh not purged through the fires of hell; but flesh that is still sinful. In other words, the sinner’s nature has not been changed but spiritually, every one who refuses to wait upon the Lord for salvation is still like a leper; and they still bear their sins.
My friend, there is no taking salvation to one’s self! Let’s close by looking at these verses:
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
Psalm 123:1-3 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that He have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us...
May the Lord richly bless you.