Morning Studies

Posted at Reformation Scotland: In hindsight, it seems so obvious that when the people of Israel and Judah persisted in unfaithfulness to the Lord their Redeemer, they would suffer the consequences. We might wonder why they didn’t just listen to what the prophets were telling them. But it seems to be one of the features of spiritual unfaithfulness that it goes unnoticed in the very ones who are flagrantly guilty of it. In our own context, we can perhaps be so concerned about what is going on in society around us, and on the global stage, and maybe even in other churches and fellowships, that we remain oblivious to the degree to which even our own ostensibly faithful congregations and denominations have strayed from God’s ways. George Hutcheson observes that, “although the Lord in His great mercy overlooks the infirmities of His people, yet rebellion, idolatry, and corrupting of His worship, especially when multiplied, He will not tolerate.” We may bemoan our infirmities in all sincerit...