Int. Dawson Trotman, the founder and first president of The Navigators, once said, "The greatest time wasted is the time getting started."
1. This lifting up the fallen hands means to "straighten anew."
2. Feeble hands and knees has reference to : "That which is lame denotes the weak and wavering brethren, such as are referred to in( Romans 14. and 1 Corinthians 8). The expression well suits (specially those among the Hebrew Christians who halted between two opinions — between the Church and the synagogue" (1 Kings 18:21).
3. THIS LIFTING OF THE HANDS CAN BE DONE SEVERAL WAYS.
a. By believing prayer to God. (Isa 40:29-31). "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength,"
b. By remembering former blessings and mercies. "Because thou hast been my Help, therefore under the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice."
c. By consideration of the benefits of our trials (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2, 3, 12).
d. By remembering that great multitude who endured and won the prize.(Vr. 1).
e. By reaching for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)
f. By encouraging and helping others.
a. Alford said: "Let your walk be so firm and so unanimous in the right direction, that a plain track and highway may be thereby established for those who accompany and follow you, to perceive and walk in (Isa. 35:8).
4. You can't run this Christian race with the hands dangling and with feeble knees.
a. The Hebrews must no longer faint in the presence of their trials. They must be courageous in their service for Christ.
5. Consider some help for those feeble knees.
a. Pulpit C. says: "rather, the relaxed hands and the loosened or enfeebled knees."
b. In Luke, this word is used of one that was paralyzed. (Luke 5:18,24) "And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him."
6. Consider the need for making straight paths. (Vr. 13)
a. Slothfulness and indecision cause one to lag behind, and may prevent him from ever reaching the goal.
b. If we be not firm in turning to Christ, we shall come short of ultimate salvation, and shall never "see the Lord." (Vr. 14-15)
I. CONSIDER SOME USAGES OF THIS PHRASE "STRAIGHT PATHS"
A. (Josh 6:20) "So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city."
1. There must be times of Waiting. Israel waited a whole week. We may have to wait still longer. Let patience have her perfect work. There is no such teacher as she is; her pupils become perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
2. There must be times of Obedience.
a. The people could not understand the meaning of these repeated marchings around the walls.
b. They were not, however, asked to understand, but simply to obey.
c. First the priests and ark, then the warriors. We must subordinate our armed activities to the slow and reverent pace of faith, hope, and love.
3. There must be time of great Faith.
a. There was no hesitation in that cry. The Word of God, as communicated by Joshua, hushed every doubt and misgiving.
b. In confident assurance the people shouted, and according to their faith, so it was to them.. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down."
a. There are no walls of superstition and sin strong enough to resist Faith's shout, when God says that her shouting time is come.B. (1 Sam 6:12) "And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh."
1. THAT two milch kine which had never borne the yoke should move quietly along the high road, turning neither to the right nor to the left, and lowing for the calves they had left behind, clearly indicated that they were possessed and guided by some mysterious power, which we know to have been God's.
C. (Psa 5:8) "Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face."
D. (Prov 4:25) "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee."
1. J. Berridge in Gadsby's Hymnal #253"Singleness of eye."
To Canaan art thou bound?
Walk on in Jesus might;
But mark, the way is holy ground,
And needs a heart upright.
To Jesus some will pray,
Yet not with single eye;
They turn their eyes another way,
Some creature-help to spy.
E. (Isa 40:3) "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
F. (Mat 3:3) "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Mk 1:3 & Lk 3:4; Jn 1:3)
G. (Luke 13:13) "And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."
H. (Acts 9:11) "And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,"
I. (Acts 16:11) "Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Sa/mo/thracia, and the next day to Neapolis;"
J. (Acts 21:1) "And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:"
a. J. F. B. says: "with a straight course--running before the wind, as (Acts 16:11)."
II. CONSIDER THE PATHS OF THE UNJUST
1. (Job 6:18) "The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish."
2. (Job 8:13) "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:"
3. (Psa 17:4-5) "Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. {5} Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not."
a. William Jay's Evening Exercises (S-3-5) pg 283
"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love."
b. The godly are led in "paths" of righteousness. (Ps 23: 3)
4. (Psa 25:4) "Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths."
5. (Psa 25:10) "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies."
6. (Psa 65:11) "Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness."
7. (Prov 2:8) "He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."
8. (Prov 3:6) "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
9. Our Daily Homily. F. B .Meyers. (S-1-6) pg. 250 "Thy paths!
a. Then, every man's path is distinct for him, and for no other.
b. The paths may lie side by side, but they are different. They have converged; they may diverge
c. Simon Peter was told of a predestined path which was marked out for him.
a. He turned toward John, his companion and friend, and said to Jesus, "What shall this man do?"
d. The Lord instantly replied, in effect: "don’t you worry about the path that he shall take.."
10. (Jer 6:16) "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein."
1. Thomas Guthrie said: "He is a fool who, travelling over desert, moor or mountain, allows himself to be easily persuaded to leave the beaten path for some new untrodden way."
2. (Mat 7:14) "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
a. John Adams (our 2nd President) said: "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to liberty, and few nations, if any, have found it."
b. John Bradford, embracing the reeds and faggots, said: "Strait is the way, and narrow is the gate, and few that find it."
c. And speaking to his fellow-martyr: "Be of good comfort, brother, for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night; if there be any way to heaven on horse-back or in fiery chariots, this is it."
11. (Ecc 11:9) "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
III. CONSIDER THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH A STRAIGHT PATH. (Vr. 13)
A. THERE’S THE DANGER OF LEAVING A BAD PATH FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.
1. "Lest that which is lame be turned out of the way;..." (Vr. 13)
2. Instead of imitating Gideon’s heroic three hundred who were "faint, yet pursuing" their fleeing foes, the feeble may relinquish the pursuit altogether.
B. NOTICE THE APOSTLES’ CONCERN FOR THE LAME (Vr. 13)
1. "That which is lame" indicates, says Afford, "that part of the Church which was wavering between Christianity and Judaism."
2. Some faint under our Lord's correction. (Vr. 5)
3. Instead of looking down at the weaker brother; we should be reaching down to him. (Gal 6:1-3).
IV. CONSIDER THAT THIS STRAIGHT PATH IS FOR OUR WALK BEFORE THE LORD.
A. THIS STRAIGHT PATH IS FOR OUR WALKING WITH GOD.
1. Noah walked with God. (Gen 6:9)
a. "To walk with God, we must make it a practice to talk with God. "
2. Enoch walked with God. (Gen 5:22,24)
a. Charles Hodge wrote:
"Like Enoch, let me walk with God,
And thus walk out my day;
Attended still with Heavenly light,
Upon the King's highway. "
3. Isaac walked with God. (Gen 48:15)
B. THIS STRAIGHT PATH IS MADE FOR STRAIGHT WALKING
1. The past ten years we have seen some of the most crooked walking in history under the pretense of walking with God.
a. So called "contemporary worship."
2. (Lev 18:4) "Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God."
3.
(Lev 20:23) "And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them."4.
(Deu 10:12) "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,"When we walk
with the LordIn the light of His Word
What glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Conclusion: The reason so many don’t walk with the Lord is because they are not in agreement with the Lord.
1. (Amos 3:3)
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed ?"2. When people’s hearts are right with God, their walk will be in that straight and narrow path.