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I. THE MOTIVES WHICH PROMPTED THIS PRAYER.

1. To evince the tenderness of His heart toward His people. Usually, when any master-grief takes possession of the mind, we seldom have much disposition or power, to sympathise with the sorrows of others. Had our Lord been the subject of this infirmity, this was not the time for Him to have been concerned about the future trials of His people. Yet at this moment, when we might suppose His every thought and feeling to have been absorbed in the sword that was about to pierce His soul, we find Jesus turning to consider the comparatively little griefs of His dear disciples, His prayer seems to be — "Holy Father, think not of My coming sufferings, but think of these whom I am about to leave full of sorrows, and keep them."

2. That He might instruct His disciples to the end of time in that mighty interest with which He is always engaged for their spiritual preservation. As you go through the successive clauses of this chapter, you will find in almost every verse something to show that God has a direct interest in the consummation of that scheme which Jesus came both to reveal and to accomplish; that "His own great name" was to be furthered thereby, and that it formed part of the covenant which He made with Jesus, that these His people should be saved through His blood.

II. THE TRUTHS THAT ARE TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS PRAYER. 1 That the world is full of dangers. The world is, and must ever be the Christian's adversary. It is a sinful place. The prince of evil is its god; the fascinations of evil are its snares; the works of evil are its employments; and the triumphs of evil are its boast and its pride.

2. That there are ends to be accomplished by our remaining in the world which make it expedient that we should for a time be kept in it. And this expediency consisted in this: these His disciples had a work to do. They had His honour to promote and His gospel to spread. This is true of us. We have all our stated duties to fulfil; we have all a nook in His providence to fill up; we have all our own little wheel to turn in that vast machine, which governs and controls the universe. It is not therefore the language of true obedience to say "My soul is weary of life; would that God would take me to Himself!" It is nothing more than the suicide's thought, clothed in Gospel language. It is impatience of the yoke Christ has laid on the shoulder. It is not the saint's desire to "rest from his labour;" it is the worldling's desire to rest without labour. It is the wish to use that part of our Lord's prayer, "Father, glorify Thy Son," without remembering that other part of it, "I have finished the work Thou gavest Me to do."

3. That the power of this evil of the world is so great, that we can only be delivered from it by the almighty power of God.

(1) Who can contemplate the legion of spiritual foes which encompass the believer's path, and remember at the same time the powerful ally and abettor of Satan that we carry in our own hearts; and not feel, that unless the power of the grace of God interfered on our behalf, none of us would be saved?

(2) And then, how mercifully mysterious and varied are the methods of the Divine protection? Before the temptation comes; while the encounter lasts: yea, and even afterwards, when mourning in humiliating bitterness of soul over some recent defeat, how often have we found the restoring power of God's grace overruling for the benefit of His people's souls every incident of their lives!

(3) Observe the means by which we are thus kept (ver 11). "The name of the Lord is a strong tower," &c. Here is the argument with which we are permitted to come to the mercy-seat — that God's name is engaged and pledged to keep us from evil.

3. That the only lawful measure of solicitude we are to entertain about the things of this world is, that we may be "kept from the evil" which belongs to it. Life is full of disappointed projects and griefs. Then how important is it, that we should be able to ascertain what solicitude we are permitted to entertain. The passage tells us that our only solicitude is to be guided by this; not by the evils themselves, but their spiritual results. I am not to pray against poverty; but I am to pray against its evils. I am not to pray against riches; but I am to pray against their temptations. I am not to pray against the disappointments, and vexations, and crosses, and cares of life; but I am to pray, that however multiplied and grievous are the forms of trial that await me, I may never have a murmuring, unsubmissive, discontented spirit.

(D. Moore, M. A.)

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KJV: I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

WEB: I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.