Jeremiah 51:5 For Israel has not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts… You would think, according to the teaching of some, that Christ s members kept lopping off something like the limbs of lobsters, and that new ones were constantly growing. There is nothing in Scripture to warrant such a notion as that. You remember Mr. Bunyan's parable of a child who is in a room, and a stranger comes in, and says, "Come hither, child, I will cut off thy finger." "No," says the child. "Yes, but I will; I will take off your little finger. Here is a knife, I will cut off your little finger." "No," again says the child, and begins to cry. "Oh, but," says the stranger, "that is a poor little finger that you have. I will cut it off and I will buy you a gold finger, such a brave gold finger. I will put it on your hand instead of your little finger." "Oh," says the child, "but it would not be my finger; I cannot lose my little finger." Whereupon Mr. Bunyan says, "If Christ could have better people than those He has, He would not make the change," for, saith He, "they are not My people; they are not a part of My own living self." So the Lord Jesus would not change you for a golden saint, for one much better than you axe. That new finger would not be what the Father gave him, nor what He bought with His precious blood. "Thou shalt not be forgotten of Me," means that God will never cease to love His servants. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. |
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