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Text: "The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." --Proverbs 15:8
Though it is true that "the Sacrifice of the Wicked is an abomination to the Lord" it seems to be a rarity that the Sacrifice of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord’s people. Most of them, it seems, are all too anxious to eat anything they can from anyone they can.
It has been told, and too often told with a boastful spirit, that once when Mr. Dwight Lyman Moody was preaching in a saloon that the bartender offered the preacher a crisp hundred dollar bill inquiring whether or not he would care to have some of "the Devil’s money." The man of God snatched it from his hands remarking, "Thank you: it has been working for the Devil long enough!" Such an attitude is clearly not the sentiments of God before Whom "the Sacrifice of the wicked" is only an "abomination."
This text clearly condemns the practice of the Salvation Army and every other professedly Christian organization that solicits or accepts the sacrifice of the wicked.
"But if the wicked ’sacrifice’ does this not reveal their inward righteousness?" Absolutely not! "The Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." While man judges by deeds, God judges by principles. To Sacrifice without the affection of the heart is to act a lie.
Who then is responsible to support the work of God? Not the wicked, but the people of God. Perhaps we ought to reconsider such practices as selling bonds to the general public, or conducting
suppers and bazaars as the means of supporting the work of the Lord.
Sir Thomas More, the noted Roman Catholic theologian who during the Reformation argued in favor of the Papist doctrine of Transubstantiation, once invited Erasmus to England. When the latter contended it was absurd to believe that when the priest uttered "Hoc est corpus meum" the host became the actual body of Christ, Sir Thomas instructed him, "Believe you have it and indeed you have."
When Erasmus left England bound for the continent, he took Sir Thomas’ horse with him. The owner hastily sent a letter to the German theologian accusing him of stealing his horse. Erasmus responded in a letter which read, "Believe you have it and indeed you have."
1, 1519 --Switzerland. This Saturday, on his 35th birthday, Ulrich Zwingli mounts the pulpit of the cathedral of Zurich and thunders, "It is to Christ that I wish to conduct you; to Christ, the true source of Salvation. His Divine Word is the only nourishment which I would give to your heart and life."
1, 1651 --Scotland. In the Parish church of Scone, Charles II is crowned. He is yet but twenty years of age. Robert Douglas has preached from II Kings on the crowning of Jehoiada and has spoken about the bounds and limits of the king’s power: how he must not use his strength unduly, or break his contract with his subjects; that if he does, there will be justification for resisting his despotism.
The National Covenant and the Solemn League are read to him, and he in turn swears to uphold them; next, he subscribes to them by his own hand. And, having been crowned, he is given the sceptre and conducted to the throne with these words:
"Stand and hold fast from henceforth the place, whereof you are the lawful and righteous heir by a long and lineal succession of your fathers, which is now delivered unto you by authority of Almighty God."
Robert Douglas adds more counsels and warnings, after which, the 20th Psalm is sung and the apostolic benediction ends the service. But the king will fail to keep his word respecting the covenants, yet on June 23, he has sworn that in every clause and syllable he would keep them. Charles wavers saying his oath should not import any infringement of the "laws of England" and is immediately answered that not a single modifying expression would be tolerated.
The king, therefore "performed anything that could have been required, yet without any evidence of any real change of heart."
3, 1705 --Ireland. In the county of Antrim, William Tennent II is born. As a young man, when preparing for his examination prior to being licensed to preach, he will fall sick and lapse into a trance for three days. His friends sure of his death will be at the point of burying him, notwithstanding the protests of his physician, when suddenly he will revive. Though he will regain his health in a year, he will lose all knowledge of reading and writing as well as all previous learning. Soon after this time, his knowledge will rapidly increase. He will write, "For three years, the sense of Divine things continued so great and
everything else so completely vain, when compared to Heaven, that could I have had the world for stooping down for it, I believe I should not have thought of doing it." He is a brother to Gilbert, John, and Charles.
4, 1581 --Ireland. In Dublin, James Usshur is born. He will be distinguished for his chronology which is still printed in most English Bibles. In addition to his having traced Creation back to 4004 B.C., as he believes, he will become widely quoted in catechisms for his statement, "Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."
5, 1876 --Massachusetts. Rev. S. W. Foljamble in a sermon preached to the Massachusetts lawmakers says, "Observe the hand of God in the wise and beneficent timing of events in the dawn of our history. The events of history are not accidents. There are no accidents in the lives of men or of nations. We may go back to the underlying cause of every event, and discover in each God’s overruling and intervening wisdom. It has been said that history...is the autobiography of Him Who is graciously timing all the events in the interest of His Christ, and of the Kingdom of God on earth."
7, 1921 --Scotland. Alexander Whyte dies. He is best noted for his Bible Characters, but has written other biographies, thirty-seven in all. He has recently preached a sermon entitled, "Study of the Swelling of Jordan" in which he has preached the deaths of Christ, the Thief on the Cross, Paul, Augustine, Luther and Butler. After three stanzas of
"Just As I Am, he has concluded with, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;" and "When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
13, 1836 --Scotland. Alexander Whyte is born in the Southmuir of Kirriemuir. "In God’s providence I was born in a poor rank of life," he will say looking back on his life.
At seven years of age, he will be handed a Gospel tract by Robert Murray M’Cheyne just 3 months before his death at age 29. As a young man, Mr. Whyte will sit under the teaching of Thomas Chalmers.
14, 1697 --Massachusetts. This day has been set aside as a day of prayer and fasting by the General Court of Massachusetts to ask forgiveness for the crimes committed in putting innocent people to death daring the days of the Salem witch trials.
On the first page of the New Testament he begins to use today, Brownlow North writes,
"B. North, a man whose sins crucified the Son of God."