"The Rights of God" # 4

The Starting Point for the Working of God (continued)

God Himself had drawn a line between Jews and Gentiles. Israel was by right heir of the blessing. The Gentiles lived outside the promises. In the case of the Syrophenician woman, we see something different. While Israel insisted upon the blessing of God as being a matter of course, she seeks it. The blessing she seeks is for her a matter of life and death. At the same time, she has no right to it. The Jews were proud of their race. They were "the" people. What could be lacking in them? They were not aware of any particular need. Everything for them was ordered by tradition. Traditional, yes, but NO LONGER SPIRITUAL. And because for them the blessing had become a matter of tradition, they no longer had any longing for it in their hearts. With them there was no yearning, no expectation, no stretching out to receive it. "They that are whole have no need of a physician" (Matthew 9:12). But their health was only in their imagination. They did not know that they were blind - or how blind they were. Therefore Jesus goes way over the boundary to that place where He comes into contact with people who have recognized their need.

But then they need to be brought to the starting point that enables God to bless them, to bless them in truth and in fullness. Matthew fifteen, and verses 22-28 says:

"And, behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying; "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, "Send her away; for she crieth after us." But He answered and said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then came she and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me." But He answered and said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." And she said, "Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said unto her, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." And her daughter was made whole from that very  hour."
The woman pleads: "Have mercy on me, O Lord." He pushes her aside. Why? Because He has to bring her to a certain point. He must test her. Would she be insulted? This may well have been possible. But then she would have had to return home without a blessing. So she remains insistent.

"I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In other words, "You do not belong to those who come into question. I am not sent to you."

But she remains insistent, saying, "Lord, help me."

The Lord takes yet a further step. "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs."

Now let us thing for a moment. If the Lord were to speak like that to us, what would we do? Would we not turn our backs on Him? Would we not be extremely offended, turn away convinced that He did not want to help us, that He had no sympathy towards us?

Ah, the Lord is putting this woman to the test. However, she does not walk away offended. She seeks the blessing. She does not rest until she has it. She persists until the blessing of God breaks through that particular dispensation and comes to the Gentiles.

"It is true, Lord," she says. "I am not appealing to anything of right. I know that I have no right. I am only a dog, but even dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table!"

Then it happened! The victory is there!

"O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt."

Do we now see what it all comes down to? The starting point of all blessings is there where it enters our consciousness that we have no valid rights, no valid claims; that before the Lord we are nothing other than beggers. How different is this than the attitude of Naaman! He thinks first and foremost that he possesses rights, that he can expect his elevated position to be recognized. The woman, however, says to herself, "If I despite everything, am still to receive the blessing, then this can only happen in one way, that He gives it to me by HIS GRACE!!

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 5)