AN UNCONSCIOUS INSTRUMENT
‘He meaneth not so.’
I. Little do bad men ween, in all their pride and power, that they are but rods and instruments in the hand of God, and that He will lay them aside when He has done with them.—‘He meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so.’ So, child of God, be not dismayed by the proud boastings of your oppressor. It is but for a moment.
II. Meekly bend beneath the Father’s rod.—Think not of the man who hurts you—the Shimei that curses, the Judas that betrays; but go behind them both, to Him Who is using them for His own purpose. It is a profound and comforting thought that those who oppress us are only as the axe or saw, the staff or rod, in the hand of those who wield them, and absolutely powerless of themselves. ‘As if a staff should brandish those who wield it. As if a rod should lift up that which is no wood.’ Can a tool use its owner?