When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Our ways
These words contain two blessed fruits of a gracious conversation. The one more immediate and direct, acceptance with God; the other more remote, and by consequence from the former, peace with men.
I. The subject. “A man’s ways.” His whole carriage in the course of his life, with all his thoughts, speeches, and actions, good or bad. When a man walketh in the beaten track of the world, without ever turning his feet unto God’s testimonies, neither that man nor his ways can please the Lord. When a man walketh conscionably and constantly in the good ways of God both the man and his ways are well pleasing unto God. When a man in the more constant course of his life walketh uprightly, and in a right way, but yet in a few particulars treadeth awry, the man may be accepted, though his ways are not altogether pleasing.
II. The act. “Pleasing.” This hath reference to acceptation: wherein the endeavour is one thing, and the event another. A man may have a full intention, and make due endeavour, and yet fail of his end. This is apparent when we have to deal with men. To please signifieth rather the event in finding acceptance than the endeavour in seeking it. In a moral sense, however, not so much the event as the endeavour and intention. But there may be a good assurance of the event where the desire of pleasing is unfeigned and the endeavour faithful.
III. The object. All men strive to please; but some to please themselves; some to please other men; and some to please the Lord. We should endeavour so to walk as to please God. For He is our Master, Captain, Father, and King. There is one great benefit attached to pleasing the Lord in the text,--“He will make our enemies to be at peace with us.” We may add, He will preserve us from sinful temptations. He will answer our prayers. He will translate us into His heavenly kingdom. The wicked man, who displeases God, strengthens the hands of his enemies; exposes himself as a prey to temptations; blocks up the passage against his own prayer; debars himself from entering the kingdom. How can pleasing the Lord be done? By likeness and obedience. The godly love what God loveth. They desire and endeavour to be holy as He is holy; perfect as He is perfect, merciful as the heavenly Father is merciful. Obedience is the proof of our willing and cheerful subjection to His most righteous commands. It is vain to think of pleasing God by the mere outward performances of fasting, prayer, almsdeeds, hearing God’s Word, or receiving the Sacrament. How comes it about that such poor things as our best endeavours are should please God? Our good works are pleasing to God upon two grounds.
1. Because He worketh them in us; and--
2. Because He looketh upon us and them in Christ. In the consequent of pleasing God there are three things observable. The persons--a man’s enemies. The effect--peace. The author--the Lord. The scope of the whole words is to instruct us that the fairest and likeliest way for us to procure peace with man is to order our ways so as to please the Lord. The favour of God and the favour of men is joined together in Holy Scripture, as if the one were a consequent of the other. (Bp. Sanderson.)
The true way of pleasing God and being at peace with
men:--
I. The substance. “When a man’s ways please the Lord.” All the Lord’s ways are concentred ways, and they concentre in Christ Jesus. Then, in order to please the Lord, we must be found in these ways, and as those ways are in Christ, we must also be in union with Christ.
1. In what way has the Lord fixed the love of His heart upon man?
2. The Lord brings His people to desire eternal life in the same way that He has designed it.
3. In what way has the Lord made us holy?
4. In what way does the Lord regenerate His people?
II. The negative; or what the text does not mean. The latter part of the text appears to be negatived by the conduct of the enemies of the Lord’s people in all ages.
III. The positive; or what the text does mean. Refer to a Scripture passage, “The wrath of man shall praise Thee; the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.” Illustrate by circumstances in the stories of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David, Nehemiah, Jews when building the second temple.
IV. The implication.
1. That the Lord has some specific purpose and end in view.
2. That He is sure to accomplish that purpose. (James Wells.)
The charm of goodness
Not that the enemies are simply kept quiet through their knowledge that the good man is under God’s protection, but that goodness has power to charm and win them to itself. (Dean Plumptre.)
God’s control over His people’s enemies
I must see that my ways please the Lord. Even then I shall have enemies; and, perhaps, all the more certainly because I endeavour to do that which is right, But what a promise this is! The Lord will abate the wrath of man to praise Him, and abate it so that it shall not distress me. He can constrain an enemy to desist from harming me, even though he has a mind to do so. This He did with Laban, who pursued Jacob, but did not dare to touch him. Or He can subdue the wrath of Esau, who met Jacob in a brotherly manner, though Jacob had dreaded that he would smite him and his family with the sword. The Lord can also convert a furious adversary into a brother in Christ, and a fellow-worker, as He did with Saul of Tarsus. Oh, that He would do this in every case where a persecuting spirit appears! Happy is the man whose enemies are made to be to him what the lions were to Daniel in the den--quiet and companionable! When I meet death, who is called the last enemy, I pray that I may be at peace. Only let my great care be to please the Lord in all things. (C. H. Spurgeon.)