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Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing
ground,” and they see in Him “no beauty that” they “should desire
Him.”
Isaiah 53:2
. When Jesus was among men, the revelation of
God in humanity, the scribes and Pharisees declared to Him, “Thou
art a Samaritan, and hast a devil.”
John 8:48
. Even His disciples were
so blinded by the selfishness of their hearts that they were slow to
understand Him who had come to manifest to them the Father’s love.
This was why Jesus walked in solitude in the midst of men. He was
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understood fully in heaven alone.
When Christ shall come in His glory, the wicked cannot endure
to behold Him. The light of His presence, which is life to those who
love Him, is death to the ungodly. The expectation of His coming
is to them a “fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.”
Hebrews 10:27
. When He shall appear, they will pray to be hidden
from the face of Him who died to redeem them.
But to hearts that have become purified through the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit, all is changed. These can know God. Moses was hid
in the cleft of the rock when the glory of the Lord was revealed to him;
and it is when we are hid in Christ that we behold the love of God.
“He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the King
shall be his friend.”
Proverbs 22:11
. By faith we behold Him here and
now. In our daily experience we discern His goodness and compassion
in the manifestation of His providence. We recognize Him in the
character of His Son. The Holy Spirit takes the truth concerning God
and Him whom He hath sent, and opens it to the understanding and to
the heart. The pure in heart see God in a new and endearing relation,
as their Redeemer; and while they discern the purity and loveliness
of His character, they long to reflect His image. They see Him as a
Father longing to embrace a repenting son, and their hearts are filled
with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
The pure in heart discern the Creator in the works of His mighty
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hand, in the things of beauty that comprise the universe. In His writ-
ten word they read in clearer lines the revelation of His mercy, His
goodness, and His grace. The truths that are hidden from the wise and
prudent are revealed to babes. The beauty and preciousness of truth,
which are undiscerned by the worldly-wise, are constantly unfolding
to those who have a trusting, childlike desire to know and to do the
will of God. We discern the truth by becoming, ourselves, partakers of
the divine nature.