Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

June 5– Morning

 by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“The Lord shut him in.” 

—Genesis 7:16

 

Noah was shut in away from all the world by the hand of God’s divine, electing love. The door of his purpose is placed between us and the world which remains in the wicked one. We do not belong to this world even as our Lord Jesus did not. We cannot enter into the sin, the frivolity, the pursuits of the crowds; we cannot play in the streets of Vanity Fair with the children of darkness, for our heavenly Father has shut us in.

But Noah was shut in with his God. “Come into the ark” was the Lord’s invitation, showing that he himself intended to live in the ark with them. All of the chosen ones live in God and God in them. Let us never ignore his gracious call to “Come, enter our chambers, shut the doors behind us, and hide ourselves until the storm of judgment has passed.”

Noah was so shut in that no evil could reach him. The floods lifted him toward the sky, and the winds blew him on his way. Outside of the ark all was ruin, but inside all was at peace. Without Christ we perish, but in Christ there is perfect safety forever. Eternal faithfulness has shut us in, and what the Lord shuts no man can open.

And, finally, when at the last day, the Master of the house rises up to shut the door, it will be useless for those who merely profess to know him to knock and cry, “Lord, Lord open up!” for that same door that shuts in the saints will shut out the foolish forever.

Lord, shut me in with you by your grace. [M&E]