Arthur W. Pink
“He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” —Hebrews 13:5
Contentment is a tranquility of soul, a being satisfied with what God has apportioned. It is the opposite of a grasping spirit that is never appeased, with distrustful anxiety, with petulant89 murmurings. “It is a gracious disposition of mind, arising solely from trust in and satisfaction with God alone, against all other things whatever that may appear to be evil.”90 It is our duty to have the scales of our heart so equally poised in all God’s dealings with us as that they rise not in prosperity, nor sink in adversity…When tempted to complain at your lot, meditate upon Him Who when here had not where to lay His head, Who was constantly misunderstood by friends and hated by innumerable enemies. Contemplation of the cross of Christ is a wonderful composer of an agitated mind and a querulous91 spirit.
“Be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Here is an enforcement of what has just gone before, a reason for the duties enjoined, a motive supplied for the performance of them. One of the divine promises is quoted, which if it be duly appropriated by us, we shall be dissuaded from covetousness and persuaded to contentment. Resting on this divine assurance will both moderate our desires and alleviate our fears. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” is a guarantee of God’s continual provision and protection, and this rebukes all inordinate desires and condemns all anxious fears. The evils are closely connected: in most instances, covetousness in the Christian is rooted in a fear of need, while discontent generally arises from a suspicion that our present portion will prove to be inadequate for the supply of our needs. Each such disquietude92 is equally irrational and God-dishonoring.
Both covetousness and discontent proceed from unbelief. If I really trust God, will I have any qualms about the future or tremble at the prospect of starvation? Certainly not: the two things are incompatible, opposites—“I will trust, and not be afraid” (Isa 12:2). Thus, the Apostle’s argument is clear and convincing: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee”…“He has said”—who has? Why, One Whose power is omnipotent, Whose wisdom is infinite, Whose faithfulness is inviolable,93 Whose love is unchanging. “All the efficacy, power, and comfort of divine promises arise from and are resolved into the excellencies of the divine nature. He Who is truth hath said it and cannot deceive.”94 And what is it that He has said, which, if faith truly lays hold of, will subdue covetousness and work contentment? This: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” God’s presence, God’s providence, God’s protection are here assured us. If due regard be paid to these inestimable blessings, the heart will be kept in peace. What more would we have save a conscious realization of the same? O for a felt sense of His presence, for a gracious manifestation thereof to the soul! What were all the wealth, honors, pleasures of the world worth, if He should totally and finally desert us? The comfort of our soul does not depend upon outward provisions so much as on our appropriation and enjoyment of what is contained in the divine promises. If we rested more on them, we would crave less of this world’s goods. What possible cause or ground for fear remains when God has pledged us His continual presence and assistance?
“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” It is almost impossible to reproduce in English the emphasis of the original, in which no less than five negatives are used to increase the strength of the negation, according to the Greek idiom. Perhaps the nearest approximation is to render it, “I will never, no, never leave thee, nor ever forsake thee.” In view of such assurance, we should fear no want, dread no distress, nor have any trepidation95 about the future. At no time, under any circumstances conceivable or inconceivable, for any possible cause, will God utterly and finally forsake one of His own. Then how safe they are! How impossible for one of them to eternally perish! God has here graciously condescended to give the utmost security to the faith of believers in all their difficulties and trials. The continued presence of God with us ensures the continued supply of every need.
“For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” These words were first spoken by Jehovah to the successor of Moses (Jos 1:5), whose task it was to dispossess Canaan of all the heathen nations then inhabiting it…This precious promise of God belongs as truly to me now as it did to Joshua of old. Let us then tenaciously hold this principle: the divine promises that were made upon special occasions to particular individuals are of general use for all the members of the household of faith…Are not the needs of believers the same in one age as another? Is not God affected alike unto all His children? Does He not bear them the same love? If, then, He would not desert Joshua, He will not any of us…“Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4)…
“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb 13:6). Once more, the Apostle confirms his argument by a divine testimony, for he quotes from Psalm 118:6. In this citing of David’s language, Christians are again taught the suitability of O.T. language unto their own case and the permissibility of appropriating the same unto themselves: “we may boldly say” just what the Psalmist did!…The believer is weak and unstable in himself and constantly in need of assistance, but the Lord is ever ready to take his part and render all needed aid. “The Lord is my helper” implies, as William Gouge (1575-1653) pointed out, “a willing readiness and a ready willingness to afford us all needed succor.” Those whom He forsakes not, He helps— both inwardly and outwardly. Note carefully the change from “we may boldly say” to “the Lord is my helper”: general privileges are to be appropriated by us in particular. “Man can do much: he can fine, imprison, banish, reduce to a morsel of bread, yea, torture, and put to death; yet as long as God is with us and standeth for us, we may boldly say, ‘I will not fear what man can do.’ Why? God will not see thee utterly perish. He can give joy in sorrow, life in death.”96 May the Lord graciously grant both writer and reader more faith in Himself, more reliance upon His promises, more consciousness of His presence, more assurance of His help, and then we shall enjoy more deliverance from covetousness, discontent, and the fear of man.
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89. petulant – childishly bad-tempered.
90. John Owen, Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Vol.7, 412-413.
91. querulous – complaining in a whining manner.
92. disquietude – feelings of anxiety that make one tense and irritable.
93. inviolable – incapable of being broken.
94. Owen, 413.
95. trepidation – feeling of alarm or dread.
96. Thomas Manton, “Sermon upon Hebrews 13:5,” The Complete Works of Thomas Manton, Vol. 18, 452.
From Studies in the Scriptures, reprinted by and available from Chapel Library.
A.W. Pink (1886-1952): Pastor, author; born in Great Britain, immigrated to the U.S., and returned to his homeland in 1934; born in Nottingham, England.
Courtesy of Chapel Library