“THEIR ROCK IS NOT AS OUR ROCK.”
EVEN the enemies of the Scriptures of truth, or those who have no regard for them, often bear unconscious witness to the truthfulness and supreme judgment of the Bible. For instance, Prof. Edgar L. Larkin, of Mt. Lowe Observatory, writing from the St. Louis Exposition on “The Jumble of the Races of the Earth,” remarks on the “babel of confusion,” and says: “But the question arises, What is the entire earth and all its inhabitants good for, anyway? Millions come, look upon the sun and stars a few days, and go. To repeat, what is the entire world here for? There is no word that describes the earth exactly, but one has been found that nearly fits the case, and that is the word nothing.” And, looking upon their real worth, or rather lack of it, the Infinite One thus spoke more than twenty-five centuries ago: “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. . . . Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance. . . . All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity.” Isa. 40:6-17. This is God’s estimate of man at man’s actual worth apart from God. Yet in His infinite mercy and goodness God looked down upon this poor, lost race in whose minds He had planted such heavenly aspirations, such glorious ambitions, perverted now by sin, and paid the infinite price of giving His only-begotten Son to save them, and through that Son to make them of infinite worth. Man apart from God is worthless. Connected with God, he may become of infinite value. Separate from God, he dies eternally. United with God, he lives in the light of the divine Presence forever. Outside of God’s plans, all man’s hopes and aspirations end in defeat, debasement, and despair. Within God’s plan, there is righteousness, joy, and peace forevermore. Great and learned men may diagnose the condition of poor, sick mankind; but they can not furnish the cure; all their panaceas prove a thing of naught. They have no healing balm for the bruise; no life for the dead. But the great Physician not only diagnoses the case correctly when He tells us that of ourselves we are wholly sick and corrupt, without strength, having no hope; but He also brings infinite healing to each soul of the multitude of nations. He offers the cup of life, and bids us quaff. He holds out with open hand the bread of life, and bids us eat and live. “Their rock is not as our Rock.”