Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
The verse pictures a king with ten thousand facing an approaching army twice as large and stronger, who recognizes he cannot prevail with his available forces and while there is still time sends messengers to seek terms of peace. It teaches careful, deliberate and wise consideration of strength and resources before beginning an undertaking, rather than rash and impulsive action without counting what will be required. In Christ's lesson it calls prospective followers to count the cost of discipleship beforehand, soberly weighing obedience and eternal life so as to remain faithful when opposition comes rather than turn back. Desiring conditions of peace means being reconciled to God through the only One who could make peace, by accepting Christ, forsaking sins and giving up everything wrong.
The Outnumbered King's Choice
The verse pictures a king going out with ten thousand men to meet an approaching army of twenty thousand, twice as large and stronger than his own force. He recognizes that he cannot prevail against it and cannot meet it with the forces available to him. While the other army is yet a great way off, while there is still time before it arrives, he sends an embassy of messengers to seek terms and conditions of peace.
The example teaches careful and deliberate action rather than impulsive action. It forbids acting rashly and impetuously and hastily launching an undertaking without counting what will be required. It calls instead for taking time for wise and considerate thought about whether strength is sufficient to stand ground and meet the opposing force, about resources, and about preparation before encountering difficulties or beginning an undertaking.
Seeking Peace With God
In Christ's lesson the picture calls prospective followers to count the cost and understand the demands before committing to discipleship and service. It teaches the need to consider the resources required before beginning an undertaking, as a king facing an approaching stronger army sends an envoy while there is still time to seek terms of peace. Applied to following Christ, it calls for sober consideration of the cost of obedience and of the choice between gaining or losing eternal life, not impulsive zeal. A person must decide beforehand to remain faithful and endure opposition rather than turn back when difficulties come.
Desiring conditions of peace means being reconciled to God through the only One who could create and make peace, by accepting Christ, forsaking sins, and giving up everything wrong. Applied to the Jewish nation, its only hope was such reconciliation. But pride and religious bigotry led it blindly on the course foretold in prophecy until it was left in the hands of its enemies and ruin was certain.
The same warning applies to Jews and Gentiles convicted by the gospel invitation who hesitated to accept it for fear of religious leaders and their hostility. All are called to weigh the evidence for truth and choose Christ rather than pursue a course ending in defeat and loss of eternal life. The verse warns those who take a position against God and truth to consider their course, forbidding presumption and despising the strength and power of the enemy.
Those who take up Christ's work must first count the cost and seek peace with Him, giving themselves wholeheartedly to carry the truth. Relying on His strength they receive supernatural help for what they could not do in their own weakness, so that advancing by faith they need not fail or become discouraged. Desiring conditions of peace also governs word and attitude, requiring great caution, refusing harsh and denunciatory words even when true, refusing retaliation, and refusing discussion and controversy that give advantage to foes, so that through wrong traits of character Satan and his synagogue gain no victory.
Paying the Price Daily
Counting the cost means concluding to pay the price for eternal life, for heaven is worth the sacrifice, by renouncing self, dying to self, sacrificing self, crucifying pride and self-sufficiency, and bringing the will into perfect conformity with the will of God and bending it to Him. No one can retain self and at the same time be filled with the fullness of God, but must be emptied of self to receive the mind of Christ and His mold and superscription, for whom Christ died. Until willing to pay this price the transforming grace of God is not manifested, but when the emptied nature is presented to God He by His Holy Spirit supplies the vacuum made by renunciation of self and gives of His fullness.
Union with Christ by living faith costs something and costs utter dependence on the part of a proud being. Christ first chose men at infinite price for redemption, and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and best in everything in an enduring union, while every other union must perish. That union is formed only by feeling need of the atoning blood of Christ, having a change of heart, submitting the will to the will of God, struggling with outward and internal obstacles, and doing a painful work of detachment as well as attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness, sin in all its forms, and cherished idols must be overcome and detached before attaching to Christ, since trying to attach without first detaching makes the Christian life deplorably hard and makes believers fickle and variable.
Counting the cost of submission before following Christ means giving God the whole heart and the entire affections, denying self and lifting the cross appointed, surrendering gladly to be led, yielding everything, giving up everything wrong including every favorite sinful pleasure, removing stumbling blocks cast in the path of others, and making clean and thorough work for eternity and the judgment. Paying it pays in the end by removing guilt of sin from the conscience and giving sweet happiness and rest in Christ's yoke and burden surpassing every sinful pleasure and gratifying indulgence, while refusing it leaves wasted years and a fruitless life with nothing but leaves recorded in God's book of records. Counting the cost and then deciding to follow at any cost requires that mere profession only and supposed hope, which will never save, be replaced by thoroughly examining the grounds of hope and dealing truly in the soul. It means refusing to mingle in spirit with the world and with those who pay no heed to divine things, dying to pride and self, seeking God earnestly, raising the standard of piety higher, and knowing the fellowship of Christ's sufferings as the way to be a child of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ, with God looking on the heart and eternal life depending on the decision.
Applied to institutions, the lesson warns against taking on debt and continuing to build without counting the cost and considering whether there are enough resources to meet the demands ahead, so funds for completing the building must be considered before launching the project. Launching hastily the proposed sanitarium of Dr. Moran when it had not been considered where the funds would come from was unwise. The picture of the king considering terms of peace shows the need to weigh the commitment carefully before baptism, so before children are baptized, they and their parents should understand the meaning and cost of turning from sin and beginning a new life in Christ, including yielding the will to God and obeying His word.
The verse pictures a king with ten thousand facing an approaching army twice as large and stronger, who recognizes he cannot prevail with his available forces and while there is still time sends messengers to seek terms of peace. It teaches careful, deliberate and wise consideration of strength and resources before beginning an undertaking, rather than rash and impulsive action without counting what will be required. In Christ's lesson it calls prospective followers to count the cost of discipleship beforehand, soberly weighing obedience and eternal life so as to remain faithful when opposition comes rather than turn back. Desiring conditions of peace means being reconciled to God through the only One who could make peace, by accepting Christ, forsaking sins and giving up everything wrong.
The Outnumbered King's Choice
The verse pictures a king going out with ten thousand men to meet an approaching army of twenty thousand, twice as large and stronger than his own force. He recognizes that he cannot prevail against it and cannot meet it with the forces available to him. While the other army is yet a great way off, while there is still time before it arrives, he sends an embassy of messengers to seek terms and conditions of peace.
The example teaches careful and deliberate action rather than impulsive action. It forbids acting rashly and impetuously and hastily launching an undertaking without counting what will be required. It calls instead for taking time for wise and considerate thought about whether strength is sufficient to stand ground and meet the opposing force, about resources, and about preparation before encountering difficulties or beginning an undertaking.
Seeking Peace With God
In Christ's lesson the picture calls prospective followers to count the cost and understand the demands before committing to discipleship and service. It teaches the need to consider the resources required before beginning an undertaking, as a king facing an approaching stronger army sends an envoy while there is still time to seek terms of peace. Applied to following Christ, it calls for sober consideration of the cost of obedience and of the choice between gaining or losing eternal life, not impulsive zeal. A person must decide beforehand to remain faithful and endure opposition rather than turn back when difficulties come.
Desiring conditions of peace means being reconciled to God through the only One who could create and make peace, by accepting Christ, forsaking sins, and giving up everything wrong. Applied to the Jewish nation, its only hope was such reconciliation. But pride and religious bigotry led it blindly on the course foretold in prophecy until it was left in the hands of its enemies and ruin was certain.
The same warning applies to Jews and Gentiles convicted by the gospel invitation who hesitated to accept it for fear of religious leaders and their hostility. All are called to weigh the evidence for truth and choose Christ rather than pursue a course ending in defeat and loss of eternal life. The verse warns those who take a position against God and truth to consider their course, forbidding presumption and despising the strength and power of the enemy.
Those who take up Christ's work must first count the cost and seek peace with Him, giving themselves wholeheartedly to carry the truth. Relying on His strength they receive supernatural help for what they could not do in their own weakness, so that advancing by faith they need not fail or become discouraged. Desiring conditions of peace also governs word and attitude, requiring great caution, refusing harsh and denunciatory words even when true, refusing retaliation, and refusing discussion and controversy that give advantage to foes, so that through wrong traits of character Satan and his synagogue gain no victory.
Paying the Price Daily
Counting the cost means concluding to pay the price for eternal life, for heaven is worth the sacrifice, by renouncing self, dying to self, sacrificing self, crucifying pride and self-sufficiency, and bringing the will into perfect conformity with the will of God and bending it to Him. No one can retain self and at the same time be filled with the fullness of God, but must be emptied of self to receive the mind of Christ and His mold and superscription, for whom Christ died. Until willing to pay this price the transforming grace of God is not manifested, but when the emptied nature is presented to God He by His Holy Spirit supplies the vacuum made by renunciation of self and gives of His fullness.
Union with Christ by living faith costs something and costs utter dependence on the part of a proud being. Christ first chose men at infinite price for redemption, and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and best in everything in an enduring union, while every other union must perish. That union is formed only by feeling need of the atoning blood of Christ, having a change of heart, submitting the will to the will of God, struggling with outward and internal obstacles, and doing a painful work of detachment as well as attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness, sin in all its forms, and cherished idols must be overcome and detached before attaching to Christ, since trying to attach without first detaching makes the Christian life deplorably hard and makes believers fickle and variable.
Counting the cost of submission before following Christ means giving God the whole heart and the entire affections, denying self and lifting the cross appointed, surrendering gladly to be led, yielding everything, giving up everything wrong including every favorite sinful pleasure, removing stumbling blocks cast in the path of others, and making clean and thorough work for eternity and the judgment. Paying it pays in the end by removing guilt of sin from the conscience and giving sweet happiness and rest in Christ's yoke and burden surpassing every sinful pleasure and gratifying indulgence, while refusing it leaves wasted years and a fruitless life with nothing but leaves recorded in God's book of records. Counting the cost and then deciding to follow at any cost requires that mere profession only and supposed hope, which will never save, be replaced by thoroughly examining the grounds of hope and dealing truly in the soul. It means refusing to mingle in spirit with the world and with those who pay no heed to divine things, dying to pride and self, seeking God earnestly, raising the standard of piety higher, and knowing the fellowship of Christ's sufferings as the way to be a child of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ, with God looking on the heart and eternal life depending on the decision.
Applied to institutions, the lesson warns against taking on debt and continuing to build without counting the cost and considering whether there are enough resources to meet the demands ahead, so funds for completing the building must be considered before launching the project. Launching hastily the proposed sanitarium of Dr. Moran when it had not been considered where the funds would come from was unwise. The picture of the king considering terms of peace shows the need to weigh the commitment carefully before baptism, so before children are baptized, they and their parents should understand the meaning and cost of turning from sin and beginning a new life in Christ, including yielding the will to God and obeying His word.