THE VEXED SOUL
2 Peter 2:7 ¶ And delivered just (righteous) Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Our Lord faithfully instructed us that we would have tribulation as we lived in this world. And having an overcoming cheerful attitude would be solely based on the assurance that he had overcome the world for us. John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
And in our text we see how that one of the times of one believer’s day, which caused the vexation of his soul, is set forth to represent the conditions of the days of the return of the Son of God. For it was in both the days of Noah and the days of Lot to which our Lord compared the conditions existing upon his return.
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, (Noah) so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Irregardless of the belief of todays religious masses that no tribulation shall befall those living in the last day, the scriptures set forth an entirely different scene. Let us consider but two passages. 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Jude 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And we should never forget the informative question which our Lord asked, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8 For he wasn’t asking in order to obtain information, but to put something on our minds.
But the most important matter which we must give attention unto is that the sheep of God have all their experiences in following the Shepherd. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: Revelation 14:4 These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.
And we follow him in the path of his sufferings. 1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
Therefore we come to the most important awareness that THE most vexed soul is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ! And having our attention drawn to him is essential for us to fulfill the first commandment, to love him with all our hearts, souls and minds. For his sufferings were only because of our transgressions! Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
And also as we are focused upon him as THE most vexed soul, our vexations seem to be but ‘light afflictions’ in comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus;
Look full in his wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim;
In the light of his glory and grace!”
Isaiah 52:14 As many were astonied (astonished) at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
Matthew 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Our spit shamed him, but his spit created and healed us! Leviticus 15:8 And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. Numbers 12:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
Mark 7:33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 8:23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
It was the moisture from the very breath of God which caused the dust of the ground to become a living soul! And that same Creator-God made clay again from the earth and formed new eyes for this blind man! Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
And we must never let it be far from our minds as we presently walk in the christian life that the Holy Spirit can be grieved! The scriptures clearly inform us in 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit:… Therefore to grieve the Holy Spirit is to farther vex the Lord! Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Hebrews 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Also the religionists make much only of the physical sufferings of the Lord upon the cross. And, of course we must never lessen these in our heart-felt sympathies as we worship Him! But we must never leave out that which the Father looked at – the travail of his soul! Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
This is almost entirely overlooked by religion. For they only define sin by actions of which they disapprove. Consider that which our Lord instructed as that which sin truly is. For as recorded in Matthew chapter five we take careful notice of his words, “But I say unto you.” He set forth conditions of the heart as murder and adultery. Therefore with this wrongful defining of sin, the Harlot church only looks at the thorns, the nails and the spear as their focus. But the Father looked at the travail of his soul!
For there could not be the slightest attitude of self justification, nor of self pity within the pureness of heart and mind of the Lamb who was to be sacrificed to atone and compensate for all the sins of all the true church of God! Remember that the first Adam offered the excuse for his sin in blaming both God and Eve! Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. For there can be no imputed justification for the sheep if the Shepherd has such impurities of heart!
And, all glory to the Lamb that was slain, for although he was in all points tempted, he was yet without sin! Just listen to his wondrous cry in that hour of this most vexed and shamed soul – Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
He endured this horrible vexation by focusing on the joy set before him! And so should we! Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Your soul’s servant,
