Every twig has a voice! – Thomas Brooks
“The voice of the Lord calls out to the city (and it is wise to fear Your name,) “Pay attention to the rod and the One who ordained it.” Micah 6:9
Christians should hear the rod, and kiss the rod, and sit mute and silent under God’s rod.
Christians should be mute and silent under the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences, and sharpest trials which they meet with in this world, that they may the better hear and understand the voice of God’s rod.
As the word has a voice, the Spirit a voice, and conscience a voiceso God’s rod has a voice. Afflictions are the rod of God’s anger, the rod of His displeasure, and His rod of revenge.
God’s rods are not mutes. They are all vocal, they are all speaking as well as smiting. Every twig has a voice!
‘Ah! soul,’ says one twig, ‘you say it smarts. Well! tell me, is it good to provoke a jealous God?’ Jer. 4:18.
‘Ah! soul,’ says another twig, ‘you say it is bitter, it reaches to your heart; but have not your own doings procured these things?’ Rom. 6:20-21.
‘Ah! soul,’ says another twig, ‘where is the profit, the pleasure, the sweet that you have found in wandering from God?’ Hosea 2:7.
‘Ah! soul,’ says another twig, ‘was it not best with you, when you were high in your communion with God, and when you were humble and close in your walking with God?’ Micah 6:8.
‘Ah! Christian,’ says another twig, ‘will you search your heart, and try your ways, and turn to the Lord your God?’ Lam. 3:40.
‘Ah! soul,’ says another twig, ‘will you die to sin more than ever, and to the world more than ever, and to relations more than ever, and to yourself more than ever?’ Rom. 14:6-8; Gal. 6:18.
‘Ah! soul,’ says another twig, ‘will you live more to Christ than ever, and cleave closer to Christ than ever, and prize Christ more than ever, and venture further for Christ than ever?’
‘Ah! soul,’ says another twig, ‘will you love Christ with a more inflamed love, and hope in Christ with a more raised hope, and depend upon Christ with a greater confidence, and wait upon Christ with more invincible patience?’
Now, if the soul is not mute and silent under the rod, how is it possible that it should ever hear the voice of God’s rod, or that it should ever hearken to the voice of every twig of God’s rod?
The rod that is in the hands of earthly fathers has a voice but children hear it not, they understand it not, until they are hushed and quiet, and brought to kiss it, and sit silently under it. No more shall we hear or understand the voice of the rod that is in our heavenly Father’s hand, until we come to kiss it, and sit silently under it.