therefore, at this point, and consider in the light we have already received,

the bearing of the words of Isaiah 63:9:

'In all their affliction He was afflicted'.

If the God we worship is the God of the theologian and philosopher, a Being

Who is unalterably absolute and unconditional, then much could be advanced to

prove that suffering or feeling of any sort cannot be a Divine experience.

This theme has caused much heart burning in theological circles.  If the God

we worship finds the express Image of His Person in His Beloved Son, if the

God we love be 'The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ', if the God of

grace calls Himself 'The God of Jacob', then no proof is needed to persuade

His believing children that He does indeed sympathize, feel and indeed share

the groan of a creation subjected to vanity and can conceivably stoop to be a

tent dweller like His children, until the purposes of grace are achieved.

Such a theme is so vast that the whole of the Scriptures must be laid under

tribute to deal with it at all adequately.  This is quite beyond our

intention.  Our immediate object is to minister to those who are suffering in

mind, body or estate, and we feel that the aspect of truth we wish to present

here is one well calculated to encourage, comfort and sustain.  While we

cannot mitigate the 'groanings', we can point the believer to One Who is

willing to share life's trials as well as bear our sins.

A very great number of believers, when brought face to face with

sufferings, especially on a scale that now confronts the world, are beset

with questions.  They fear to attribute any feeling to the great I Am; they

find it difficult to believe that He can be in anyway moved by human

distress.  The whole problem can be resolved at a stroke.  God is love.

Fathom that revelation and all doubts in the matter must vanish as mist

before the sun.  This, however, is too high-handed a way to deal with

sensitive consciences, we must descend to details, we must present our

proofs, we must show our reasons, above all we must bring forward the

teaching of the Scriptures.

The text which we have chosen for our title, expresses the point we

wish to make:

To break off at this point and raise the question of correct readings, Hebrew

mss and similar subjects may appear an uncalled for academic intrusion, but

there will always be the possibility of some objector bringing up the matter,

so before proceeding further we must consider the validity of our text.

Birk's translation is:

'In all their affliction His was the conflict',

and his note is:

'The Received Version, based on the keri (that which is "read", as an

alternative to that which was "written" kethib), seems here in

substance the best, and yields the most emphatic sense'.

The note in The Companion Bible reads:

'Hebrew text reads "In all their adversity (He was) no adversary".  But

some codices, with two early printed editions, read as text of A.V'.