THE WOMAN OF CANAAN

Matthew 15:22-28

Morning Meditations 9/16/2013

"And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."

As we meditate on the woman of Canaan, let's look first of all at,

HER CHARACTER

1. She is called a woman of Canaan. She is a representative of a class that were without hope, having no promise, and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12, "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:" That is a judgment that includes everyone in this world. How she heard of Christ and His power to heal is not given.

2. She is said to be a woman of deep anxiety. Her daughter was vexed with a devil (demon). Her own soul was thereby vexed because of this. Her great need and conscious helplessness drove her to Jesus. Sometimes our despair will cause us to lay aside our prejudices, humble ourselves before God, and ask God for His mercy. Blessed thirst that draws us to such a fountain!

3. She cried out, "Lord help me." Jesus replied, "It is not meet to take the children's, and to cast it to dogs." This seems to be so unlike our Lord. That answer brought her to her knees. She expressed her willingness to take the lowly place before Him. She is not there to argue her case, she is there to get help for her daughter. She was willing to say, "Lord, if you say I am a dog, then I accept your judgment in that matter. But Lord, even the dogs are allowed to eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table."

HER REQUEST

1. It was a cry for mercy. The cry for mercy is a plea that casts itself upon an offended God. It recognizes God as the Judge and worships Him, and makes her request again.

2. It was a cry to the Lord. She worships at His feet. I wonder if we would stay to get the miracle, if it required us to take the place of a dog?

HER DIFFICULTIES

1. The first trial she met was the silence of the Lord. Verse 23 says, "He answered her not a word." Have you ever had this experience? There have been times I wanted an answer and it seemed that my prayer fell on deaf ears. Sometimes the silence of the Saviour may lead to deeper searching of heart.

2. Next, note conduct of the disciples. They said, "Lord, send her away." Matthew 15:23 says, "But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us."

3. Next we see her own unworthiness. It is amazing that she would take the place of a Gentile dog to obtain healing for her daughter. Let's look now at,

HER SUCCESS

1. Jesus said, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Her crying out to Jesus for help is rewarded.

2. Faith may be tested, but it will not be disappointed. She exercised faith in Christ and was rewarded by the deliverance of her daughter.

May the Lord bless His word to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White