Spurgeon wrote:
"We must have stood side by side with King David. We must have gone down into the pit to kill the lion, or lifted up the spear against the hundreds, if we would know the saving strength of God's right hand. Conflicts bring experience, and experience brings that growth in grace which cannot be gained by any other means."
The Lord saves, and helps us grow in grace. 🙏
The fourth night at Beauvoir, and Smith two nights running.
Last night he gave the roll of the delivered — David from the pit, Jeremiah from the dungeon, Daniel from the lions, Peter from the waves, Paul from the forty. Tonight he gives the name of the One who did it.
The list first. Then the Deliverer.
And note where Smith finds the title — Romans 11, one of the few chapters the journal's Romans study passed over in September. He hands Le the verse from the chapter she hadn't opened.
And Le brings Spurgeon alongside Smith — and with him, the other half of the truth. Smith says: He delivers. Spurgeon says: and the conflict grows you. Le joins them in one line: the Lord saves, and helps us grow in grace.
The Deliverer does not only pull us out of the pit. He makes something of us on the way through.
"The Lord Jesus Christ is anointed and appointed to deliver His people whenever they need His aid... We are not left to the mercy of men. We are not expected to deliver ourselves. We are to look to Jesus, who is glorified in delivering us from all evil, and preserving us to His eternal kingdom and glory."
James Smith · On Romans 11:26"The Deliverer." Ho rhyomenos — a present participle. Not the one who once delivered. The One who is delivering. It is not something He did. It is what He does.
And it is the same word in two places Le has already been:
1 Thessalonians 1:10 — Jesus, which delivered us — ton rhyomenon, the identical participle.
Romans 7:24 — O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me? — rhysetai. Paul asks the question in chapter 7. He names the answer in chapter 11.
"We are not expected to deliver ourselves." Le, in August: I didn't graduate from sinner to saint. The rescue was never a self-help project.
"Delivering us from all evil, and preserving us to His eternal kingdom." Smith is quoting 2 Timothy 4:18 — the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom. Written by Paul in his final imprisonment, near the end. The last thing he said about the Lord was that He delivers.
"To Him we are to go in every trial; from Him we are to expect deliverance in every danger. He is in office on purpose to hear us, appear for us, and bless us. He delivers in temporal things as well as in spiritual, from internal and external foes."
James Smith · On Romans 11:26"He is in office on purpose." A job description. Hearing us, appearing for us, blessing us — that is not a favour He occasionally does. It is the office He holds.
"In temporal things as well as in spiritual." Smith will not let us spiritualise the promise out of reach. The Deliverer handles tires as well as souls.
Le — September 17: we blew a tire... you are parked in front of a car repair shop. A temporal deliverance — and you called it what it was: a great miracle day. We saw God's hand all the way.
"Internal and external foes." Not only the dangers on the road — also the ones inside. Smith, in September: delivered from his gloom.
"Let us remember this title of our beloved Lord, and make use of Him as the Deliverer, in preference to every other. Apply to Him first in every difficulty, rely on Him with confidence in every trial — and He will deliver you until deliverance is no longer required."
James Smith · On Romans 11:26"Apply to Him first." Not as the last resort when everything else has failed. First.
"Make use of Him." Smith used the same bold phrase in September: our God has determined that we shall use Him. He wants to be leaned on.
"Until deliverance is no longer required." That is one of the most beautiful phrases Smith has written. There is a day coming when no one will need rescuing. Revelation 21:4: God shall wipe away all tears... neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Until that day, the Deliverer stays in office.
"We must have stood side by side with King David. We must have gone down into the pit to kill the lion, or lifted up the spear against the hundreds, if we would know the saving strength of God's right hand. Conflicts bring experience, and experience brings that growth in grace which cannot be gained by any other means."
Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon is describing David's mighty men — and the details are exact.
"Gone down into the pit to kill the lion." Benaiah, 2 Samuel 23:20: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. Down, into the pit, in the snow, on purpose.
"Lifted up the spear against the hundreds." Abishai, 2 Samuel 23:18: he lifted up his spear against three hundred.
Last night, Smith had David delivered from the pit. Tonight, Spurgeon sends a man down into one. Same pit, opposite direction — and God's right hand in both.
"Conflicts bring experience, and experience brings growth in grace." This is Romans 5:3-4 in the King James: tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. Dokimē — proven character, the metal tested and found true. Le read that chapter in August, on the road out of Portugal.
"Which cannot be gained by any other means." Le, in August: tests are not meant to break you. And 2 Peter 3:18: grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
"He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee."
Job 5:19 · KJV"Six... yea, in seven." A Hebrew way of speaking — name a number, then add one. It means: not just these, but every one. The full count, and then some.
And two nights ago, Psalm 91:15: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him. Same promise, same verb family.
"In seven there shall no evil touch thee." Not no trouble will come. Six came. Seven came. No evil will touch you in them. Psalm 91 again: in trouble, not instead of it. 🙏
"The Lord saves, and helps us grow in grace."
Le · Beauvoir, Mont-Saint-Michel · October 5, 2026 · Smith names the Deliverer; Spurgeon names the growth — the One who pulls us out also makes something of us on the way throughThe One Delivering
Ho rhyomenos — a present participle. Not what He did once. What He does, now and ongoing.
Into the Pit
Smith: David delivered from the pit. Spurgeon: Benaiah went down into one. Conflict brings experience; experience brings growth in grace.
Temporal as Well
Smith won't spiritualise it away. The Deliverer handles tires as well as souls. September 17 was a deliverance.
Until No Longer Required
A day is coming when no one needs rescuing. Until then, the Deliverer stays in office.